This article discusses the personal plans of secondary school seniors. The author discusses the research projects concerning problems of young people's orientation and choice of profession. Furthermore, the author examines the role played by objective and subjective factors in the shaping of the personal plans of senior students in secondary…

To gather data on the expectations, goals, perceived barriers, and academic plans of new freshmen students, the Trumbull Campus of Kent State University, in Ohio, surveyed the 358 new freshmen in fall 1993. Completed questionnaires were received from 276 (81%) of the students. An analysis of responses revealed the following: (1) the largest…

This qualitative study explored personal and program experiences that affect dissertation completion and non-completion to provide insights that might help students and faculty in their decision-making and advising. Interviews were conducted with 13 graduates and 9 "all-but-dissertation" (ABD) students regarding the traits they felt led…

This paper summarizes results of a survey examining educational attitudes, lifestyle, and aspirations of Hispanic students in south Texas. Many students live in impoverished, rural, unincorporated subdivisions called "colonias" that are growing around Laredo, Texas, and other border cities. An introduction to the Texas/Mexico border…

Leaving school early has a dramatic impact on Hispanic girls, because Latinas face greater barriers than males when seeking high-wage jobs and opportunities in postsecondary education. This Digest examines how gender roles, families, schools, and friends influence Latinas in their education and career decisions, and outlines practical dropout…

This document summarizes an evaluation of the 1988/89 College Readiness Program (CRP) in the Columbus (Ohio) Public Schools. The CRP targets middle school students who demonstrate potential for success in college but who are not planning to attend college because of their families' financial status or because higher education is not part of their…

A survey of Massachusetts high school students in March 1989 compared and contrasted vocational-technical high school students with other high school students (college preparatory and general studies) in four major areas: decision to enroll in vocational-technical or in other programs, high school experiences, post-high school plans and career…

This report presents a national profile of black college freshmen in 1989-90 and shows how these students have changed based on the past 19 surveys (1971-1989), using data on 16,000-20,000 black freshmen from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program. The study focuses on a wide variety of characteristics of black college freshmen: family…

The effects of three methods of evaluation (norm-referenced, regulated criterion-referenced, and negotiated criterion-referenced) on academic self-concept (ASC), test anxiety, and aspiration of success were studied for 73 college students (71 females and 2 males) from a large midwestern research university. Students were given a limited amount of…

This paper describes a model of the influence of personal and environmental factors on students' valuing of two deep-processing strategies for studying expository texts. In the model, task orientation (a form of intrinsic motivation in which learning and understanding are the major goals) interacts with perceptions of the teacher's goals to…

Demographic and academic information on 1978 North Carolina Central University (NCCU) freshmen were assessed, using the NCCU Freshman Survey and 66 items from the College Student Questionnaire. Attention was directed to student attitudes about family and peer relationships, instructional/learning styles, and political, social, cultural, and moral…

The background, career and educational aspirations, and attitudes of 148 female freshmen in the Arkansas Ozarks were studied to determine reasons for underachievement and lack of commitment among females of this region. Comparisons were also made to responses of 54 male students. All respondents were residents of 29 hill counties and attended…

The objectives of the study were to help high school seniors make occupational choices, develop their employment and educational plans, and to provide data for school personnel and for the planning of postsecondary vocational training activities. Approximately 50,000 Indiana high school seniors were surveyed as to their educational and employment…

This study explores factors related to the transition from high school to college in the Kansas City metropolitan region. Determinants of college attendance such as scholastic achievement, financial resources, socioeconomic status (SES), school climate, and race were studied. It is shown that the composition of high schools is correlated with the…

In order to test the hypothesis that integration of the public schools and individual classrooms has resulted in the development of positive attitudes between the races not only on the part of students but also for parents, teachers, principals, and the community at large, the author of this review of research focuses on studies on school…