Presents an Adlerian vocational theory with several hypotheses and corollaries regarding: (a) life style, (b) work as life task, (c) family atmosphere and relationships, and (d) early recollections. Develops predictive vocational statements and offers the resulting framework as a stimulant to generate further study of Adlerian vocational…

The shift to alterable variables (those that can be changed before or during the teaching and learning processes) enables researchers to move from an emphasis on prediction and classification to a concern for causality and the relations between means and ends in teaching and learning. (Author/IRT)

A two-year study of 239 families comprising both substance-abusing and nonsubstance-abusing parents found parental substance abuse greatly increased the likelihood of poorer family functioning and re-reports for maltreatment to the child protection services. The findings support the need for including parental substance abuse in risk assessment…

Used retrospective reports of family-of-origin cohesion, degree of difficulty in separating from family, and other factors to predict depressive symptoms, social anxiety, and perceived social support during the transition to college. Results demonstrate that family-of-origin experiences affect all three aspects of young adults' college adjustment.…

A study investigated the effects of integrating assistive technology into the homes of 13 children with learning disabilities (ages 9-16). All placements were judged to have had positive effects on children and/or their families. Eight placements were judged successful in all three categories of technology performance and child and family…

This article examines the risk and resilience literature, focusing on the protective factors in the lives of both gifted individuals and those with learning disabilities. Implications for gifted children with learning disabilities are discussed and recommendations are suggested for nurturing resilience in these students. (Contains references.)…

A study involving 72 Puerto Rican mothers with children with mental retardation living at home found better maternal well-being was predicted by larger social support networks, greater satisfaction with social support, and more minor children living in the household. Mothers faced many socioeconomic challenges and were in poor health. (Contains…

This article reports results of an exploratory study examining factors that might be associated with achievement in mathematics and participation in advanced mathematics courses in Canada, Norway, and the United States of America (USA). These factors, which were not directly related to schooling accounted for large degrees of variability, 24% to…

This study investigated to what extent abuse-related symptoms and family functioning are related to intra- or extrafamilial sexual abuse. One hundred adolescents (12 to 18 years old) were recruited shortly after disclosure of the abuse. Information from the participants was obtained through self-report questionnaires and a semistructured…

Despite the dramatic increase in incarcerated mothers that has occurred in the past decades, there is a paucity of family research focusing on the children affected by maternal imprisonment. The present study investigated family environments and intellectual outcomes in 60 children between the ages of 2 and 7 years during their mothers'…

A study investigated whether children's early book reading experiences at home were related to later narrative skills, and whether narrative skills were related to school measures of literacy and language. Data were collected as part of the Home School Study of Language and Literacy Development, a longitudinal study designed to explore the…

Multivariate sets of predictor variables including both cognitive and social variables, different types of preschool experiences, and family environment variables were used to predict the first-grade reading achievement of 144 first-grade boys and girls. Measures for the predictor variables had been taken at school entry and at the end of the…

Described in this symposium report are results from three studies exploring the relationship of home environments in infancy or early childhood to school performance. All studies used the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME) and drew their data from the files of the Houston Parent-Child Development Center, a 2-year…

Examines the concept of "pediatric social illness" (child abuse, neglect, accidents, ingestions, and failure to thrive) in a sample of 94 Black families whose children were admitted to Children's Hospital Medical Center (Boston). Explores economic, social, and environmental causes of the phenomenon. (GC)

Assessed the role of attention processes as mediators between family environment and school readiness, analyzing data from 1,002 children and their families participating in the NICHD Study of Early Child Care. Found that sustained attention partially accounted for the link between family environment and achievement and language outcomes.…