This brief introduces the first results from a rural analysis of selected national datasets. Provided are key findings concerning kindergarten readiness of rural children from an analysis of the Kindergarten Cohort of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS). Future briefs will summarize the findings concerning the health of the Kindergarten…

This paper emerges from a current research project that examines the relationship between contemporary English rurality and notions of identity and belonging. While this is primarily a methodological narrative we argue that this narrative speaks to an analysis of current rural relations. The paper concerns itself with two key methodological issues…

Two of the most significant changes affecting U.S. society during the 20th century were transformations in family structure and the transition from a nonmetropolitan/farm society to a largely metropolitan society. In this study, classic sociological theory, developed to understand differences between metro and nonmetro society, was employed.…

It was hypothesized that rurality would be positively related to a traditional normative order represented by moral reality. In general, as rurality declined, the emphasis on the effect of an improper act declined, and the importance of the actor's motives increased. (Author)

Presents a brief overview of four sociological theories concerning rural-urban differences: classical, determinist, compositional, and subcultural. Draws implications and applications for social workers and human service personnel. Suggests development of a typology which would include such components as theoretical orientation, roles of workers,…

Using 1970 Census data, rural counties are compared to all U.S. counties by selected personal, education, employment, and income population characteristics. (MS)

Peasant society has frequently been characterized as being highly suspicious. This paper challenges that notion. After examining peasant distrust as treated in the literature, it discusses a Costa Rican study in which rural inhabitants were found to be more trustful than city dwellers. Peasants were, however, more politically cynical. (DS)

Annual nonmetro population growth was lower in 1980-88 than in 1970s, but agricultural and manufacturing counties showed some recovery in 1986-88. Retirement counties grew at twice national rate during 1980s, underscoring diversity in nonmetro population trends across regions. Rural outmigration pattern was diverse with a net national balance to…

The purpose of this study was to assess whether ecological or occupational rural-urban differences imply sociocultural differences as measured by public values. Data were gathered during 1970 in a random state-wide survey of Washington residents, N = 3101, response rate = 75%. Two indicators were selected to measure the ecological aspect of…

Testing hypotheses in which the level of urbanization of countries and economic subregions of the South were related to their plantation and/or their political economic character, it was found that neither the political economic nor the plantation theory offered a sound explanation of the rurality of the South. (Author/JC)

Results of a national survey on priority issues (space exploration, crime rate, environmental protection, etc.) indicated that rural people placed more value upon education as a priority issue than did their urban counterparts. (JC)

Purpose: To examine substance use differences among African-American adolescents living in rural and more urban areas in Iowa and Georgia and factors thought to be related to those differences. Specifically, negative affect and perceived availability were examined as mediators of the relation between community size and alcohol, tobacco, and drug…

This bibliography consists of 87 entries of materials related to population trends in rural and nonmetropolitan areas. This collection is the result of a computerized search of the AGRICOLA database. The bibliography covers topics of rural population change, migration and migrants, farm labor supplies and social conditions, and different patterns…

Rural outreach in community mental health centers involves staff commuting from a central agency to surrounding rural towns to provide clinical and/or community service. The problem for outreach staff is how to best provide services to a rural network that is distant and different from the urban network. In general the greater the distance, the…