The influences of home and school environment on teenage smoking were assessed according to sex differences, age differences, influence of adults, socioeconomic status, and coeducation v same sex grouping. (Author/DB)

Examines aspirations by analyzing variables that can be directly influenced by the student, family, and/or school personnel. Data secured from 2,677 students in grades 8 through 12 suggest that many students do not understand why they engage in certain activities. To assume more responsibility, students must see purpose in their pursuits. (RJM)

Focuses on "goofing off" and the meaning of that activity to students involved. Describes goofing off as an adaptive behavior which occurs within a particular organizational context. Discusses factors that affect the presence of this behavior. Analyzes what goofing off shows about early adolescence in the context of schooling. (RC)

Encourages teachers and administrators to gain a complete picture of the school environment through an exploration of the symbolic nature of the hidden, or implicit, curriculum. A historical overview of the influence of the hidden curriculum on the educational process is presented. A checklist for examining symbolic aspects of the school…

Postulated three correlations to explain school misbehavior: (1) a positive relationship between stimulus-seeking and school misbehavior; (2) a negative relationship between perceived school environment and school misbehavior; (3) an interaction between stimulus-seeking and perceived school environment on school misbehavior. (Author/DB)

The author argues in favor of alternative school options for secondary school students for whom the traditional curriculum is inappropriate. Various criteria to develop an alternative school curriculum are mentioned. (DB)

Students (N=200) in grades 4 through 8 and 10 completed questionnaire measuring perceptions of school theft incidence and seriousness, personal responsibility for correcting theft, causal attributions of theft, and perceived consequences of thievery. Main grade effect was observed for personal responsibility and consequences, but represented…

The thesis of this model is that the delinquent and predelinquent adolescent often either makes unfortunate life decisions or fails to make them at all, because: 1) he lacks specific data about himself and his settings, and 2) because he lacks critical decision-making skills. (Author)

Reports on the development of the Hospitality Scale, which measures the extent to which adolescents perceive they have social capital in school, and the extent to which they provide social capital to others. Examines the reliability of the scale, and the association between scale scores and behavioral factors that may reflect social isolation.…

Findings of a study which tests cross culturally an American model of self concept formation process indicate that: "In schools where socioeconomic heterogeneity is greater, meritocratic criteria predominate but in schools ...populated predominantly by lower socioeconomic populations, ascriptive criteria tend to play a much greater role..." in…

This study sought to determine if student behavior was as great a problem in 18 California alternative high schools as it is reported to be in regular high schools. Results showed that discipline was rarely a major concern in the alternative schools. Fourteen possible reasons were hypothesized. (Author/SJL)

Describes a federally funded, five-year program for at-risk youths. The program focuses on alcohol, drug, and dropout prevention for low-income, high-minority public school districts. Two successful components--the Outdoor and Environmental Education program and a school-based mentoring program for middle school students--are detailed. (RJM)

Low income, urban African American students (N=22) identified as academically promising were asked about their perceptions of the transition to ninth grade. Results highlight the salience of mothers, the challenges of the ninth grade curriculum, and adjustment to a bigger, more complex school environment. (Author/MKA)

The author describes aspects of the size and organizational structure of high schools which reduce human contact and have a negative influence on the sense of community, the development of relationships, and the formation of personal identity. (Author/SJL)

The authors studied truancy in junior high school students through structured interviews with 33 truants. Truancy at this age was commonly associated with significant difficulties at home, at school, and with peers. Two types of truants were delineated: "authority-defying" and "peer phobic." The school's role is discussed. (Author/SJL)