This study examined whether recent disruptive events would increase the likelihood of high school dropout among both rural and urban youths, and whether the types of disruptive events preceding dropout would be different in rural vs. urban environments. Based on interviews conducted with early school leavers and matched at-risk schoolmates (N =…

Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988, this study documented college attendance patterns of rural youth in terms of the selectivity of first postsecondary institution of attendance, the timing of transition to postsecondary education, and the continuity of enrollment. The study also examined how these college attendance…

This qualitative case study explores the career and educational aspirations, college choice process, and college barriers and opportunities of 26 rural, African American high school students. Data included interviews with 26 students and 11 school staff members. Findings suggest that the students' rural context shapes aspirations. In addition,…

Objective: To evaluate 3-month tobacco quit rates of young adult tobacco users randomized to 2 intervention conditions. Methods: Overall 192 non-treatment-seeking 18-to-24-year-old tobacco users received educational information and advice to quit smoking. Participants were then block randomized to 2 brief intervention conditions: (1) a telephone…

Substance use among youth is a significant health concern in the rural United States, particularly among at-risk students. While evidence-based programs are available, literature suggests that an underdeveloped rural health prevention workforce often limits the adoption of such programs. Additionally, population-size restrictions of national…

The purpose of this study was to examine individual, family, peer, and community risk and protective factors associated with past-30-days alcohol and marijuana use among African-American adolescents living in rural and urban communities. This study used data collected from 907 tenth- and twelfth-grade African-American students who completed the…

We consider young children's construals of biological phenomena and the forces that shape them, using Carey's (1985) category-based induction task that demonstrated anthropocentric reasoning in young urban children. Follow-up studies (including our own) have questioned the generality of her results, but they have employed quite different…

Purpose: Addressing substance abuse in rural America requires extending our understanding beyond urban-rural comparisons to how substance abuse varies across rural communities of different sizes. We address this gap by examining substance abuse prevalence across 4 geographic levels, focusing on youth (age 12-17 years) and young adults (age 18-25…

The inverse relationship between economic status and mental illness is well established. Less is known, however, about the nature of this relationship. A comparison of poor suburban and rural youth receiving services for their emotional and behavioral problems revealed more similarities than differences. Family income increased during the first…

This article is based on interviews carried out in rural communities in Canada and Wales with health care workers, educators, administrators and policymakers. The focus of the interviews was on assessing the perceived needs and available services for rural youth, either within their schools or within the immediate community. Various problems and…

Studied the expectations of teachers and peers for gifted female adolescents using data from 28 teachers and 34 peers (seventh and eighth graders). Results support the idea that gifted females face conflicting societal expectations, with significant differences between the expectations of their teachers and their peers. (SLD)

Results showed that the performance of the suburban and urban 10-year-olds on a Piaget-based map drawing task did not differ significantly, while the Appalachian children performed significantly better than one or both of the other groups on three out of the four spatial concepts. (JMB)

Sampled 49 students in a structured telephone interview to ascertain factors that are most instrumental to high school seniors when selecting postsecondary institutions. Found some differences between urban and rural students' influencing factors. (EV)

Describes differences in preferred modes of group interaction between 743 students from grades four to eight and from four relatively distinct social environments: rural Maine, suburban New Hampshire, urban Columbus, Ohio, and inner city Cincinnati, Ohio. Rural and inner city groups prefer similar modes as do urban and suburban groups. (Author/NEC)

Compared substance use perceptions and behavior using a sample of 3,009 African American youth. Overall, substance abuse is perceived as a serious problem at school. Early substance use and peer influence are major determinants of later substance use, although important differences exist in the prediction of alcohol and marijuana use. (RJM)