Utilizing data derived from survey questionnaires administered during 1968 to 427 white high school senior males, the following hypotheses were tested: (1) no class differentials exist with regard to the proportion in each class who place a high value on success; and (2) of those respondents who value success highly, a larger proportion of higher…

The occupational and educational expectations of high school seniors in 1970 were compared to those of seniors in 1963. Data were obtained in 1963 for 1,200 seniors and in 1970 for 3,100. Both samples were from North Carolina high schools, although the 1970 sample had a much larger urban component and included non-public school students. The…

Male (N=920) and female (N=915) rural, senior high school students from Eastern Kentucky (N=643), Central Kentucky (N=617), and Western Kentucky (N=575) were surveyed for purposes of exploring: levels of occupational and educational aspirations and expectations, felt certainty of achieving career goals, and migration plans after graduation…

Research objectives were to present and analyze a causal model of educational attainment and to include with parental socioeconomic status the number of siblings as an intervening social origin variable impacting on attitudes and attainment. Data were obtained from a three-wave longitudinal study (1966, 1968, and 1972) of 221 white nonmetropolitan…

This paper examines the incentive structures in rural communities that encourage or discourage the accumulation of human capital. This is done by identifying the factors that influence educational performance in four school districts in rural Appalachian Virginia and Kentucky. A review of human capital theory, models, and functions generated six…

In an effort to determine whether there are differences in areas of residence that affect the aspirations and expectations of young people living therein, this study examined occupational and educational aspirations of 1,835 rural high school seniors from 3 sociocultural contexts in Kentucky: (1) a low-opportunity, rural-poverty area in central…

In a national sample of 10,416 high school seniors, rural students had lower educational and occupational aspirations than urban or suburban students, but rural students' aspirations were consistent with the perceived expectations of their parents and teachers. (SV)

Using data from a cross-sectional sample of 4,376 South Carolina high school seniors in 1969 to determine the differences in the perception of conditions relating to teacher choice among white and black females and males, the study explored the relative perceived importance of the following items in choosing a career: the chance to make a lot of…

A summary of the 1966-1979 Southern Youth Study (SYS), a 4-wave longitudinal research project intended to produce information on career development and decision-making processes and influences of rural southern youth from economically-disadvantaged counties, presents data collection procedures, an overview of instruments and variables,…

To determine how well rural youths were adjusting to modern society, a study on educational and occupational aspirations of male high school seniors from two counties in Southwest Arkansas was begun in 1965 and completed in 1972. A major finding in the first stage was that 70% of the 165 seniors (121 Whites, 44 Blacks) overaspired for their…