Using a social learning approach, this study compared the effects of two experimental mini-courses on a specially constructed measure of competency of behavioral response. The two experimental groups and the control group were all black high school students. The curricula suitable for use by high school teachers utilized behavioral modification…

Project GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) is a federally funded program focused on encouraging disadvantaged youth to have high expectations, stay in school, and take academically rigorous courses to prepare them for college. A 5-year GEAR UP grant in rural southern West Virginia funds academic and support…

Project GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) is a federally funded program focused on encouraging disadvantaged youth to have high expectations, stay in school, and take academically rigorous courses to prepare them for college. A GEAR UP grant in rural north-central West Virginia funds academic and support…

This report provides information on the educational experiences and plans of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) (California) 1997 graduates. Seniors from regular, continuation, and opportunity high schools and schools of choice and for handicapped students were surveyed. In October 1996, there were 27,387 seniors in the LAUSD schools.…

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) (California) conducts an annual survey of the educational experiences and plans of its high school graduates. Results from the 1998 survey are analyzed and summarized in this report, with results by ethnicity and gender reported only when there are large group differences. In fall 1997, 28,316…

Interviewed boys in grades two through eight about their occupational aspirations. Found that aspirations of inner-city boys mirrored race and class differences in adult job holdings; the gap between aspirations and expectations was greater for inner-city boys than other boys; and lower occupational aspirations of inner-city boys were related to…

Reports on an evaluation of a 1989 summer program at the University of Colorado (Colorado Springs) designed to motivate and prepare low-income minority sophomore and junior college students to go on to graduate study. Results with 23 Chicanos, 2 Native Americans, and 1 Asian American support the program's effectiveness. (SLD)

Develops an attitude formation model for the occupational and educational goals of disadvantaged African-American students, and tests it for 175 African-American male and female twelfth graders in an urban school district in New Jersey. Discusses variance in student attitudes, sex differences, and the marginalization of African-American urban…

This study examined situation-specific coping strategies of students with different achievement goals as they take part in inquiry learning. A case study was conducted in a Finnish elementary school. 21 ten-year-old students participated in the study. Two types of data were collected: (1) Students self-reported questionnaires on achievement goals,…

An examination of social cognitive career theory (SCCT; R. W. Lent, S. D. Brown, & G. Hackett, 1994, 2000) factors contributing to the college expectations of high school students (N = 87) in rural Appalachia was conducted. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed support for the role of SCCT variables in predicting expectations to…

This paper reports on research to examine the types of motivation related to school achievement. A total of 1428 students from an inner city high school in the Montreal (Quebec) area participated in the study, 714 males and 714 females. The students ranged in age from 12 to 18, and approximately 40 percent were minorities (Hispanic, Asian, Black).…

A survey was undertaken in an effort to understand the basis on which some children choose mathematics and science courses and others opt out. Interviews were conducted in classrooms with 2,500 public school students in grades 5 through 11, and 1,000 telephone interviews were conducted with parents. The survey found that most students make…

This paper examines the incentive structures in rural communities that encourage or discourage the accumulation of human capital. This is done by identifying the factors that influence educational performance in four school districts in rural Appalachian Virginia and Kentucky. A review of human capital theory, models, and functions generated six…

This paper explores the question of how and what a school can do to foster student discipline and effort. Personal experiences and observations are offered about the approaches and strategies used in schools and by parents in Taiwan, China to foster students' positive attitudes toward learning and school. This document focuses on the approaches…

This report presents the results of a survey of graduate students, both U.S. and foreign, enrolled in U.S. universities who were focusing their advanced studies on a world area. The survey was designed to determine how students become interested and involved in foreign language and area studies and focussed on several questions, in particular:…