This study explored the perspectives of medical students from first-in-family (FiF) university backgrounds. Semi-structured interviews focused on steps into, and experiences of medical education, and effects of student identity on social networks. Twenty FiF medical students from one English medical school took part in qualitative interviews. Data…

Central in this study is the role of student variables and the fit between secondary education and university education in the explanation of first-year student achievement. The fit between two levels of education can be defined in different ways. In this study the focus is on four fit-aspects: appropriateness of expectations, and the degree to…

Describes a peer assistance approach to job placement that guidance departments in secondary schools can implement with minimal expense and staff time. (FL)

Concerned about increasing numbers of working college-prep students, an Iowa City high school teacher surveyed students about their jobs. The new "adolescent workplace" requires no school skills and provides little experience leading to adult employment. Afterschool work often works against students, the school, and our society. Includes…

Among British students in A-level courses, about half were employed part time and tended to get slightly lower grades than unemployed students. Lack of correlation between part-time work and hours spent on homework as well as relationships between A-level grades and part-time work across subjects led to conclusion that lower grades are not caused…

Draws from a research project on young grocery and fast-food workers in the United States and Canada to discuss some of the ways in which workplace text and literacy have an impact on the lives of working youth. Concludes that educators should reject the idea that there is little to be said about the literacy practices of low-end service sector…

Examines positive and negative correlates of adolescent work as a function of work dimensions. Results indicate that concurrent costs and benefits of adolescent employment may depend on dimensions of work as well as adolescent characteristics. Adolescent employment was generally related to subsequent work motivation and nonacademic performance.…

Studies and identifies characteristics and attitudes most desired by employers. Provides a rationale for educators to take an aggressive role in adding employability skills instruction to their school's curriculum. Includes four brief sample employability skills activities. (HB)

Interviews with 139 secondary teachers, 60 students, and 32 employers showed that employers provided work experience for public relations and recruitment purposes. Teachers felt students developed skills and experience of the world of work. Students gained skills and information and were able to sample jobs. Distinctions between structural and…

Describes changes in how teenagers spend their summers and at the trends in summer school enrollment. Discusses teens' labor force participation and includes information about types of jobs, hours they work, wages, and teenage workers' rights. (JOW)

Presents survey results of a study to determine if valedictorians differ from other superior students regarding background, homelife, hobbies, and future aspirations. Valedictorians surveyed were highly competitive and self-disciplined, driven by inner goals, participated in numerous hobbies and extracurricular activites, and had well-educated…

A survey of 1,451 Australian secondary students indicated that 18% participated in structured work placements, 54% in other paid work experience. Despite claims of the superiority of structured placements, other types of work experience also enhanced career awareness, improved self-esteem, and contributed to school-to-work transition. (Contains 28…

Notes that educational and social problems may arise as high school students work too many hours, asserting that as a growing number of high school students get part-time jobs, it is up to parents and schools to make the work experience more manageable, educationally valuable, and ultimately more satisfying. The article provides advice for parents…

The current press for higher academic standards is matched by intensified public interest in the cocurriculum, particularly athletics. While some researchers tout the benefits of extracurricular activities, others are less sanguine. At best, results are mixed and even irrelevant to crucial issues, such as equity in participation, challenging…

Invetsigates whether part-time employment by A-level students had any effect on their final grades using a value added analysis. Results indicated a decrease of A-level grades when the hours worked by a student exceeded an average of 15 hours per week. (Author/CCM)