J. J. Stowitschek

Evaluation of Competency-BasedSpecial Education Teacher Training Programs: Focus on Pupil Performances

of special education teacher-training programs, identifying teacher-training procedures which will improve the educational services offered to handicapped individuals is of utmost importance. The thesis of this paper is that the competencies developed in teacher-training programs should be evaluated in terms of the performance of the pupils served by the trainees. Therefore, the evaluation of teacher-training programs must ultimately include data that indicate the success of the trainees in pro-moting appropriate changes in the performance of the pupils they instruct, by implementing the skills taught through the training program. The evaluation process then must focus on not only the achievements made by the teacher trainees in meeting

An Analysis of the Effects of a Social Skills Training Program Using Self-Instructions on the Acquisition and Generalization of Two Social Behaviors in a Work Setting

This investigation examines the effects of a social skills training program using self-instructions in facilitating the acquisition and generalization of two social behaviors in a work setting. Specifically, this study examined the effects of the training package in increasing the percentages of initiations with a supervisor when employees ran out of work materials and/or needed assistance. The results indicated that the training effectively increased the percentages of occurrence in one or both of the target behaviors for all 5 participants. Furthermore, the training resulted in generalized responding across settings for all participants and maintained for up to 13 weeks. These results suggest the feasibility of a social skills training package using self-instructions to help persons with moderate and severe handicaps acquire, maintain, and generalize social behaviors in a work setting.

A Naturalistic Study of the Relation between Preschool Setting Events and Peer Interaction in Four Activity Contexts.

Abstract The effect of preschool environmental factors, or “setting events,” on peer interaction has received little attention from investigators studying factors related to social competence. In this study, peer interactions and aspects of three setting events (teacher behavior, material use, and peer presence) were observed in four preschool activity contexts. Data on the frequency of occurrence of interaction and occurrence of specific setting event measures within activity contexts were obtained, and empirical probabilities were determined. Results indicate that the behavior of the preschool teacher is a potent setting event with regard to peer interaction. Teacher interaction with a child, in any activity context, retarded peer interaction by that child. The setting events of material use and peer presence had little effect on peer interaction. Results are discussed in terms of how teachers can alter their behavior to promote peer interaction.

Training and support for mainstream day care staff

This article describes a system of in‐service training and support delivered to mainstream day care personnel by the staff of the Social Integration Project. The Projects purpose was to integrate handicapped preschool‐aged children into day care programs. The decision to develop an in‐service support system was based on literature described in the article indicating that mainstreaming efforts may not be successful in the absence of training and support. The results of the efforts to integrate handicapped children, as measured by the progress of children served and staff attitudes, are also described. †This project was supported by grant number 6008100249 from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services, U.S. Department of Education. No official endorsement by the Department should be inferred.

Day care for handicapped children: Can we stimulate mainstream service through a day care-special education merger?

Mainstream day care services are not widely available to parents of handicapped children. By merging special education services (assessment, individual educational programs, and services by specialists) into day care activities, handicapped children can receive education as well as care with their normally developing peers. This article describes child placement, staffing patterns, and teaching formats that enable caregivers to use routine day care activities as teaching opportunities for handicapped preschoolers. The resulting model of service is cost efficient relative to the costs of self-contained service.

Materials for Teaching Social Skills to Handicapped Children: An Analytic Review.

An analytic review of instructional materials purporting to teach social skills is presented. Social targets, peer social interaction, peers as training agents, and the inclusion of elements of systematic instruction are the focal points of the review. Initial findings are that few of the materials clearly reflect results of recent empirical research regarding the social development of handicapped children.