The pupil rating scale: Screening for learning disabilities

The pupil rating scale: Screening for learning disabilities

494 Book Briefs of pupil grouping. The author reviews and reappraises classic research design on grouping, points out the failure of researchers to ...

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494

Book Briefs

of pupil grouping. The author reviews and reappraises classic research design on grouping, points out the failure of researchers to relate group and student achievement variables to a number of specified process variables, and proposes a new "macromodel" research paradigm which interrelates grouping, curriculum process, and student achievement variables. GOTTLIEB, D. & HEINSOHN, A. L. America's other youth: Growing up poor. Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice-Hall, 1971. Pp. xiii + 206. $3.95. This book of readings is sufficiently unique to warrant special attention. The subject matter is youth; the focus is on the life style of youngsters living in poverty. Separate sections introduce the reader to Puerto Rican, migrant worker, Mexican-American, American Indian, Appalachian and Black youth. Contributors are behavioral scientists, educators, activists; common denominators of all the selections are their contemporary nature, their freedom from professional jargon, their emphasis on trying to communicate some understanding of the day-to-day experiences of these youngsters. The audience for this tittle book of readings might be not only teachers in in-service courses or graduate students, but also college counselors, school psychologists, and other mental health professionals. HELLMUTH, J. (Ed.) Cognitive studies. Vol. 2. Deficits in cognition. New York: Brunner/Mazel, 1971. Pp. x + 363. $15.00. This collection of papers compares handsomely with its distinguished predecessor. Volume 1 focused on normative cognitive processes; Volume 2 deals primarily with cognitive deficit or disturbance as related to disorders such as dyslexia, schizophrenia and blindness, as related to children from minority groups, and as related to the classroom. In a brief and eloquent introduction, David Elkind reviews the history of American psychology, its focus on methodology rather than relevance, current social movements resulting in reassessment of psychology's problems and methods, and the resulting interest in cognition and cognitive processes. He sees this book as reflecting "both how far we have come from the sterile pre-World War II days and how far we still have to go to free ourselves from the methodological constraints of a rigid experimentation which limits and impedes the researcher's thinking." MYKLEBUST, H. R. The pupil rating scale: Screening for learning disabilities. New York: Grune and Stratton, 1971. Pp. 40. $6.00. (paper) This simple rating scale asks the classroom teacher to rate a child on a five-point scale of specific descriptions for each of 24 behaviors divided into five broad areas: auditory comprehension, spoken language, orientation, motor coordination, and personal-social behavior. The scale is quite simple and the behaviors to be evaluated seem relevant although the teacher would need to ascertain the relative usefulness of this scale compared to other task analyses and raIing scales available. The 40 page, six-dollar manual offers a brief one paragraph explication of each of the 24 behaviors and refers the Jounml of S c h o o l Psychology, V o l u m e 9, 1 9 7 1

Books Received

495

teacher to a somewhat confusing set of 21 tables for analysing scores, without any clear-cut guidelines for conducting this analysis beyond suggesting that "every child who receives a low score should be evaluated further." PAVENSTEDT, E., & BERNARD, V. W. Crises o f family disorganization: Programs to soften their impact on children. New York: Behavioral Publications, 1971. Pp. ix + 103. $5.95. For the community-involved psychologist, this collection of papers presents practical recommendations and describes several preventive and remedial innovations in family crises. One section of the book deals with parents with mental illness and covers such issues as communication between mental hospitals and community, and child care. A second section deals with parents under unmanageable stress, covering such issues as alienation as a coping mechanism, child abuse, and motherhood in a deprived environment. The final section describes innovative programs for providing meaningful services to seriously deprived families and children, one in Philadelphia and one in New York City. The Philadelphia project particularly involved a variety of school-related programs of major interest to the school psychologist.

BOOKS RECEIVED ANDERSON, M. (Ed.) Sociology of the family. Baltimore, Maryland: Penguin, 1971. Pp. 352. $2.95. (paper) BERGER, T. I have feelings. New York: Behavioral Publications, 1971. Unpaged. $3.95. BLOCHER, D. H., DUSTIN, E. R., & DUGAN, W. E. Guidance systems. New York: Ronald, 1971. Pp. vi+ 371. $8.00. BROWNING, R. M., & STOVER, D. O. Behavior modification in child treatment: An expe.nmental and clinical approach. Chicago: Aldine, 1971. Pp. vi + 422. $11.95. DAHLLOF, U. S. Ability grouping, content validity, and curriculum process analysis. New York: Teachers College Press, 1971. Pp. xvii + 100. $7.95. ELDER, G. H., Jr. Adolescent socialization and personality development. Chicago: Rand McNally, 1968. Pp. 132. (paper) GOTTLIEB, D., & HEINSOHN, A. L. America's other youth: Growing up poor. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1971. Pp. xiii + 206. $3.95. HAMACHECK, D. E. Encounters with the self. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1971. Pp. xiv + 264. (paper) HELLMUTH, J. (Ed.) Cognitive studies. Vol. 2. Deficits in cognition. New York: Brunner/Mazel, 1971. Pp. x + 363. $15.00. HENLEY, A. Schizophrenia: Current approaches to a baffling problem. New York: Public Affairs Committee, 1971. Pp. 24. $ .25. (paper) IRWIN, T. How to cope with crises. New York: Public Affairs Committee, 1971. Pp. 28. $ .25. (paper) JOHNSON, P. E. Psychology of school learning. New York: John Wiley, 1971. Pp. vii + 124. $5.50. MITTLER, P. The study o f twins. Baltimore, Maryland: Penguin, 1971. Pp. 192. $2.25. (paper) MORRISON, A., & MclNTYRE, D. Schools and socialization. Baltimore, Maryland: Penguin, 1971. Pp. 240. $1.65. (paper) MUUSS, R. E. (Ed.) Adolescent behavior and society: A book of readings. New York: Random House, 1971. Pp. xii + 532. (paper) Journal of School Psychology, V o l u m e 9, 1971