Disadvantaged rural youth may be especially at risk for obesity and poorer health due to physical inactivity. Research suggests that extracurricular school programs can increase physical activity for this population. This study sought to determine whether local differences existed in the availability of supportive environments for extracurricular…

Student responses concerning personal and peer use of marijuana were collected from 181 middle school students in rural Northern Michigan. Results suggest that personal marijuana use is highly correlated with peer consumption. Use of marijuana increases significantly with age and is higher than national averages in certain age groups. (Author/ABB)

Focus groups conducted with urban and rural middle school students showed that they had typical stereotypes about agriculture and farmers and found farm careers unattractive. Results suggested that agriculture be tied to youth interests and addressed before middle school. The project also elicited information about using focus groups with youth.…

It is important to study youth abusive drinking patterns because adolescent abusive drinking has been linked to several behavioral and sociological problems. Few studies, however, have examined early adolescent alcohol abuse or have addressed the problem of abusive drinking among rural area youth. A study was conducted to assess the extent to…

Shows tests of social learning theory in a rural middle school setting in 1975 and 1979 determined that variables (i.e., social reinforcement, social/nonsocial reinforcements, differential associations, and supportive definitions) accounted for 34 percent variance level of marijuana use in 1975 and 52 percent variance in 1979. Suggests marijuana…

Preadolescents are faced with a variety of pressures, but usually receive little help in stress management from the school. To examine the effects of relaxation training on rural middle school students (N = 532), researchers implemented a daily 15-minute program of relaxation training exercises on aduio tapes in the regular classroom setting. The…

This study reports the self-reported out-of-school physical activity of 229 male and 593 female adolescents in three rural middle schools. Over one-third reported participation in vigorous physical activity less than twice a week, and almost half of females reported levels of activity below nationally recommended guidelines. (SLD)

One of the largest problems facing rural school counselors is that of confronting the low career expectations that many rural students have by the time they reach high school. The relationship among the fear of success (FOS), self-concept, and career decision making of adolescents was examined in this study. Special attention was given to whether…

The attitudes and beliefs regarding gender, achievement and self-concept of sixth-grade students from a rural Kansas elementary school were assessed. Research consistently demonstrates females' superior verbal ability over males and males' stronger quantitative skills when compared to females. Explores the development of these differences in rural…

Investigated the attitudes and concerns of middle school students in four rural school districts to determine if their worries were the same as those of urban youth. Found similarities between the two groups, suggesting that rural areas are not as isolated from urban problems as they seem. Results suggest the need for relevant education programs.…

A study examined characteristics common among young offenders from rural communities who were involved in multiple-fatality school shootings. Data on six cases involving eight offenders revealed six common offender characteristics: verbal threats, peer rejection, interest in violent media, previous violent behavior, suicidal ideation, and violent…

Since motivation is an essential element in school success, it becomes critical that school psychologists understand how academic motivation influences middle school students' academic achievement. The behavior characteristics exhibited by academically motivated middle school students and some interventions for at-risk students are reported. The…

In 1999, the U.S. Department of Education funded 21 state and 164 college and middle school partnership grants for Project GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs), which encourages disadvantaged youth to prepare for college. As part of its grant, Fairmont State College (West Virginia) surveyed parents and…

Parent and student surveys were conducted in nine primarily rural West Virginia counties to gather baseline information on incoming seventh-grade students' and parents' awareness of and aspirations for postsecondary education. The surveys are administered each year as part of Fairmont State College's GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness…

A study was done to determine if certain social variables outside of the school environment would show a relationship with substance abuse. Non-school activities considered were organized athletics, clubs, and music and drama organizations. A survey was distributed to 7,426 secondary school and middle school students in a large Midwestern…