This study formulates a general semantics theory of societal cohesion, and tests the extent to which general semantics instruction in public schools can alter group attitudes in the directions suggested by the theory. The test instrument, which consists of measurable elements, rationality, acceptance of change, nonprejudice, and…

Evaluated was the environmental education program conducted at the Tremond Environmental Education Center, Tremond, Tennessee to determine its effectiveness in changing and influencing environmental attitudes and self-concepts of elementary school children. As part of the study, instruments to assess environmental attitudes and attitude change in…

This document reviews the literature on adolescent suicide, focusing on factors and warning signs leading to suicide. After a brief introduction, 10 terms such as "adolescent" and "suicide" are defined. Sixteen annotations of articles on the identification of the suicidal adolescent are presented. Eighteen annotations of articles on the prevention…

The purpose of this study was to measure the extent to which 121 Kansas elementary school students in grades one, three, and six understood masculine generic nouns to include females. An original measurement instrument was constructed which consisted of two forms, identical with regard to pictures and format but differing in the inclusion of…

The basic premise in the study of the mass media and media credibility was that the medium is a major factor in the determination of the credibility of information by receivers. Relationships between media credibility and sociolinguistic theory were explored, and the factor analysis was used to organize patterns of perception of media credibility…

The interrelationships among perceived sex role of self, sex roles of parents and friends, and sex roles of television-situation-comedy characters were investigated by this study. Individual preferences for characters in four TV programs--"All in the Family,""Rhoda,""Mary Tyler Moore," and "The Bob Newhart…

The purpose of this study was to determine which personality traits as measured by the California Psychological Inventory (CPI) are predictive of academic achievement in urban college freshmen of the Federal City College. The measures of achievement were grade point average (GPA) and the Comparative Guidance and Placement Program (CGPP) test…

The study was designed to elicit stereotypes of female and male speech behavior from high school and college students, and to compare those stereotypes with ratings made by the participants of their own speech and of "ideal" speech. The participants were 466 high school and college caucasian women and men. The study employed a 51-item…

A survey of articles on the subject of reading, which appeared in popular magazines published from 1741 to 1840, was conducted in an attempt to provide historical insight into recent innovations and criticisms of reading instruction provided by lay magazines. Descriptive analysis of every article appearing on the subject during this time period…

A year-long qualitative study constructed a "thick" (rich, literal) description and interpretation of the social organization, interactions, and attitudes displayed within one self-contained second-grade classroom during its scholastic language arts activities and instruction to explain how a literacy learning environment can be seen as…

This action research project implemented and evaluated a program for improving social skills in order to increase cooperative behavior among elementary school students. The targeted students were from a fourth- and a sixth-grade classroom in a middle-class suburban community. The lack of social skills development interfered with positive…

The study identified, among a multiplicity of demographic and psycho-social variables, the factors which discriminate between preventively and symptomatically oriented individuals regarding dental health care for both self (mother) and her children; determined if a relationship exists between orientation to medical care in general and dental…

This action research project implemented and evaluated an intervention designed to assist students in developing their social skills to enhance the classroom atmosphere. The targeted population consisted of fourth-, fifth- and sixth- grade students in lower- to middle-class suburbs of a Midwestern city. Off-task, verbal and physical inappropriate…

This study investigated children's perceptions of sex roles as they are portrayed in traditional and nontraditional children's stories. Subjects were 60 white, middle-class, 4-, 5-, and 6-year-old children. Tape-recorded stories and questions (investigator-designed) specifically examined: (1) distinction of mother and father roles in parallel…

Three hypotheses were tested to determine whether the social and political marginality of the Mexican American community resulted from an internal colonial relationship with the dominant Anglo society: (1) an expanding Anglo American society in the 19th century established an unequal relationship by force with the indigenous Mexican population in…