David S. Cordray

Sociometric Status and Related Personality Characteristics of Mainstreamed Learning Disabled Adolescents

Learning disabled adolescents rated each other, and were rated by nondisabled classmates and teachers within special education and lower track mainstreamed classes. Results demonstrated that, while disabled subjects were generally less well liked than their peers, a subgroup of the disabled sample was very well regarded. Additionally, most of the remaining disabled subjects were rated in the neutral, rather than the disliked range. Behavioral differences between disabled and nondisabled, and popular versus unpopular disabled subjects were also examined. Comparisons of ratings by teachers in mainstreamed and special education classes revealed that special education teachers tended to view disabled students as less socially, but more academically competent than did teachers in mainstreamed classrooms. Additional areas related to social adaptation, such as ratio of disabled to nondisabled students in a class and social decoding ability, were also examined and discussed.

Evaluation of a Juvenile Diversion Program Using Multiple Lines of Evidence

The evaluation of a juvenile diversion program was approached through the development of multiple lines of evidence bearing on each of the two major program goals: providing a community-based alternative for arrested juveniles who otherwise would have been referred to the juvenile justice system and reducing juvenile delinquency. Convergent results from various measures, research designs, and data stratifications indicated that the program had little success in decreasing referrals to the juvenile justice system but produced a positive delinquency reduction effect (concentrated among less serious offenders). These results are discussed in terms of (1) their significance for the diversion program and (2) the nature of the multiple methodology that produced them.

Modification of type A behavior through aerobic exercise

This psychophysiological evaluation of an aerobic exercise program examined specifically whether aerobic training modified Pattern A for those individuals at behavioral risk for developing coronary heart disease, i.e., young Type A individuals. At pretest and posttest of this secondary prevention study, Type A and Type B subjects were assessed in three conditions: aerobic exercise program, nonaerobic activity (Aikido, a martial art) control, and notreatment control. After 10 weeks, Type A but not Type B subjects exhibited lower Pattern A behavior in the aerobic program than in control conditions. Average workout pulse rates and differentially reliable increases in aerobic capacity indicated that aerobic training was indeed aerobic, whereas aikido activity was not. Even though selected nonaerobic factors, such as locus of control and group participation, did not mediate the Pattern A decrease for Type As when comparing aikido and aerobic conditions, changes in aerobic capacity may have been the mediator. Generalizability of the results and implications for theoretical development and clinical intervention are discussed.

Recommendations To Congress and Their Rationale: The Holtzman Project.

This article concerns recommendations made in a report to Congress and the Department of Education on evaluation offederally supported education programs. The work covers local, state, and federal efforts to address questions about why and how well evaluations are done, and about how results are used. The recommendations are directed toward improving the quality of evaluations and enhancing their usefulness.