Using a sample of over 3000 first year university entrants in Greece, we investigate the time and expense incurred in preparation for the highly competitive higher education entry examinations, as well as what students spend privately while attending university. It is shown that in a constitutionally ''free for all'' higher education country,…

This paper examines the trends in income diversity in Singapore at the total and disaggregated level using Labour Force Survey data. The income inequality in Singapore is found to be significantly high. One reason is the selective migration policy of the government of Singapore. The government has made conscious efforts to bring equality in…

Behavioural sleep problems (childhood insomnias) can cause distress for both parents and children. This paper reports a model describing predictors of high sleep problem scores in a representative population-based random sample survey of non-Aboriginal singleton children born in 1995 and 1996 (1085 girls and 1129 boys) in Western Australia.…

This study tested a developmental model of pathways to risky sexual behavior among South African adolescents. Participants comprised 633 adolescents, 12-17 years old, recruited from households in Durban, South Africa. Data were collected using in-person interviews. Topics included adolescents' sexual behaviors, household poverty levels, vulnerable…

This report is intended to increase awareness of the connections between two central spheres of social activity--work and family. Complementing the conventional analyses of the labor force in terms of economic sectors, educational requisites, age and income distribution, the report also presents an analysis of the family circumstances of the…

Describes a study attempting to determine the relationship between parental income and academic achievement of children in a developing area such as Transkei. Includes details of the samples, questionnaires, and results. Concludes that among children of low socioeconomic status, parental income had a positive relationship with academic…

A survey of 155 Canadian economics graduate students in 17 institutions found most came from high-income families and generally had leftist political attitudes. They share attitudes with U.S. economics graduate students more than with Canadian or U.S. professionals, and favor learning of technical skills over learning about institutions, history,…

What happens when a government cannot meet its obligation to provide universal primary education and enhance the quality of education for all of its citizens? The present study examines the interactions among stakeholders in the user-fee policy in primary education in Kenya. It seeks to show how this policy has affected attendance rates and…

Using standardized tests and surveys of eighth graders in China and the United States, this study explores the relationships among family income, parenting, home environment, and mathematics achievement. Focusing on Chinese only children and American children with no more than one sibling, the study found that the mathematics achievement of…

To help inform policymakers and the public about the progress of education in the United States, Congress has mandated that the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) produce an annual report, "The Condition of Education." This year's report presents 42 indicators on important topics and trends in U.S. education. These…

In this article, the authors' focus has been the issue of access to a higher education "from the standpoint of differences in the resource characteristics of families." The authors state that in mapping out educational strategies for their children, families must make a rational choice as they look for the optimal correlation between the…

The assumption that development brings not only material prosperity but also a better overall quality of life lies at the heart of the development project. Against this, critics assert that development can undermine social cohesion and threaten cultural integrity. Rarely, however, is the impact of development on well-being rigourously analysed…

The Australian Family Income Transfer Project (AFIT) is designed to examine the impact of government policies on the economic wellbeing of Australian families. The AFIT Project uses published national statistics as well as data and information collected by the Australian Institute of Family Studies (the project's sponsor) in its own studies and…

The United Nations International Year of the Family 1994 will give policymakers the opportunity to bring together threads of social life that have previously been treated separately. The danger in talking about the concept of "the family" lies both in its abstractness and in its emotional, religious, and political overtones. To avoid…

When looking at current data on families, it is important to examine many of the assumptions held concerning families. While families do share common needs and aspirations, it is unwise to invoke an image of the family which assumes that all families fulfill tasks in the same way. Practitioners in the fields of education and the social services…