For aspirations the first choice was making good grades; school team participants ranked being good at sports second, nonparticipants ranked being popular second. Being popular increased in importance, while sports decreased over five years. As for popularity, grades were important in Grades 6 and 10, while looks were first during junior high…

Data from the National Survey of Children were used to test the hypothesis that lower educational goals and achievement is associated with initiating sexual intercourse at a younger age. Adolescents who had lower educational goals and who performed at lower academic levels were more likely to engage in sexual intercourse earlier. This was true for…

Examined the influence of family relationships and support, religion, and education on the Puerto Rican pregnant teenager's decision to carry or to abort. Found girls who carried were more significantly influenced and supported by family and friends, especially by mothers, than were those in abort group. Abort group girls reported greater…

Examined the scope of influence exerted by occupational and educational significant others identified by 142 high school youth to determine the extent to which this influence is segmental. Data showed that the influence of most significant others was specific to either educational or occupational ambitions, suggesting that these are fairly…

Studied the relationship between academic motivation and occupational aspiration in 560 Nigerian secondary school students. Data from the Academic Motivation Questionnaire and the Employment Aspiration Questionnaire suggested that academic motivation and occupational aspiration seemed to complement each other. Both motivation and aspiration were…

A new factor-analytic method for measuring student subcultures was developed and applied to data collected by James Coleman at Newlawn High School. The three subcultures identified were precisely the ones posited by Burton Clark: the academic, the fun, and the delinquent subcultures. (Author/KC)

Examined four variables (sense of control, perceived social support, degree of achievement motivation, and experienced satisfaction) thought to mediate or buffer adolescents from the negative impact of stress. Study of 61 students and their parents revealed that students perceiving high levels of support and self control had the lowest levels of…

Examines the concerns of adolescents 13 to 17 years old (N=150) in the Republic of Yemen. Results indicate that the major concerns reported were related to vocational and educational future, recreational activities, religious matters, and school curriculum and teaching methods. Also discusses gender differences. (Author/MKA)