This paper is concerned with the relationship between black adolescents' performance on school measures of success, particularly as this performance is perceived to be indicative of their intellectual and academic capabilities and their group identity. The paper's basic premise is that many black adolescents have made the decision not to seek…

Two social psychological theories--similarity theory and equity theory--are employed to elucidate the relationship between group members' abilities and group performance on tasks involving high levels of interdependence. Contrasting hypotheses are drawn regarding specific ability compositions that should evoke performance above or below the simple…

Investigated incidence of alcohol use by college students, relationship among social bond variables, and ability of social bond variables to predict alcohol use. Psychosocial scales measuring elements of social bond to the college community were used successfully to classify abstainers, light-to-moderate drinkers, and heavy drinkers in 74% of the…

Tests several hypotheses derived from the Guttentag-Secord theory which relates societal-level sex ratios to women's status and roles. Finds that the effects of sex ratio on women's roles are more pronounced in developed countries but that correlations between sex ratio and certain dimensions of women's roles provide little support for the theory.…

Three theories account for individuals' perceptions of sexual harassment: (1) men and women view and define sexual harassment differently; (2) differential sexual experiences at work account for different perceptions; and (3) gender role "spillover" accounts for perceptual differences. A sample of 1,232 working men and women supports these…

This article examines the effects of racial change in adjoining community areas on local delinquency rates. Evidence is presented that external contingencies have a significant effect on local rates of delinquency. (Author/JDH)

Contrary to social control theory, adolescent boys' belief in the efficacy of honesty had little impact on minor deviant activities, whereas deviance had a large effect on beliefs. A situational theory of crime is needed to conceptualize the reciprocal causal relationship of beliefs and deviant behavior. Contains 60 references. (SV)

Provides a feminist critique of rational-choice theory and the interdisciplinary feminist theories of sociology. Applies the separative model of self to four assumptions of the neoclassical economics version of rational-choice theory. Uses research on marital power to illustrate how removing distorting assumptions can help illuminate sociological…

Examines theoretical views of language use, learning, and teaching that underlie the work on tasks. Two broad and disparate views are identified: the psycholinguistic perspective and a perspective based on sociocultural theory. (Author/VWL)

Attending academically selective schools is intended to have positive effects, but a growing body of theoretical and empirical research demonstrates that the effects are negative for academic self-concept. The big-fish-little-pond effect (BFLPE), based on social comparison theory, posits that equally able students will have lower academic…

This grounded theory study on developing a leadership identity revealed a 6-stage developmental process. The thirteen diverse students in this study described their leadership identity as moving from a leader-centric view to one that embraced leadership as a collaborative, relational process. Developing a leadership identity was connected to the…

This study examined the extent to which perceived occupational barriers and perceived parental support predicted career certainty and career indecision in a sample of African American adolescents. Perceived occupational barriers were positively predictive of career indecision, and perceived parental support was positively associated with career…

This paper concerns higher and further education institutions' policies as they relate to the interactions of their staff and students with the sex industry. In Scotland and England, consenting adults may legally buy and sell sex and commercial sexual entertainment, such as erotic dance and phone sex, provided that they do not do so in a public…

This research was conducted to determine the behavioural constraints on practices of auditing (BCPAN) in Nigeria and to proffer strategies for making incidence of auditing (internal and external auditors) more effective. Thirty-seven administrators drawn from some public limited liability companies, private companies and tertiary institutions were…

There are many factors that influence the academic success and motivation of students. Social cognitive theory contends that individuals learn and perform based upon a triadic reciprocality of personal factors, behavior, and the environment. Personal factors such as beliefs, behaviors, and the environment equally influence one another. Existing…