The current study explores patterns of informal science experiences among youth in urban and rural middle schools by gender and socioeconomic status. Data come from surveys in two Midwestern middle schools, one in a mid-sized city, and the other in a rural-remote town. We asked about participation in informal science activities (e.g. visiting zoos…

Purpose: As the most widely used substance among adolescents in the United States, alcohol remains a critical public health issue. The majority of research in this area has focused on individual-level variables. This study examined the contextual effects of rurality, geographic region, and community ethnicity in the prediction of alcohol use among…

The primary aims of the present longitudinal study were to examine (a) patterns of early transition relatedness with teachers and peers in 6th grade, (b) whether pre-transition behavior in 5th grade predicted early transition relatedness in 6th grade, and (c) how unique indicators of early transition relatedness with teachers and peers and…

A cross validation study was conducted using data from white, rural seventh graders to investigate the stability of the construct validity of a model of eight conditions that are purported to support adolescent academic aspirations. A factor analytic study examined GEAR-UP survey data from 4,365 students across two consecutive years. In…

This study explored how an awareness of psychological acculturation can help faculty to understand rural/Appalachian students' classroom experiences. By using a thematic analysis technique, selections from student journals were identified that captured the perspective of being a rural/Appalachian student adjusting to the new cultural system of a…

Changes in marriage and procreation aspirations of South Carolina high school students between 1966 and 1973 are examined. Data were collected as part of a regional project in several Southern states. During the 1966-67 school year, all 10th grade students were interviewed in 42 randomly-selected high schools stratified by students' racial…

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.…

In 1975, questionnaires were given to 587 sophomores and seniors in 12 rural high schools. Findings included significant differences between ethnic groups on expected and desired family size and marriage age; but no differences between age groups. (Author/SJL)

This study examined the exposure to multiple physical and psychosocial stressors among low-income, rural, white 8- to 10- year-olds. Findings indicated that low-income children confronted a wider array of multiple physical and psychosocial stressors than did middle-income counterparts. Children showed evidence of higher levels of self- and…

Examined substance use among rural black and rural white students (n=1,915). Found that black males were significantly less likely than white males to drink alcohol; get drunk; smoke cigarettes; or use smokeless tobacco, hallucinogens, and sedatives. Black females were significantly less likely than white females to drink alcohol; get drunk; smoke…

Crites' Career Maturity Inventory (CMI) was administered to rural eighth grade Anglo and Mexican-American students. Test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and validity are reported by sex and ethnicity. Data analyses indicate that questions may be raised regarding Crites' postulated monotonic relationship of career maturity to grade and…

Using a self-report questionnaire, this study investigated smoking experimentation among 374 rural, black fifth graders and white fifth graders. Results indicated that 26% of males and 16% of females had tried cigarettes. Black students and white students had similar smoking experimentation rates. Peer and parent smoking affected students smoking…

A study was conducted to identify the significant factors of student attrition in Wisconsin's postsecondary vocational, technical, and adult education system to determine predictability, and to indicate areas for improvement of retention measures. Survey instruments were developed to gather data from 121 non-completers and instructors. A third…

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…