A study examined various characteristics of learning environments that promote or retard the development of basic skills proficiency. Data on four school programs--vocational noncooperative, vocational cooperative, general education, and college preparatory--were collected in a repeated measure design via observations, testing, and interviews. A…

Written for, by, and about adult students, this issue includes a series of articles dealing with building self-confidence. Following a discussion of the importance of self-confidence, suggestions are provided for increasing one's self-esteem. Presented next are the stories of how various individuals and a Vietnamese refugee family are building and…

Ways in which children learn about race and form attitudes towards groups other than their own are described and the processes underlying the development of racial awareness and racial attitudes are delineated. The first three sections of the paper discuss the age at which racial attitudes begin to form, the developmental antecedents of racial…

Designed to help special needs students develop an awareness of their own individual characteristics, values, interests, aptitudes, abilities, and personality, this self-inventory is the first unit in a nine-unit secondary level careers course intended to provide handicapped students with the knowledge and tools necessary to succeed in the world…

During the orientation program for freshmen at the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1973, students were surveyed by questionnaire. In 1976 a followup survey was sent to a random sample of 700 of those students, 40 percent of whom responded. The latter survey consisted of 301 multiple choice items, 127 of which are identical to the…

Interaction effects of 524 grade six pupils' achievement motives, ability level, future time orientation, sex, and perceived importance of school activity were considered in relation to approach/avoidance motivation. Achievement scores were positively related to approach motivation; successs-oriented, high-ability girls and moderate-ability boys…

This paper reviews several articles with language-based teacher empowerment themes, discussing empowerment in relation to secondary school language teaching (particularly less commonly taught language teaching) and teacher development. The paper extrapolates from the ideas proposed that second language teachers can be empowered, or at least set on…

This lesson book presents the curriculum of the Rock and Water program, which aims to assist boys in their development to adulthood by emphasizing the importance of being conscious of their own power and responsibility within society. The program focuses on the process of growth to adulthood via five steps: (1) self defense; (2) standing up for…

The determinants of self-directed learning (SDL) among professionals of high attainment were examined through open-ended, semidirected interviews with a purposeful sample of eight professional men and women who have acquired identifiable, high-level professional knowledge/skills typically taught in postsecondary learning institutions without ever…

Two studies provide support for a model of jealousy based on self-evaluation maintenance theory. Greater jealousy was reported when the domain of a rival's achievements was also a domain of high self-relevance to the participant. Notes sex differences in the impact of relationship partners on domains of self-definition. (LSR)

Four studies established the reliability and validity of measures for assessing attitudes toward others and sex typing of self in occupations, activities, and traits. A fifth study provided longitudinal data from children tested 4 times from age 11 to 13 years. Data supported conceptual distinctions among individual's gender attitudes toward…

Maintains that a loss-gain hypothesis (a negative impression gives way to a positive one) is a more powerful indicator and incentive for future friendship than an opposite sequence (positive to negative). Both of these, however, were eclipsed by a positive-positive interaction as a determinant of interpersonal attraction. (MJP)

Using grades and standardized test scores as criteria variables, a survey determined relative effects of sociocultural variables, personality factors, and student perceptions of school and social events in explaining differential patterns of academic achievement for 89 Asian-American tenth graders. Findings are discussed in connection with the…

The purpose of this study was to examine the social cognitions of peer-identified socially withdrawn children. Participants included 457 children from grades four, five and six (54% females, 46% males). Children completed a selection of self- and peer-report measures including: (1) peer-rated behavioral nominations; (2) hostile intent biases and…

Data from the Children in the Community Study, a community-based longitudinal study were used to investigate associations between paternal psychiatric disorders and child-rearing behaviors. Paternal psychiatric symptoms and behavior in the home were assessed among 782 families during the childhood and adolescence of the offspring. Paternal…