Administered Woodcock Language Proficiency Battery (WLPB) to 18 learning-disabled adolescents from culturally variant population in rural southern Louisiana and to matched group of normal achievers. Found group status to have significant effect on cluster scores. Results suggest that WLPB may be useful for culturally diverse students when…

Examined the relationship between sex and career and lifestyle expectations of 128 students. Results indicated no sex differences in curricular or post-secondary plans. Equal proportions of males and females indicated professional career aspirations, however, they differed in their choices along traditional lines. Males expected to achieve their…

Cluster-analytic technique classified 189 rural adolescents according to career indecision type as measured by Career Decision Scale. Resulting three-cluster solution described types of career indecision experienced by adolescents in early exploration stage. Clusters span continuum that includes tentatively decided-crystallizing preferences,…

Values are a central concept in understanding and predicting human behavior. Value priority differences have been shown to predict important political, social, and economic attitudes and behaviors. The purpose of this study was to identify differences and similarities among the value hierarchies of adolescents who have never tried alcohol,…

Details the needs identified by parents, youth, and others concerning the role played by rural parents in the career development of young people. Presents findings from a series of focus group interviews. The identified needs reflect potential activities which parents, schools, and others might use to help rural youth. (RJM)

Evaluates the impact of 4 career development curricular strategies and emotional/instrumental support in preparing rural adolescents to make successful post-high school transitions. Curriculum strategies and perceived support helped 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade students attain critical aspects of career development, enhanced student satisfaction,…

Examined patterns of rural adolescent alcohol use and factors associated with such use. Found gender and grade in school to be significant predictors of alcohol use for age at first drink, frequency of drinking, amount of drinking, and a composite heavy drinking index. Time spent in social acitivities was also significant. (Author/ABB)

Describes the development, implementation, and initial evaluation of a program that aims to foster an expanded understanding of career options for women. This program, developed specifically for use in rural areas, was designed for adolescents of both sexes and is currently used in several regions of the United States. (Author/MLF)

Oberle's (1974) research examined the role model preferences of black and white youth and found that young blacks had different role models from white students; however, he did not examine whether place of residence was related to role model preference. This study extends Oberle's research by analyzing the relationship between place of residence…

Comparison of 57 rural adolescents choosing agriculture careers with 474 who did not shows that (1) more males than females chose agriculture; (2) parents of students choosing agriculture were less likely to have high school education; (3) students whose fathers worked in service/labor/farming or who had lower socioeconomic status were more likely…

Numerous reviews and studies have documented high levels of substance use and abuse in the United States when compared to other developed nations. Previous research has identified several factors which place adolescents at risk for substance abuse. This study was designed to replicate and validate some of these risk factors with youth from rural…

Broad-based community education strategies implemented in a rural South Carolina county to prevent unintended teen pregnancy showed reductions in pregnancy among teens from 1984-87. The reduced numbers realized a 20-year projected savings of $611,688 in public sector costs. Tables display data for this and comparison counties. (SM)

Finds that youth participating in a delinquency-prevention program (that included a psychoeducational intervention teaching them imagination skills) improved in their ability to be more fluent thinkers, showed better divergent thinking in the area of originality, improved in richness in storytelling, and reported a greater ability to relax and to…

While more new industrial jobs have been created in rural areas than in metropolitan centers in the last two decades, both white and minority rural workers lag behind their urban counterparts in vocational development. Since this rural labor force is composed mainly of the poor who have little schooling, formal skill training, or on-the-job…

This paper describes the training of a high school assistance team designed to guide younger students. The program, which was directed at students in grades 7 and 8, lasted for 1 year and involved students in community service and challenge activities. The setting was a small rural school in Vermont, with nearly 400 students in grades 7-12.…