This study explores the factors that affect Latino college student experiences in the first year of college and adjustment in the second year of study when many minority students dropout. The study examined data from five primary sources and focused on Latino college students who were semifinalists for a national scholarship award. The National…

This booklet presents questions that can be used by a college or university task force looking at the freshman year experience and/or the broader undergraduate experience. It can also be utilized to aid the process of campus self-study or assessment. The questions are arranged under three major headings: (1) Campus Policies, Processes, and…

The adjustment difficulties of Japanese high school students studying in the United States were examined in order to create a framework for the construction of orientation materials for exchange students. A total of 106 Japanese students enrolled in U.S. senior high schools as participants in the AFS Year Program to the United States completed a…

An investigation was conducted to develop isolation reduction strategies to reduce the feeling of isolation expressed by many of the Nova University Programs for Higher Education regional cluster students. A needs assessment was initiated to discover what the broad-range needs of regional students were and to actively develop strategies to meet…

Large numbers of foreign students attend United States colleges and universities, and the institutions can play a major role in facilitating the students' adjustment to life in a new culture. The foreign students' most common problems include homesickness, finances, housing and food, English language proficiency, understanding lectures and…

The purposes of this longitudinal study were to examine techniques whereby kindergarten, Grade 1, and Grade 2 teachers might become more aware of differences in children which affect their performance and behavior, and to develop with teachers ways of accommodating classrooms to children and vice versa. Participants were 24 teachers from four…

This issue of the newsletter focuses on early intervention for handicapped preschool children. The lead article, entitled "Promoting Independent Work Skills in Handicapped Preschool Children," highlights findings of a project designed to identify critical skills needed for independent functioning in mainstream preschool and kindergarten…

A report on a study of freshmen women's beliefs about psychological sex differences, attitudes toward sex roles, and ideals of femininity and masculinity is presented. A random sample of 232 freshmen entering a woman's college in September 1979 was studied longitudinally. Study instruments included a scale consisting of 16 propositions regarding…

A strategy to improve retention and graduation rates of culturally-diverse students in postsecondary settings is described, along with a framework for counselors and educators working with these students. A guided studies seminar in psychological education utilizes a highly-structured educational program and emphasizes the Deliberate Psychological…

Faculty and medical students' conceptions of an optimal progression toward graduation as defined by academic and psychosocial markers were compared. Twenty-four academic indicators of success or difficulty, primarily examination scores or clerkship evaluations, and 10 other indicators of progress toward graduation were assessed by 23 faculty and…

Undergraduate students enrolled in the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) or the Student Affirmative Action (SAA) program at the University of California (UC), Davis, who withdrew before graduation were surveyed in 1981. Attention was directed to the respondents' educational experiences after leaving, their current employment, and their…

Perceptions of Australian students studying independently at a distance regarding factors influencing their external studies were compared with attitudes of campus-based students. The 53 distance students and 51 on-campus students were enrolled in three social and political theory courses at Murdoch University. The mean age of the external…

Two studies conducted at the University of Maryland during the 1973-74 academic year evaluated the efficacy of programs designed to meet the needs of women and sought to determine whether the provision of a supportive learning environment, rather than individual or group counseling, would influence women's life styles. In the first study 36…

The Classroom Behavior Description (CBD)--a brief 10-item checklist on which teachers rate preschool childrens' behaviors which are considered most likely to influence school performance--was developed on the basis of earlier extensive research with more comprehensive children's behavior inventories. Results are reported of studies of teachers'…

The educational and social adjustment of Irish schoolchildren as they transfer to new schools is explored. The study emphasized problems of students entering secondary schools after completing primary school. Conducted by the Northern Ireland Council for Educational Research, the study encompassed over 3000 children who transferred from primary to…