Data from two studies highlighted the socioeconomic and psychological attributes of poverty in rural Mississippi. In the first study, county census data were analyzed to determine changes in the socioeconomic status of rural and urban poor between 1960 and 1970. In 1970, the poverty count in rural and urban areas differed by 16.6%, down 5.1% from…

To evaluate the extent of acceptable responses, 58 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) social studies exercises were administered in 1975 to a random sample of 13 year olds attending schools in north Mississippi communities no larger than 3,500 persons. A multiple matrix sampling technique was used for both the 390 students from…

In an effort to test certain aspects of Oscar Lewis's "Culture of Poverty Theory" in the rural South, an investigation was made of the differences in participation patterns of the rural poor, those factors associated with participation patterns of the rural poor, and the relationship between the social participation patterns of one…

To test the hypothesis that a student probably will not attain a high level of education without aspiring to do so but that high aspirations do not guarantee high educational achievement, researchers surveyed 134 high school students in 2 Mississippi counties during their sophomore year in 1966 and again in 1972. Like youth in other parts of the…

Between 1972 and 1973, 183 white and 148 black household heads and/or homemakers living in 6 low income, open country, Mississippi counties were interviewed for purposes of identifying and comparing family fears/worries and wishes/hopes. About 40% of the respondents were retired or disabled, and the majority were: female; over 50 years old;…

A survey was conducted in spring 1975 of 929 full-time male students enrolled in eight of 20 postsecondary vocational centers in Mississippi. Representing 20% of the total state center enrollment, the sample was 35% black and 65% white, with black representation comparable to the population in the geographic areas studied. Findings included the…

Trends and changes in Mississippi farms, farmers, and farm populations were investigated for the period between 1950 and 1970 and comparisons were made between the farm population and that of the urban and rural nonfarm segments in terms of growth trends and 1970 characteristics. Data were drawn from both the Censuses of Agriculture (taken at five…

Views of the deep-rooted assumptions and myths surrounding the role of women in academic institutions of the South are presented in scholarly articles, experience-based essays, and poems. Among the themes that are explored are the history of women's involvement in higher education, women's studies, women's status, racial stereotypes, alienation,…