The extent to which perceptions of present and future status vary as a function of sex and academic status in low-income Blacks was investigated. The results indicate that, regardless of academic status, males possess higher expectations than females. (Author/RLV)

The structuring of educational ambition among rural youth in Norway, Germany, and the United States was compared. The research thrust was to specify linkages between scholastic rank and educational plan. Social class origin, sex, residence place, and regional context were introduced as additional considerations. (Author/NQ)

This study investigated the impact of behavioral and affective factors on 688 African American high school students' academic performance, examining the relationship between school engagement, educational expectations, self-esteem, and school achievement; noting differences between males and females; and discussing whether behavioral and affective…

Explored relationship among drug use, school performance, and academic aspiration among Anglo and Hispanic youths (n=446). Results indicated a significant relationship between current school performance, future educational aspirations, and drug use. Important differences in response patterns occurring with age, ethnicity, and gender were found.…

In recent years there has been an international backlash against the status of girls as learners, with many people asserting that boys are suffering from new forms of educational disadvantage as girls achieve academically. This paper develops the notion of the space-between, a heuristic device to analyze and explain girls' experiences of…

Presents new data suggesting the need for more broadly-conceived data bases before broad conclusions about motivation can be made, and calling for a reevaluation of the concept of success. (Author/JM)

Some findings from a large study designed to investigate retentivity at age 16 in Australia, and to examine characteristics differentiating those who left school from those who remained are presented. A path diagram for the causal model of the school termination decision is included. (Author/RL)

Goals for educational attainment were studied in eleventh grade students. The males aspired to and expected higher levels of attainment. At higher aspiration levels, the discrepancy between aspiration and expectation was greater for females. Both socioeconomic background and academic ability had a greater effect on educational ambition for males.…

Tested a four-step model involving family background parental support and demandingness, educational aspirations, and academic achievement. Data came from Israeli eighth graders within two cultural settings: transition to modernity (Arabs) and Western (Jews). Family background directly and indirectly affected academic achievement among Arabs but…

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…

Academic achievement at age 16 was influenced more by achievement at age 14 than by affective variables. Affective variables included academic and occupational aspiration, parent expectations, school attitudes, sex, socioeconomic status, parents' education, and migrancy. (CP)

The relationships between course work taken, educational needs and plans, high school attended, and PLAN test scores of high school sophomores were examined. The PLAN tests are higher-order thinking skills tests that are used in educational planning for individuals and in program and curriculum evaluation. The relationships between ethnicity of…

Reports differences in Asian and American children in grades two through five in achievement behavior in academic and social domains. Focuses on students' self-reported interest in academic subjects and their perceived competence in those subjects. Conducts comparisons by country, gender, and age. (MMU)