A two-phase study assessed the extent to which a set of variables predicted rural secondary students' likelihood of continuing to college and sought to determine predictors of rural students' academic success at the completion of first-year university study. Participants were drawn from seven state coeducational secondary schools in the Riverina…

The relationships among identity, school engagement, and goal attainment for African American adolescents in urban public high schools were studied with 63 ninth graders. In bi-weekly workshops, information was obtained about student dreams and goals, self-concepts, and knowledge of what they needed to do to attain their goals. To explore…

This study sought to develop a causal model for college persistence based upon students' degree aspirations 4 years into the college experience. It is based on a subset of data from the 1986 and follow-up 1990 Cooperative Institutional Research Program survey, namely 1,473 students attending 261 institutions. The model examined five sets of…

This paper presents and discusses longitudinal data collected through surveys completed by students (n=1,545) in the 9th and 11th grades to determine what factors influence a student's change in plans for postsecondary education. Twenty-one Indiana high schools were selected to ensure that the sample proportionally represented students from all…

A survey of 772 high school seniors in 18 economically disadvantaged rural Vermont public high schools examined differences between students who planned to attend a 4-year college or university and those who did not. The survey instrument consisted of 105 statements pertaining to personal background and demographic data, locus of control,…

This study examined the relationship among educational aspiration, cross-cultural sensitivity, and field of study of 196 Chinese student teachers enrolled in the Faculty of Education for Fall 1994 and Spring 1995 at the University of Macau (China). The study investigated other patterns of cross-cultural experience and activities, including average…

This paper examines the role of the conative domain in the acquisition of sustainable school achievement. The focus of the conative domain is to embrace the learner with an all-encompassing determination to achieve. It is set in motion by a clear and self-directed sense of purpose in an environment of challenge and cognitive dissonance. Counselors…

A study of the high school experiences and performance of Asian Americans found them to be performing well in school, with average test scores in math and science as high as those of White students. The data showed the Asian Americans to be more committed to academic excellence. Compared to other students, they took more academic courses, spent…

Focusing on issues and concerns pertaining to teaching and counseling rural women and minority women living in rural environments, the four papers aim to promote a better understanding and more realistic picture of conditions affecting rural/minority women. "Factors Influencing Educational and Occupational Choices of Rural/Minority…

A follow-up study was undertaken at Lansing Community College (Michigan) to determine whether former students had achieved their educational objectives, to collect assessment data on instruction and support services, and to identify the impact of college attendance on employment status. A stratified sample of 3,000 non-returning students was…

The primary purpose of this study was to determine if there are differences in level of student aspirations between students in segregated and those in integrated schools. There are other highly related and interacting variables that may influence levels of aspirations; namely, student performance, significant others, and significant others'…

One reason proposed for the persistent school underachievement of Navajo students is that school culture is based largely on individualism, interpersonal competition, and other Western norms and values that may be an anathema to Native Americans. Hence, school culture may predispose them to failure. Drawing on Western concepts of achievement…

This study examined academic success, intrinsic motivation, and student perceptions as indicators of engagement in a multi-ethnic sample of secondary school students. A particular interest was in examining differences in student perceptions across middle and high school, and another focus was examining students' perceptions of the school's concern…

A total of 199 students from a school in Hong Kong responded to 25 items in a survey. Principal components analysis found four school motivation factors consistent with the Task, Effort, Competition and Praise scales of the McInerney, et al. (1997) Inventory of School Motivation, one education aspiration factor and one career aspiration factor.…

A study comparing the effects of student self-concept, classroom environment, and socioeconomic status on student aspirations and achievement surveyed 3,397 students in 28 rural and urban high schools in Western Australia over a period of 3 years. Government and nongovernment schools in metropolitan areas and in four categories of rural and remote…