As the number of rural, first-generation college students continue to rise, there was a gap in the literature regarding post-secondary enrollment and the self-efficacy of these students who participated in asynchronous credit recovery in high school to complete a high school diploma. In this qualitative, narrative study, I examined how completion…

The purpose of this article is to highlight a critical approach for practice, youth participatory action research, that can be used to invite rural youth to collaborate with school administrators, educators, and community leaders to identify and examine challenges, while building upon the strengths of a school and community to address challenges.…

Objective:This report extends earlier accounts by addressing the effects of the Strong African American Families (SAAF) program across 65 months. Two hypotheses were tested: (a) Rural African American youths randomly assigned to participate in SAAF would demonstrate lower rates of alcohol use than would control youths more than 5 years later, and…

Purpose: Chances for a healthy life are not equally distributed across society. Instead, genetic, social, and environmental factors help determine the probability that a child will be healthy and active. We investigate the probability that youth will be physically active by examining 3 consistent correlates of physical activity. The individual and…

The historical change in educational status projections of Georgia rural youth was examined from 1966-1972. Used as the sampling unit, counties were: (1) rural, (2) characterized by low socioeconomic status, and (3) representative of all state regions. All schools in each county with a 10th grade class were used, although not necessarily the same…

Investigated drug use behaviors of rural and urban students in Georgia. Data from 1,897 response forms indicated experimental use of alcoholic beverages was high (approximately two-thirds for rural and urban samples), while approximately one-third reported marijuana use. Males exceed females in weekly and daily drug use. (Author)

Studied the effects a high stakes test designed to end social promotion would have on poor black students in the 39 Georgia counties characterized as "declining rural counties." Findings suggest such tests would have a disparate impact on African American children, limiting their educational attainment. Illustrates the argument with the…

The historical change in occupational status projections of Georgia rural youth were examined. Using the time span from 1966 to 1972, the county was the sampling unit used to select sample schools. Criteria used to select sample counties were that they be: (1) rural, (2) characterized by low socioeconomic status, and (3) representative of all…

Social disorganization is the primary theory by which criminologists account for crime rates. Current versions of social disorganization theory assume that strong networks of social relationship prevent crime and delinquency. A community's capacity to develop and maintain strong systems of social relationship is influenced by residential…

Describes a research project attempting to evaluate the effectiveness of reading materials written for black children and defines some of the specific problems in teaching reading to black subjects. (Author/JM)

Results of three national surveys suggest that the prevalence of drinking was lower in nonmetropolitan areas than in metropolitan areas. However, nonmetro and metro areas were similar in the presence of risk for heavy, dependent, and problem drinking. Therefore, they probably share similar risks for health consequences of such levels of…

This study of seven gifted female first-year college students (three African-American and four Euro-American) who had graduated from public high schools in rural south Georgia investigated their perceptions of their gifted programs in elementary and secondary school. Three data sources were used: a self-report participant questionnaire, follow-up…

This study examined whether students could learn counterintuitive science concepts by reading and discussing ideas. Ninth graders read texts, answered questions, then completed control activities or engaged in scaffolded discussions. Students who read expository text and students who participated in scaffolded discussion performed better than…

This paper examines the relationships between high school curriculum (academic, general, and vocational) and students' occupational and educational aspirations in rural schools. The study was conducted in Ohio and then replicated in Southwest Georgia. In Ohio, 767 predominantly white rural senior students completed a questionnaire and the…

The specific objective was to study racial differences in the consistency dimension of desired status objects (aspirational frame of reference) and expected objects (anticipated frame of reference) of adolescent males from the rural South. Specific observations were made on (1) racial differences in consistency of aspirational frames of reference…