IN AN ATTEMPT TO INCREASE FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF COLLEGE ENVIRONMENTS, THOSE CHARACTERISTICS WERE RELATED TO STUDENT ATTRIBUTES AND TO CRITERIA OF INSTITUTIONAL EXCELLENCE. THE MEASURING INSTRUMENTS USED FOR THIS PURPOSE WERE THE ACTIVITIES INDEX (A PERSONALITY MEASURE) AND THE COLLEGE CHARACTERISTICS…

One South Bronx (New York) school is untouched by vandalism because the teachers have made a commitment to the school and its students, expressing their concern and approval. The extensive costs of vandalism in other schools could be reduced if teachers were trained to develop positive school climates. (PGD)

The findings suggest that highly reliable estimates of environmental characteristics can be obtained with scales comprising only a few items. Thus it seems that subject time and expense could be greatly saved if future studies of college environmental characteristics utilize factorially derived scales based on small numbers of items. (Author)

This article describes the findings of a replication of an identical study four years earlier. Present results show that while the institution had in its own eyes initiated many major changes, student perceptions remain relatively consistent. (Author/BY)

Data examined in the sense of the direction in which the University should be led show the goals of the student affairs staff and incoming students to be similar. Understanding the process of expectations changing into perceptions would help determine better methods for dealing with students' attitudes. (Author/BY)

Argues that effective planning in Australian school systems must account for the attitude of everyone involved in the school's operation when developing youth policy. Describes the transition from school to work from the viewpoints of the educational system, administrative organization, classroom teachers, and students. Discusses the…

This article, based on a longitudinal interview study of 50 new teachers in Massachusetts, presents respondents' reasons for staying in their schools, moving to new schools, or leaving public school teaching within their first 3 years of teaching. Although the respondents' prior career orientations, financial situations, and preparation played a…

A commonly held assumption is that students should enter college with values and attitudes shared by their parents and, following 4 years of preparation, leave as adults with identical values and attitudes. It is becoming evident that today's students have chosen to depart from these expectations, since growing numbers of them are entering college…

Each of the 2 studies included in this report concerns a different aspect of utilizing volunteers as mental health workers. The first used a behavioral assessment technique (the Group Assessment of Interpersonal Traits [GAIT]) to measure the qualities of understanding, openness and accepting-warmth in college students. Subsequently, these students…

An examination of the institutional characteristics which affect the attractiveness of colleges and universities to bright, prospective students showed that of 28 selected variables low tuition, well-credentialed faculty, research orientation, and fiscal strength appear as the important factors in raising institutional attractiveness. (Editor/JT)

Describes a research project based upon a model of the university as a political system. A two-step causal sequence is hypothesized, with students' negative perceptions of the university environment generating feelings of academic alienation, which in turn foster a desire for academic reform. Results are considered in terms of the university as an…

A great deal of value is placed on student research within universities, exemplified by the prominent role of the dissertation or extended written work at the end of many programmes, and the more general benefits of embedding research-based learning into a curriculum in order to develop higher-order learning. This article reports on a…