A study trained 14 high school students to interview 220 rural West Virginia students in grades 7-10 about their social service needs and their delivery preferences. Results indicate that large numbers of rural students were perceived by their peers as having major social and emotional problems yet little knowledge of human service professionals.…

Phase 1 of this research project included summarizing available information concerning lower socioeconomic status (SES) rural youth. Phase 2 involved defining a research population, selecting a sample from that population, collecting and analyzing data, and comparing data to the summarized material available on lower SES youth. The population for…

In an effort to determine whether there are differences in areas of residence that affect the aspirations and expectations of young people living therein, this study examined occupational and educational aspirations of 1,835 rural high school seniors from 3 sociocultural contexts in Kentucky: (1) a low-opportunity, rural-poverty area in central…

Drug abuse and the differences in drug use patterns and related behavior between rural blacks and whites were examined. Questionnaires were administered to 993 (369 black and 624 white) rural adolescents in grades 7-12 in randomly selected schools in Texas. The instrument totaled 15 pages containing 65 items which yielded 178 quantifiable…

Using data collected from a stratified random sample of South Carolina high school seniors in 1969, the study compared the patterns of occupational choices among white and black boys and girls, and examined the relationship among race, sex, and teacher recruitment. Social class origin, local residence place, and scholastic performance were…

Fixed-choice stimulus questions were distributed to students from 12 New Mexico rural high schools (randomly selected), and responses were derived from 139 Native, 171 Anglo, and 240 Mexican American students in the 10th and 12th grades. Responses indicated educational, occupational, and residential aspirations and expectations and goal…

The study was an attempt to discern what rural youth in Louisiana expect to achieve in the future. Objectives of the study were to determine, with reference to race and sex differences, (1) future occupational plans, (2) educational plans, (3) type of community rural youth expected to settle in, and (4) desired age for marriage and number of…

As part of continuing research into how individuals decide what to do with their lives, ninth graders in a small town high school were surveyed in 1967 and 1979. Focusing on group differences, results of questions on future time perspectives, career possibilities, interactions with people, family cohesiveness, and autonomy are discussed. (BS)

Studied self concept, parental influence, socioeconomic status, certainty, race and sex in relation to career choice attitudes in 520 Black, White and Native American rural 10th graders. Results suggested the importance of racial differences in predicting career maturity. (JAC)

Noting that Germany ranks lowest among the OECD countries for educational equalities, this paper examines whether it is the tracking of children into different types of school environments at a particularly early stages of their intellectual development (at the transition from primary to secondary school) which contributes to such inequalities.…

This paper reports on models that clarify the meaning of trends in 8th grade smoking in one of America's most rural and least densely populated states. It is based on cross-sectional analysis of data collected in the "Kansas Communities That Care Survey" from 1995 to 1999. The analysis of trends data is presented in table form utilizing…

Examination of the impact of gender and academic-risk behavior on the career maturity and competence of 110 rural youth revealed that females were more involved and independent in their career development and that high-risk students were less able to solve career-related problems. Addresses implications for rural career education and vocational…

Investigates rural and urban adolescents' perceptions of mental health. Provides insight into rural and urban students' perceptions of problematic behaviors, who should intervene, and how. Recommends that health care providers help adolescents expand their range of coping behaviors, especially in regard to alcohol abuse and violence. (Author/GCP)

One of a series on selected topics, this bibliography of resource materials and research findings is drawn from ERIC documents; the 42 citations on rural youth cover expectations and aspirations about education, occupation, residence, marriage, and procreation (several are historical change studies), and focus on such influences as race, sex,…

Using data from a cross-sectional sample of 4,376 South Carolina high school seniors in 1969 to determine the differences in the perception of conditions relating to teacher choice among white and black females and males, the study explored the relative perceived importance of the following items in choosing a career: the chance to make a lot of…