The purposes of this study were to investigate the status of nonfiction in the reading interests of second, third, and fourth graders and to determine the effectiveness of a personal reading record as a measure of reading interests. All students in the second, third, and fourth grades of a middle-class rural area in central New Jersey served as…

Levels of educational and occupational aspiration and expectation of 139 male and female, rural, New Mexican, American Indian youth (sophomores and seniors) were examined. Utilizing questionnaires and fixed-choice stimulus questions, data were gathered to determine: educational and occupational aspirations and expectations; goal deflections for…

Examines data collected from the 1981-82 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Compares various groups of extreme rural males, females, Whites, and Blacks regarding achievement in social studies. Concludes that findings from the study should be used to improve weak areas of social studies curricula and recommends skills that should…

Examined substance use among rural black and rural white students (n=1,915). Found that black males were significantly less likely than white males to drink alcohol; get drunk; smoke cigarettes; or use smokeless tobacco, hallucinogens, and sedatives. Black females were significantly less likely than white females to drink alcohol; get drunk; smoke…

Crites' Career Maturity Inventory (CMI) was administered to rural eighth grade Anglo and Mexican-American students. Test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and validity are reported by sex and ethnicity. Data analyses indicate that questions may be raised regarding Crites' postulated monotonic relationship of career maturity to grade and…

This paper examines the major conflicts and stresses which surround the coming of age in rural Ireland today and which commonly contribute to mental breakdown. The study is based on ten months of participant observation in an Irish-speaking village of Southwest Kerry, combined with weekly visits to the county mental hospital. The author uses a…

The trends toward an increase in the percentage of nonfarm members and the concurrent increase in the percentage of girls in 4-H programs prompted the need for this 1970 study involving Oregon, Washington, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona. A primary purpose for the study was to confirm or deny these suggested trends. The problem of…

The principal objective of this 1970 thesis was to investigate empirically the social class differentials in educational orientations of over 5,000 rural Negro and white high-school sophomores from Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas; in addition, the significance of educational goal differences and/or differential…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there were identifiable differences in the characteristics of 3 groups of youths: (1) those who remained in the same or adjoining counties (nonmigrants), (2) those who migrated to other areas of the South, and (3) those who migrated to areas outside the South. Included in the sample were 700…

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…

This paper reports on attitudes toward welfare and poverty among male and female students at a university in rural eastern Kentucky. The area has high poverty rates and low educational and employment levels, particularly among women. A 60-statement survey covering a wide range of social issues was completed by 390 undergraduates. About two-thirds…

A survey of 177 secondary students in rural Victoria (Australia) examined attitudes towards primary health care delivery. Most students valued general practitioners, felt their doctor was an empathetic listener who used language they could understand, and felt they had reasonable access to health care. Confidentiality issues were important,…

Surveyed all secondary school students (n=1,175) in rural county school system to assess prevalence rates of substance use for teenagers and their parents. Age, sex, and race were related to frequency and type of substance abuse. Lifestyle variables such as music preferences, sexual activity, and choice of friends also related to substance use.…

This 4-year study of 191 girls and 185 boys living in intact families in the rural Midwest examined the trajectories of life events and depressive symptoms during adolescence. Compared with boys, girls experienced a greater number of depressive symptoms after age 13. Changes in uncontrollable events were associated with increases in girls'…

Using a self-report questionnaire, this study investigated smoking experimentation among 374 rural, black fifth graders and white fifth graders. Results indicated that 26% of males and 16% of females had tried cigarettes. Black students and white students had similar smoking experimentation rates. Peer and parent smoking affected students smoking…