Two experiments were conducted which studied seating distance of subjects in a small group discussion situation. In Experiment I groups of three subjects sat on cushions in a bare carpeted room along with a moderator and discussed a socially relevant issue. The distances generated by subjects' placement of their cushions served as the main…

This report was written in answer to an inquiry of the International Bureau of Education (IBE). It attempts to answer the questions presented in the IBE questionnaire from the point of view of history, policy making and implementation, and to relate educational activities to pertinent research. As required by the IBE, the survey was limited to the…

A variable causal model was used to estimate the influence of college on the development of humanitarian/civic involvement values. The findings suggest the importance of social involvement during college as a positive influence on the humanizing of values. Influential types of social involvement differed by student race and gender. (Author/MLW)

Investigated the decline in scholastic achievement by analyzing the lower Scholastic Aptitude Test scores. Results indicate value transitions are responsible. While "old values" continue to be taught, evidence shows that "new values" of conformity and collective attainment have supplanted self-reliance. (Author)

Impact of introducing service-learning in a Providence College (Rhode Island) public policy course was measured in terms of student attitude and value change and student learning. Results indicate no significant impact on student attitudes, despite perceptions of both instructor and students that instructional quality was enhanced. Possible…

Examines four problems associated with developing character in college students: two concerned with moral cognition, or knowing what is right, and two concerned with moral action. It then reviews educational programs concerned with moral action, and provides suggestions for designing character development strategies. (Author/TE)

Examines the lives of counterculture students. Focuses on students' beliefs and values, preferences and politics, and how such factors relate to their educational experience. Although such students express discomfiture with a structured, traditional college education, most of them enjoy the intellectual stimulation of the academic environment.…

Describes support group whose theoretical conceptualization is based on Yalom's therapeutic factors as they relate to cultural values and academic persistence of Chicanas in higher education. Recommendations that integrate cultural values into group dynamics include establishing trust and credibility by actively participating in Chicano/a…

A study sought to determine differences in politeness strategies used in requests by American college students (N=80), Japanese students in the United States (N=34), and Japanese students in Japan (N=103). Subjects rated 61 requests in four different situations (differing in terms of addressee level and interrogative, declarative, and imperative…

Trends in values development over 10 years were studied with university students/graduates of the University of Qatar, which is located in the Western Arabian Gulf. In order to define and identify values, content analysis of student autobiographies was conducted for 60 students in their last 2 academic years. Autobiographies by each student were…

The author identifies and discusses those developments during the next decade most likely to affect students and the work of student affairs. (Author)

Describes a program called "Work and Work Places," designed to help students discover historical, ethical, and artistic perspectives of career options. The series of speakers and site visits examines the meaning of work in women's lives and society as a whole from a multidisciplinary approach. (JAC)

Business Administration students in five colleges were surveyed to learn their attitudes in six areas: theoretical, economic, aesthetic, social, political, and religious. Differences were found between business students and nonbusiness, between male and female business students, and to a lesser extent between class levels and schools. (MSE)

Analysis of a questionnaire administered to 168 Jamaican college students reveals that they seem to reflect a societal profile of high authoritarianism. Respondents who do not share this antidemocratic personality perspective exhibit an attitude of powerlessness and alienation, yearn for societal change, and adopt a higher level of…

A survey of Hispanic American students leaving college found significant differences between dropouts and those dismissed for academic performance. Familial values and demands and other extra-academic variables exerted considerable pressure on individual students. Institutional assumptions in Hispanic student retention need to be challenged and…