The authors investigate the effect of schooling on the aspirations of young people designated as having mild learning difficulties (MLD) or emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD) in the first large-scale study of its kind in England. Data were collected from parents and their 15/16 year-old children in the final year of their compulsory…

Previous research has demonstrated that former foster care youth are at risk for poor outcomes (e.g., more problem behaviors, more depression, lower self-esteem, and poor social relationships). It is not clear, however, whether these findings reflect preemancipation developmental deficits. This study used 163 preemancipation foster care youth and…

Youth from single-parent families report lower educational aspirations than those from two-parent families. This study explored the influence of background factors (gender, grade, parental education and SES), parental involvement with education, academic self-concept, and peer influences on educational aspirations. The participants were Canadian…

This paper reports research on the applicability of the Wisconsin Model of adolescent educational performance and aspirations in explaining development in a sample of 3028 students enrolled in grades 8-12 in 23 public schools in Mississippi. Main and interaction effects of race and sex were examined using questionnaire data gathered in 1972. The…

Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of the Labor Market Experience of Youth, examined the aspirations and expectations of Americans aged 14-21 years regarding their education and future fertility. Found family background, social values, and sex role traditionality to be strong predictors of educational and fertility expectations. (GC)

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…

Using a cross-sectional follow-up study we examined how different aspects of work were valued by three cohorts of adolescents 15-16 years of age in 1977 (n = 231), 1989 (n = 404) and 1995 (n = 276), and how these evaluations changed. The association of values with gender and educational plans was analysed. Self-actualising values became more…

Children's voluntary reading positively correlates with school grades, vocabulary growth, reading comprehension, verbal fluency, general information, and attitudes towards reading. Drawing on qualitative interviews collected alongside six waves of longitudinal survey data in an urban setting in eastern USA, We argue that voluntary reading by…

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…

Today's students experience a great deal of pressure to succeed in school. Since predictors of academic performance are widely used to assess student capabilities, the relationship between one such test, the California Psychological Inventory (CPI), and academic success are examined in this paper. The focus here is on the non-cognitive variables…

Presents a study that focuses on the problem of underachievement in Hong Kong in which underachievers were compared to high and low achievers in terms of their motivational characteristics. Reports that motivational variables contributed to discrimination among underachievers and high achievers. Includes references. (CMK)

Presents a study that focused on life course perspective to adolescent academic orientation and parental involvement in education. Reveals that students in college-preparatory track begin high school as the highest in orientation and involvement, but they also experience a decline over time. Includes references. (CMK)

Presents results of an exploratory study of self concept and motivational patterns of academically resilient, non-resilient students, advantaged achievers, and advantaged low-achievers. Results, obtained from Assessment of Personal Agency Beliefs and High School Assessment of Academic Self-Concept, show significant results subscales of cognitive…