This study was designed both to evaluate the Biks and Gutches test as a measure of morphological development in children within special education settings, and to determine whether or not these children have acquired a generative morphology. Two groups of children were pretested on the Biks and Gutches test. An experimental group received a short teaching program designed to familiarize them with concepts underlying the Berko procedure. Both the experimental and the control group were then retested on the Biks and Gutches test. The teaching program enhanced performance, indicating that this test might in part reflect abilities other than morphological development. Children experienced greater difficulty with nonsense word than with real word items. However, performance on comparable real word and nonsense word items was strongly correlated, indicating that these children have acquired a generative morphology.

The Parental Strengths and Needs Inventory was administered to 60 Black mothers and their preadolescent children. Most of the mothers, despite a lower than average income, formal schooling and family stability enjoyed being parents, successfully performed the tasks expected of them, and effectively taught essential lessons about life. In the estimate of themselves and their children, these mothers qualify as good parents. Both generations identified similar and differing aspects of maternal behaviour that should be improved. Youngsters contradicted their mothers regarding how well the adults handled certain problems associated with childrearing. Significant differences between the groups were obtained for some of the inventory items, with children commonly assigning lower ratings to the mothers than mothers assigned to themselves. Becoming adequately informed about the growing up experience of individual sons and daughters was identified by both generations as the mothers’ most prominent weakness. The findings offer a generally favourable view of maternal competence in Black families and is being used to develop a suitable curriculum for mothers.

It is a singular honour for me to have been invited to deliver the inaugural Len Cosson Memorial Lecture. It is obvious that Len’s Stirling contribution to special education in New Zealand will endure. His ability to enthuse peers and students alike will live on and will affect for the better the quality of the lives of young people with disabilities. Despite his untimely death, his family and professional colleagues can be comforted by the knowledge that Len’s ideas and vision will remain a beacon for those who follow in his footsteps. He has provided some very real challenges for the New Zealand Special Education Association - challenges that will be met if you emulate the truly professional approach that he maintained throughout his illustrious career. He obviously lived to the full the values and precepts that many of us aspire to, but often fall short of. While I did not have the privilege of knowing Len, I feel enriched by being in the company of so many people whose lives he touched in such a profound way.

In the following presentation I wish to report the results of a study that examined the postschool experiences of 73 young people with a range of disabilities who left a special education facility in NSW in 1985. The roles that work, family support and friendship patterns played in their postschool experiences are analysed. The study points to the need for a more coordinated approach to the planning and delivery of transition education services to young people with disabilities.

This paper examines and critically evaluates the concept of mastery learning, ranging from its early development by such writers as Bloom and Keller, through to its various applications from preschool to tertiary levels of education, concluding with some speculation about future developments.

Note: This article provides the theoretical background for the Social Skills and Employability Project in South Australia. The Project was established in 1989 by the S.A. Education Department (Northern Area) and the Institute for the Study of Learning Difficulties. It is a school and industry based project designed to develop personal, social, and vocational skills for young people with special educational needs. The author has agreed to write a further article describing the program in action. This will appear in a future issue of the journal.

The ability to question students effectively is, without doubt, one of a teachers most valuable assets. Through questions students can be led to make discoveries about the world, and to pose and solve their own problems. It must be recognised, however, that children may need tobe taught how to respond to different tyres of questions, and how to use questions to elicit the information they want. Despite the possibility that questioning can be overused (Wood, Wood, Griffiths, & Howarth, 1986), and the accusation that it can reduce the quality of conversational interchanges in the dassroom (Tizard & Hughes, 1984), the ability to question and respond to questions remain as important classroom behaviours: “Teachers and studerts who learn to comprehend the functions of the various types of questions can be expected to have more control over their enquiry” (Mann-Mandlebaurn, 1990).