This study examined the effectiveness of different topics/activities included in a freshman orientation course in enhancing the students' perception of their successful adjustment to college life and the impact of these subjects on the student level of persistence. The results support the Tinto stage model of persistence since the elements of the…

This qualitative study explored the experiences of five gay, lesbian, and bisexual adolescents' perspectives on their schools' acceptance of their sexual orientation, and perceptions of these schools' approach to suicide risk intervention. Focus groups were tape recorded, transcribed, and analyzed through constant comparative analysis. Themes that…

This paper explores the challenges of partnership through an examination of a high school apprenticeship program in carpentry in Ontario, Canada. Focusing on the relationships between schools, trainers, employers and government, challenges relate to the ability to coordinate the program across institutions, achieve agreement on goals, gain…

Wyoming's seven comprehensive community colleges document their performance in meeting the needs of their stakeholders against fourteen core indicators: (1) Student Goal Attainment; (2) Persistence; (3) Degree Completion Rates; (4) Placement Rate in the Workforce; (5) Employer Assessment of Students; (6) Licensure/Certification Pass Rates; (7)…

A study was conducted to identify to what extent graduate students report exhibiting characteristics of adult learning theory and to compare these characteristics based on current work environment. Of the 90 graduate students who participated, 55 were majors in the Educational Leadership Program, a graduate experience that presented the theory and…

The goal theory of achievement motivation establishes that goals stressed by schools dramatically affect whether children develop a success orientation or give up when faced with failure. This paper examines how Australian children from diverse cultural backgrounds view achievement and success in the classroom. A questionnaire derived from the…

Nearly 70 people from across Minnesota attended a meeting on the topics, "What Secondary Learners Require of Schools." High school and postsecondary students, parents, teachers, administrators, counselors, community organization representatives, and business people participated. Following an opening session, participants separated into…

Twenty-one students and 15 staff members of 8 technical colleges attended a meeting to discuss the question, "What do technical college students want or need from school?" Participants were divided into four groups of students and two groups of instructors and staff members. Each group worked with two facilitators who presented the group…

The influences of a student's prior knowledge and desired goal on the difficulties and benefits associated with using hypertext were examined in this study. Participants, 12 students from an undergraduate course in educational psychology, were assigned to either the low or high prior knowledge category. Within these two groups, subjects were…

Many colleges continue to report high attrition rates among distance education students. This study included a survey of students at Coastline Community College to determine why they dropped or failed their distance-learning courses and to identify methods that might improve their success and retention. Questionnaires were sent to a group of…

Life goals of current college freshmen that are important in planning college programs are considered in this keynote address. Based on results of Carnegie Foundation Student Surveys, information is presented for 1969, 1975, and 1985 on students' optimism/pessimism about college and the future, views about job chances and money, objectives for…

More than 8,000 secondary school students participated in the AFS International exchange programs in 1983, and this document examines some of the research that investigates the impact of travel abroad and intercultural experiences on personality development. Cigdem Kagitcibasi, in a study of the effects of a 10-month program on student…

Changes in political preferences and personal goals of a national sample of college students and University of California-Berkeley (Berkeley) undergraduates of the 1960s and the 1980s were compared, using the university's freshmen survey and the Cooperative Institutional Research Program's nationwide survey of freshmen. Specific attention was…

Research results are presented of a two-year experimental field study investigating the effectiveness of the Suggestive-Accelerative Lozanov Teaching (SALT) method applied to varying levels of socio-economic level, grade level, and subject matter. This teaching method uses components of preliminary physical and mind calming exercises, although…

Many institutions are taking freshman orientation more seriously by challenging students before they start classes and giving them a more thorough introduction to campus life than ever before. The biggest changes in orientation are occurring among community colleges. Some of the experiences at Georgia Tech are described. (MLW)