A study analyzed the effects of two initiation techniques on community leisure participation during free time for six adults with mild to moderate mental retardation. The two interventions, calendar and telephone prompts, were both found to have a positive relationship with the initiation of community leisure activities. (Author/CR)

A meta-analysis of 11 studies examined findings regarding adaptive behavior gains of deinstitutionlized adults with mental retardation when placed in community-based programs. Results found studies involving persons with severe mental retardation exhibited larger gains, and the adaptive behaviors most influenced by community placement are those…

Elaborates on a policy statement adopted by the Council for Exceptional Children's Division on Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities concerning training of educators for inclusion. The history of the inclusive schools movement is reviewed and the need for adequate training and preparation is stressed. Ten key categories of readiness…

A survey, the "School and the Education of All Students Scale: Concerns and Incentives Subscales," was given to educators and administrators (N=558) in a Colorado school district during 1994-95. Educators' primary concerns about inclusion were time pressure for teaching all students well and proper training for managing challenging behaviors.…

The family adjustment of parents (N=117) of young adults with mental retardation to their son/daughter's initial entry into supported employment was evaluated using the Resiliency Model of Family Stress Adjustment and Adaptation as an analytical framework. Results indicated that family strength dimensions are related to family adaptation and that…

Reviews the developmental and psychosocial characteristics of the increasing number of school-aged persons infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Educational ramifications of these characteristics and strategies for providing safe teaching and learning environments are presented. (DB)

Evaluation of the effectiveness of a training program for behavioral aides providing individualized support for adults with severe disabilities and challenging behaviors in a day treatment center found all five participants were able to show marked increases in their clients' social and physical community integration. The training program focused…

This study examined agreement between naturalistic verbalizations and emission of referent actions in 15 individuals (ages 20 to 39) with mild-to-moderate mental retardation. The proportion of communicative agreement in the Do-say sequence was significantly greater than the proportion observed in the Say-do sequence. Significantly higher agreement…

A procedure involving prompting, repetition of the correct response, and reinforcement was effectively used to teach three adults with profound mental retardation gestural yes-no responding. However, reliable generalization of the individuals' responses across settings or persons did not occur even after generality training. (Author/DB)

This annual serial issue contains six papers dealing with business education and training. Three approaches to teaching problem solving are detailed in "Teaching Problem Solving for Employment Preparation" (Judith J. Lambrecht). A study to identify the technologies used to manage information in business and industry is reported in "The Use of…

Comparison of 38 business studies graduates in a four-year sandwich program (with one-year job placement) and 23 with a two-year diploma, one-year conversion to bachelor's program showed that sandwich graduates were more successful in job placement and salary. The conversion group were disadvantaged by lack of work experience and lower academic…

Reviews developments in technical and vocational education in South Africa: National Qualifications Framework, Curriculum 2005,and enterprise development. Addresses issues of articulation, funding, and market responsiveness. Concludes that practices might be imposed from above and government agencies do not yet have the capacity to develop and…

Examines aspects of informal learning: (1) credit toward formal qualifications; (2) the value of nontraditional knowledge; (3) learners' awareness of their own learning; and (4) sensitivity of informal learning to context. Concludes that informal learning does not fit with the narrow view of knowledge in formal education and learners are often…

A survey of 40 General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQs) in British further-education colleges and 20 in a university found they are positive about core skills but do not benefit from GNVQ action planning and evaluation, and lack sophistication for autonomous learning. GNVQs may have encouraged more dependency on teachers. (SK)

Interviews with 40 cooking apprentices, and teacher and employer comments, showed that many small-business owners are not concerned with employee learning or with how to create a learning environment. Many teachers had little or no contact with employers. Students lacked opportunities to practice under the supervision of workplace specialists. (SK)