A study of 3,331 college freshmen in 18 institutions investigated the factors influencing their openness to cultural diversity and challenges to their beliefs and values. Results indicated a nondiscriminatory racial environment, on-campus residence, participation in a racial or cultural awareness workshop, and involvement with diverse peers had…

The alternative education field lacks a common definition and has a major divide between the differing philosophies of alternative programs; little empirical evidence is available to identify the components necessary to create effective alternative educational programs. Tremendous growth in the availability of alternative programs in the United…

While self-esteem develops after life's primary needs have been satisfied, other factors can influence its development. This thesis investigates the self-esteem of high school and college athletes. The independent variables investigated were gender, athletic participation, family structure, and reported grades. The dependent variables were the…

Between 1979 and 1987, there was a 73% increase in the number of students transferring from two-year colleges to universities in Alberta (Canada). Three recent studies investigated this rapid growth. The first study, conducted over a three-year period, explored whether a group of 50 transfer students were sufficiently prepared to succeed…

The effects of receiving scholarships on female students age 25 or older was studied at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP). Questionnaire responses were received from 21 recipients of Newcombe Scholarships, which are awarded to mature, second career, and/or disabled female students at UMCP. The respondents received awards in 1981…

This booklet describes the characteristics of 16 Chicago-area schools designated as winners in a 1982-83 contest to develop student character and academic learning. Out of the 80 schools competing, the 25 finalists were reviewed for evidence of school effectiveness and outcomes. Schools were asked to assess students' prosocial activities and the…

Children have long been "objects of inquiry", that is, research has been "done" on children. Research into starting school is but one example, where children have been observed, tested and assessed at various points, as a means of evaluating their adjustment to the school environment. The Starting School Research Project aims…

Part of a research series on learning disabled (LD) secondary students, the document reports findings of a study to investigate the social/emotional, cognitive/academic, and coping mechanisms of adolescents in secondary schools. Ss were 234 LD, 222 low achieving (LA), and 215 normal achieving (NA) students and their parents. Two instruments, the…

Intended as a text for students of higher education and as a resource for inservice training programs, this book describes what it is like to go to college. Part 1 reviews the kinds of research studies of college students that have been produced, including studies dealing with the impact of college, student unrest, the generation gap,…

The study identifies and translates data relative to transfer students in the College of Agriculture at Texas A & M University that can serve for more effective counseling. The results of the study are summarized in 24 statements. Among conclusions based on data obtained from university records and from some of the transferring institutions and…

Noting that the kindergarten year is important in establishing competencies critical to children's success and achievement in school, and the lack of information on how children make the transition to kindergarten, this study examined differences in parental reports of children's adjustment behaviors for a large, nationally representative sample…

A study investigated individual and socioenvironmental predictors of adjustment to college in 29 students with disabilities. Results indicate problem-solving skills, social support from campus organizations and parents, and satisfaction with services for students with disabilities were each associated with higher reported levels of student…

To increase students' academic success and retention rates, colleges and universities are increasingly implementing seminars that will equip students with academic survival skills such as note-taking and doing library research. UNCC's program was found to be effective, and possibilities for further investigation were offered. (BF)

A study examined the differential impacts on college persistence of preentry attributes, initial goal and institutional commitments, academic and social integration, and subsequent goal and institutional commitments for younger (17-24 years) and older (25+ years) students. Significant age-related differences were found on some factors. (Author/MSE)

Reports two studies hypothesizing that nonintellectual learning dispositions are as important as intellectual assets in predicting college student success. One study was conducted with 298 low-risk francophone students in Canada; the second involved 179 academically at-risk students in the United States. Implications of the results for selection,…