To examine effects of ethnicity, SES, and residence on students' participation in formal clubs, activities, and sports, a survey was administered to 1,450 students at a county-wide consolidated high school in southern Appalachia. The purpose was to investigate the significance of Appalachian ethnicity as an explanation for behavior and to…

The 1970's ushered in widespread population deconcentration, seen in the pervasive shift of the United States population down the size-of-place scale. To document population changes in various sized places in the country from 1950 to 1980 and to show the pervasiveness of urban-rural deconcentration in nonmetropolitan areas, researchers examined…

This study examined rural/urban and sex differences in achievement in reading, language, and mathematics for 4918 students in grades 4, 7, and 10 from a midwestern province in Canada. Particular attention was given to subskill and sex differences in mathematics achievement. Each student was administered a mental ability test and an achievement…

The study assesses impacts of population growth and migration status on academic performance and participation of 1,743 white high school seniors from primarily nonmetropolitan areas of Utah. Data from a survey of the state's 1980 graduating seniors are employed in the analysis. Indicators of academic performance are the number of organizations in…

This report describes a study which tested the applicability to rural schools of "effective school" research, which focuses on characteristics associated with schools found effective through analysis of standardized student achievement test scores. Strategies for providing input from local personnel included research awareness sessions,…

This paper offers criticism of rural education research methods, and identifies areas in need of more or better systematic inquiry. It suggests the need to increase the quantity of the highest quality of research and the need for researchers to reach policy makers and "mainstream" education journals more effectively. Five main problems…

This study was designed to determine the status of in-service teacher training programs for lower secondary science teachers in Japan. The investigation involved measuring the percentage of science teachers attending in-service training sessions on pure science fields, science teaching, and the use of audio-visual aids. In addition, science…

The experiences of beginning teachers (female and male teachers in urban and rural areas) in Manitoba are examined in this study. Questionnaires were mailed to the approximately 300 beginning teachers identified. The 148 who responded constitute the sample: 107 females--61 at urban schools, 46 at rural schools; and 41 males--32 at urban schools…

To explain the migration turnaround of the 1970s, it has been suggested that the United States may be approaching an equilibrium state in the exchange of populations between metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. As metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas have become more similar in population composition and industrial and socioeconomic…

In a national effort to derive an empirical data base for establishing rural education research priorities, 273 general educators and 188 special educators representing public schools (180), colleges/universities (137), and other agencies (137) ranked 46 specific research questions clustered around the issues of rural school effectiveness,…

Factors affecting 750 Wyoming public school teachers' response rates to a mail survey examined in this study were: personalization of the cover letter and of the envelope; grade level taught (elementary, junior, or senior high); sex of teacher; and regional characteristics (rural area, small town, or large town). Two experimental treatments were…

Analysis of current literature indicates that the process and the outcome of social studies education in rural communities is little different from that in the rest of the country. Despite the excitement surrounding the "Foxfire" program in rural Georgia and the efforts of curriculum innovators, students in rural America are likely to encounter a…

Of the empirical research on agency utilization, examinations on the usage of community based organizations (CBO's) such as Community Action Programs, Opportunities Industrialization Centers, and Urban Leagues, have been minute. This study of CBO's revealed significant relationships relative to the use of program services by 575 respondents…

This paper reviews 20 cross-cultural studies conducted with the Defining Issues Test (DIT). All or part of the samples in the studies were non-Americans who had not been a part of the populations presented in the DIT manual. The studies were aimed at the comparison of moral reasoning structure and development across cultures. Several aspects of…

Analysis of census data indicates major population, industrial, and occupational changes occurred in many of Texas' 254 counties from 1960 to 1980. While 103 counties experienced rapid population growth by both natural and migration, patterns of change were dissimilar. Population grew steadily in metropolitan counties over the two decades.…