A study of 20 graduate medical students who received unfavorable evaluations and 20 who received the highest evaluations found little difference between the groups in medical school admission qualifications, overall academic achievement, or standardized test performance. Ratings appear to be the result of personal or motivational issues, not…

This article examines themes of academic resilience in the descriptions of academic achievement by three students at Benjamin High School, one of the least affluent high schools in Bayside, Florida. Through ethnographically informed interviews conducted during their senior year, coherent themes emerge that provide insight into these students'…

According to Columbia University social psychologist Carol Dweck, teachers may find some answers to students' ways of thinking if they consider students' views of "intelligence." In "Messages That Motivate: How Praise Molds Students' Beliefs, Motivation, and Performance (in Surprising Ways)," Dweck maintains that academic motivation and…

This paper examines the extent to which family wealth affects the race-child achievement association for young children based on data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. We found little evidence that wealth mediates the black-white test scores gap. However, liquid assets, particularly holding in stocks and mutual funds, are positively…

This ongoing investigation was concerned with why some children were labeled gifted while others of identical measured ability were not. Each labeled "gifted" child was matched for age, sex, and socioeconomic status (SES) with two others in the same school class. The first matched child had an identical Raven's Matrices raw score, and…

A broad understanding of the skills and characteristics associated with successful performance in graduate school was developed through discussions with two groups of distinguished graduate faculty members, 15 in all. The first group consisted of psychologists with expertise in cognition and assessment. The second group was composed of faculty…

This study was conducted to determine the degree to which children's perceived self-esteem is related to their overall academic achievement as measured by their performance on a standardized achievement test battery. Specifically, the study sought to determine the dimensions of perceived self-esteem that would be most clearly associated with…

This paper describes a study that examined the possibility that there is more than one category of only children. The study attempted to resolve inconsistencies in previous research outcomes with only children. The study involved data from female only children who were assessed longitudinally from early adolescence to late middle age on the…

Although self-concept is traditionally viewed as being fairly stable over time and situations, a more recent position takes note of the variability or inconsistency characteristic of certain aspects of the self-concept. To determine whether spontaneous self-esteem (SSE) increases when a valued aspect of self is made salient, college students…

This study examines dispositional and situational approaches to attribution research, individual differences in self-attribution, and the relationship between self-attributions and dimensions of self-concept. Results of a study of 248 fifth graders in Sydney, Australia, are discussed. (BS)

Discusses the uniquely intense stress in Japan due to the "Examination Hell" which contributes to a high rate of young suicide. The social structural factors are analyzed in terms of weak ego; restraint on aggression; lack of social resources; and views of life, death, and suicide. (Author)

Despite their individual creativity and achievements, many girls confront common obstacles (like sexual harassment) and expectations that limit accomplishments. Nonetheless, girls get better grades than boys, score higher on certain test measures, and attend college in greater numbers. Their resilience and resistance to cultural norms are…

The purpose of this study was to explore the personal life stories of women who became mothers while still in their teen years. The focus was on themes that evolved as important in the lives of these women, including family support, partner support, mentor support, economic opportunity, resiliency, optimism, and spirituality. Each of the 22 women…

This study of 19 northern Michigan Ojibwa families examined antecedents to holding traditional values, and the relationship between mothers' and fathers' level of holding traditional values and their elementary school children's academic and social functioning. Participating families had a child between ages 3 and 11 years; the focal child of the…

The relatively long-term effects of temperament on classroom achievement were studied in a cohort of elementary students while accounting for variation in cognitive ability, previous achievement, and gender. The existence of long-term effects would support the hypothesis that indirect genetic effects on learning are mediated by temperament.…