This study examined the characteristics of family environment and its relationship to attitudes toward science. Data were collected from over 800 seventh-grade and over 1,400 tenth-grade students during a longitudinal, multi-dimensional study of the relationship between the variables of home, school, and self as related to attitudes toward and…

In 1973 a study of the national primary schools was begun in Ecuador to consider effects of school and non-school factors upon student flow and achievement, to examine the relative productivity of different types of schools, and to study the costs of primary education to the family and nation. Although other variables such as teacher preparation…

In a study of factors in the educational environment of the home, the school, and the peer group contributing to achievement and attitudes towards schooling at the upper primary and lower secondary school levels, an opportunity arose to examine the data available for configural and curvilinear relationships. Information was collected on 11…

The objective of this phase of the Rural Education Disadvantaged Youth Project (Project REDY) was to evaluate the model vocationally-oriented educational program that was developed in an earlier phase of the research. This educational program focused upon (1) youth and career choices, (2) family financial management, and (3) improvement of family…

Cognizant of the American high school students' waning test scores and a decreased desire to pursue higher level courses in mathematics and science, there has been a categorical effort to identify the demographic and motivational variables that contribute to mathematics and science achievement. This study utilized the 1992 panel members (8,140…

Presents study results of relationships between adolescents' perceptions of family and school environments and measures of their creativity, morality, and self-concept. Reports parallel forms of environment schedules to assess the social psychological contexts of families and schools. Concludes that self-concept, morality, and creativity have…

A recent structural model suggesting that nine factors exerted effects on seventh grade students' mathematics achievement and attitude was further tested with a national sample of 2,500 tenth grade mathematics students. The structural model, evolved and cross-validated with the younger sample, significantly accounted for variance in mathematics…

Researchers administered the Perceived Family Environment Questionnaire to college students to assess family traits and child rearing practices as predictors of drug and alcohol usage. Results indicated significant differences in perceived family environment between low, heavy, and addicted drug users. Family atmosphere and parenting style…

The aim of this research was to explore unwanted sexual behaviour amongst young people. Sexual aggression was operationalized at three levels: "verbal", "non-verbal/intimidating" and "physically violent". A total of 1,700 Dutch adolescents completed a questionnaire that included six clusters of possible determinants…

People worry about dropouts because they believe that leaving high school before graduation is detrimental, both to the individual and to society. This view does not include students' view of the situation, and in order to clarify students' perceptions of at-risk factors, qualitative data on high school seniors were collected. The central question…

Qualitative, in-depth interviews of resilient at-risk students were used to identify factors that these students believe contributed to their success in school. Resilient students in six urban, suburban, and rural school divisions in the Richmond (Virginia) area were nominated by principals and guidance counselors. Of the 115 identified, 62 were…

This study used a social constructivist framework to examine how one at-risk fifth-grader constructed her literacy through social interaction in her nonschool, prior school, and present school experiences. Through open-ended interviews and classroom observations, experiences that fostered and hindered the child's literacy development were…

The hypothesis of this 3-year study was that contact with supportive influences (peer leaders, personal counseling interviews, group counseling sessions, and warm, sincere, interesting teachers) would improve the academic performance of underachieving secondary school students. The subjects, 440 seventh, ninth, and 10th graders from the Kalamazoo…

In a study of over 500 16-year-old Australian students from different social classes, differences in educational and occupational aspirations were found to be related most strongly to students' perceptions of their family learning environments. Social class differences were also noted; students' perceptions of school environments were least…

With the launch of the U.S. Department of Education's Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99, measures of knowledge, skills, health, and behavior of a large and nationally representative sample of American Kindergartners are available. Drawing on data from the study, this report provides a portrait of kindergarten…