This study was conducted in an effort to generate information toward fostering academic outcomes among African American adolescents. Gender differences in African American adolescents' personal, educational, and occupational expectations were examined in relation to perceptions of neighborhood quality. Participants included 352 African American…

Attempts to determine the following: (1) whether African American students participating in sports on the high school varsity level hold and/or are being hurt by unrealistic athletic aspirations; and (2) how levels of athletic and academic aspirations affect future goals of African American student athletes. Finds no clear evidence of detrimental…

Although the behavioral element of the Type A pattern has been identified, the cognitive component of the complex is less well understood. To examine the relationships of self-focused attention, standards for performance, and performance evaluation to Type A behavior, 72 undergraduates were studied. Subjects were classified as Type A (N=36) or…

Examines the degree to which experiencing confusion during the acquisition of new academic material differentially affects classroom performance of helpless and mastery-oriented fifth-graders. Provides an initial test of a theoretical approach to understanding differences between male and female performances in different subject areas. (AS)

This paper examines a broad set of beliefs about achievement and the relationship of those beliefs to performance and future plans in mathematics and English. The two main purposes of the analysis are (1) to assess gender and grade-level differences in children's achievement beliefs as they proceed through junior and senior high school, and (2) to…

While acknowledging the research that suggests that women approach their education with lower levels of self-confidence than men, this paper raises fundamental questions about how self-confidence has been described and measured during the last two decades. The validity of work on women's attitudes toward academic success is shown to be undercut by…

The objective of this study is to examine factors influencing student achievement in Greece at the end of secondary schooling with special emphasis on the national examination, based on which selection in higher education is determined. The identification of these factors and their hierarchical contribution to achievement is investigated in a…

This study examined the predictive factors of demand for degrees and academic performance at the University of the Basque Country (Spain). The study followed two cohorts of university students from secondary education to the completion of the third year of higher education. The data analyzed included secondary school qualifications, selectivity…

This paper explores the question of how and what a school can do to foster student discipline and effort. Personal experiences and observations are offered about the approaches and strategies used in schools and by parents in Taiwan, China to foster students' positive attitudes toward learning and school. This document focuses on the approaches…

Japanese children's performance in school is a product of a social consensus favoring attention to children's learning, a set of cultural values focusing on the commitment of effort, and a psychological milieu in the family which encourages achievement in a safe and nurturant atmosphere. This paper treats especially this latter environment, that…

Analyzes data collected from freshman at the University of Lisbon (Portugal) between 1989 and 1992. Suggests that high school records (grade point average and number of courses completed) are a better predictor of academic success than entrance examinations. Discusses technical aspects of the study and social implications of its results. (MJP)

Discusses a study of whether Chinese-American families in small businesses promote educational achievement by transmitting high aspirations to the next generation. Concludes that proprietors exert positive influence on their children's educational attainment. Suggests that small business participation has encouraged intergenerational educational…

This study examined social class indicators of Greek migrants to the Federal Republic of Germany and non-migrants since 1960 to test the hypotheses that migrant workers as a majority are a positive select group (as compared to non-migrants of the same place of origin and time period) in terms of characteristics relevant to educational success and…

More than half of entering community college students lack the basic skills required to do college-level academic work. Blacks, Hispanics, and American Indians disproportionately rely on community colleges as their point of initial access to higher education, making the issue of preparation inherently tied to factors of race and ethnicity. In some…

The impact of school racial context (percentage of Anglo students in school and degree of Anglo peer group integration) and student background characteristics (sex, race, educational attainment of father of school racial context differed for Blacks intentions was addressed. A random subsample of Anglo (1,367), Black (1,172), and Hispanic (430)…