Purpose: Although prior studies showed a positive association between rural youths' school experiences and educational outcomes, our knowledge is limited about how components of self-determination theory relate to rural youths' academic expectations and rural residential aspirations. Therefore, the current study aims to examine the relationship…

Results of a survey of White Appalachian and rural Black youth indicated that parents were the most frequent choice of these youth as significant others (SOs) for career decisions. Analyses for race differences in the SO choices of these young people failed to support "deficit" interpretations of the Black family. (Author/BL)

The Death Anxiety Scale and a multidimensional scale of religiosity were completed by (N=312) rural high school students to determine the relationship of several aspects of religiosity to death anxiety. Results indicated that six variables were significant correlates of death anxiety. (Author)

The relationships between delinquent behavior and labor market experiences of teenagers are examined in this study. Variables include incidence of self-reported delinquent behavior, gender, race, age, suspension from school, and current residence. Findings and the implications for educational policy are examined. (CT)

Examines social support and coping in relation to resiliency among a sample of rural, low-income Appalachian African-American and White adolescents. Regression analyses reveal that social support from family and problem-focused, avoidance, and wishful-thinking forms of coping significantly predicted resiliency. Race and gender distinctions were…

Effects of early marriage and marriage deferment on educational attainment and occupational achievement of black and white youth were investigated in a longitudinal study of 1,052 rural youth from Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas. Data were obtained from the larger Southern Youth Study, 1966-72. Within the…

Uses Boocock's model of the social context of education to compare divergent climates for Black students in two rural southern elementary schools. In both schools Black and White teachers and students use an assumed color blindness and a preoccupation with subject matter to mask differential treatment of Black students. (SKC)

Examined differences in occupational aspirations, expectations, and anticipatory occupational goal deflection in rural Black, White, and Native American adolescents (N=520). Results indicated few ethnic differences in aspirations. Females aspired to higher level occupations but experienced expectations lower than aspirations more often than males.…

This paper focuses on identifying the nature of immediate postsecondary educational activities in a rural area and compares these activities to educational aspirations held in high school. As part of a larger study in the rural Eastern Shore of Virginia, all students in grades 9-12 in Northampton and Accomack Counties were surveyed in 1995. These…

Researchers estimate that more than half of the nation's six million young drinkers have problems with alcohol. Of those young drinkers, some reside in rural communities and towns. Little is known about how teen drinking occurs among rural teens. A pilot study was undertaken to discover how teens in rural settings are involved with drinking.…

Adolescents (n=414) living with rural Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) families were studied to determine predictors of sexual behavior in blacks and whites. Sex- and age-related differences were noted. The role of family support, welfare, and feelings of frustration were studied along with other variables. (Author/MMU)

Investigated tobacco use from 1976-1992 among urban and rural adolescents using data from Monitoring the Future, a project that examines high school seniors' risk behaviors and sociodemographics annually. Results suggest rural white males smoke most often and urban black females smoke least often when compared to other groups. Smoking rates…

The correlation between educational aspiration and educational achievement was investigated in 6 Southern states via a longitudinal study (1965-1972). Approximately 1,200 rural youth, stratified by race, sex, and socioeconomic status, were contacted when sophomores, when seniors, and when 4 years beyond high school graduation. Findings revealed…

A survey of health risk behaviors was administered to a representative sample of 7,776 Idaho students in grades 8-12. Respondents were 86% White, 6% Hispanic, 4% American Indian, 3% Asian, and 2% Black. These rural adolescents reported that they had engaged in some health risk behaviors at rates comparable to those of other U.S. adolescents: 57%…

Inconsistencies in adolescents' self-reports of sexual behavior were studied for 758 rural adolescents (eighth-grade students in rural Maryland) who completed surveys over 3 years. Consistency rates fluctuate depending on the measure of sexual behavior, the racial/gender subgroup, age, and prior sexual experience, but the majority present…