The overall thrust of these 2 papers is that, with widespread drug use, we must re-examine motivation for drug usage and clearly distinguish between drug use and abuse. Considerable data is included on: (1) patterns of use; (2) relationships of use with peer attitudes and use; (3) the educational level of beginning use; and (4) attitudes and…

A child who is not granted a familial environment that is fundamentally consistent and harmonious will be more than likely to develop inconsistently, primarily psychologically and, perhaps even physically, in comparison to the accepted standards. This would idealistically make for a scenario within which the child grows into an adult who is under…

Noting that characteristics such as attachment, honesty, self control, sportsmanship, generosity, and courage may be nurtured or thwarted by parents, teachers, or society, this book examines the roots of male character from birth to late adolescence. It maintains that particular intrinsic biological drives combine with parenting styles and…

In these two separate studies of self-esteem, Study One showed that Finnish adolescents valued popularity more than academic and athletic success when compared to American students. Study Two revealed that students with low self-esteem embraced traditional sex roles more prominently than students with high self-esteem. (RJM)

Absence of culturally relevant measures of Black children's strengths inhibits psychometrically sound strength-based assessment, research, and appropriate use of strengths as scaffolds or targets for clinical intervention. Moreover, the sparse research literature on Black children is primarily deficit focused. Beginning to address these problems,…

To provide an array of perspectives on the future direction of foster care, five experts across various disciplines and backgrounds were asked to respond to this question: "How can the child welfare system be improved to better support families and promote the healthy development of children in foster care?" This article presents their responses…

This article presents a study based on surveys conducted annually for the past nine years by the Samara Foundation for Social Research, commissioned by the committee for youth affairs of the administration of Samara Oblast. The sample consists of about 800 young people aged fourteen to thirty. In the present study the authors have focused on…

The link between increased education for women and decreased fertility has become a central part of development discourse. To explore this relationship, a three-and-a-half-month research project examined the qualitative aspects of why and how education for girls could lead to a change in fertility behavior. Specifically, the report here offers a…

This paper reviews the research on the social dimensions of literacy acquisition and use, and applies conclusions to the provision of improved literacy training for adults and young people with hearing impairments. Discussion of the social context of literacy considers the ethnography of communication, literacy as cultural practice, and literacy…

A report is presented of research on the attitudes of French-speaking adolescents toward the English language and culture. For the purposes of this study, Shaw and Wright's definition of attitude was accepted, that is, an evaluative reaction of the affective order. The four parts of the study describe the following: (1) the preparation of the…

Scholars are increasingly recognizing that adolescent development is best understood by acknowledging and examining adolescents' cultural, social, historical, and political contexts. The Euronet for Research on Adolescence in the Context of Social Change project, begun in 1991, is a collaborative effort among research teams from European countries…

A 10-year study identified risk factors and measured prevalence of alcohol abuse, drug abuse, and psychopathology in 523 urban American Indian adolescents and 276 urban Indian women. Describes study aims, research design, methods, sample characteristics, assessment instruments, substance use prevalence, and methodological issues related to…

This paper provides both a preliminary analysis of a survey on media education in India, and reviews of the research on media education in the western world, the limited media education research already done in India, and the more extensive research that has been done on the sociology of Indian youth and the media. The purpose of the survey was to…

This publication includes reports of research on children in progress or recently completed from March 1975 through August 1975. Each entry includes information concerning the investigator, purpose, subjects, methods, duration, cooperating groups, and findings (if available). The reports are listed under several topical headings: (1) long-term…

Reports on a study of adolescent students' opinions concerning environmental issues. Students from rural and urban areas in England and Germany answered questionnaires covering environmental issues, their individual lifestyles. Questionnaires included free writing sections. Attempts to understand the students'"umweltbewusstsein" (the…