The high school graduates in four rural southeast Missouri high schools generally viewed the Employment Service (E. S.) Counselor's role as on primarily concerned with vocational counseling, but they perceived the E. S. Counselor as a person who should have given more assistance in the personal problem area. (Author)

Juniors (144) in three schools were assigned to four behavioral-reinforcement counseling treatments and controls in individual and small group settings. Findings: (1) All behavioral-reinforcement produced significantly more information-seeking behaviors; (2) No significant differences occurred between small group and dyadic counseling settings;…

Efforts to determine the effectiveness of federal youth employment training programs have indicated that positive results are accompanied by persistent problems. Available from: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Rm. 456 GHI Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20250. (JD)

Examined the extent to which Black children perceive pejorative labels such as "slow learner,""culturally disadvantaged," and "culturally deprived" as being associated with themselves. Found that these labels were indeed perceived as being negative but that they were not associated with racial group membership. (Author/BE)

Describes a program at the Plattsburgh Public Library in upstate New York designed to bring basic computer literacy to rural children. The program utilizes an Apple II Plus system and focuses on two aspects of computer literacy: software use and programing. (LLS)

Rural/urban differences were studied in self-reported stress, coping, and behavioral problems in adolescents. Levels of stress and ways of coping were similar between the two groups. However, urban males reported more conflict and externalizing behaviors than females and rural males. Results suggest that adolescents may utilize many coping…

Administered three dynamic tests of largely fluid intellectual ability to 358 experimental-group children in grades 2 through 5 in Tanzania who received instruction in cognitive skills with 100 controls of the same ages who did not receive cognitive skills instruction. Results suggest that children in this study seem to have important intellectual…

Audiometric threshold testing of 872 vocational agriculture students carried out over a three-year period indicates an increased prevalence of hearing loss among students actively involved in farm work. Use of hearing protection may reduce the risk of hearing loss, although few students report using such devices. (Author/BJV)

Focus groups conducted with urban and rural middle school students showed that they had typical stereotypes about agriculture and farmers and found farm careers unattractive. Results suggested that agriculture be tied to youth interests and addressed before middle school. The project also elicited information about using focus groups with youth.…

Six predictor variables (gender, race, disadvantage, postsecondary plans, vocational education, career indecision) were 75% accurate in identifying career maturity and immaturity among 90 economically disadvantaged rural ninth graders. Career indecision and race were most important for career immaturity, race and disadvantage for career maturity.…

Drew on Olson's circumplex model to examine role of family process variables in mediating impact of life events on adolescent depression. Findings from 108 high school students and their parents indicated only a direct effect between family life events and depressive symptomatology. (Author/NB)

A study in two Norwegian villages focused on the local gas station and the Internet cafe as "technospaces" for rural youth cultures--spaces at the intersection of technology and human interaction. The car and the Internet were given different symbolic and utility values in various youth subcultures. Local contexts influenced technology…

As economic, technological, and social changes transform rural areas, female youth face particular challenges in making educational/career decisions. Relationships within the community enhance and constrain future paths. Building on an earlier research study (Shepard, 2004), the co-construction of a community-based workshop with research…

Far more has been written about the possible outcomes of cross-age mentoring than about actual outcomes and the processes that lead to change. This study examined the effect of mentors' attendance on their mentees' outcomes after six months of developmental mentoring. Developmental mentoring is a structured, cross-age peer mentoring program…

In an attempt to meet the special challenge of reaching rural youth, the Montachusett Opportunity Council's Family Planning Program (MOC-FP) has been operating a demonstration project that provides sex education and family planning services to adolescents in the rural areas of central Massachusetts. This article explains the program. (Author)