This volume is a collection of current research by noted scholars on Chinese child development. The volume re-examines long-held beliefs and preconceptions about Chinese culture, draws forth incompatible pictures and contradictory facts about Chinese children, and draws attention to new problems of the modern Chinese family. The chapters of the…

Recent emphasis on "academics only" in educational curriculum, with content influenced primarily by state-mandated tests, raises questions about the place of career education in the curriculum. It also leads to questions about how to reach nonacademic students, those whose interests and aptitudes lie in more practical knowledge outside the…

Based on a sample of eleventh grade students from different ethnic backgrounds, (1) a reading test was a more valid predictor of academic success than academic self-concept; (2) aspiration and academic interest were valid predictors of school achievements; and (3) a combination of cognitive and affective measures was the most valid predictor.…

A questionnaire administered to 305 gifted students, ages 9-17, enrolled in a summer program, examined perceptions and attitudes related to the gifted label and available educational opportunities. Analysis of responses yielded four factors: (1) acceptance of the gifted label; (2) perception of ability as incremental; (3) preference for…

Analyzes the decision making process used by Japanese middle school students and their parents for choosing a high school. Reveals that these decisions are highly affected by placement counseling. This process defines the students' choices, inculcates values, and offers sets of rationales for students to account for their decisions. (MJP)

Mathematics achievement was used to distinguish between resilient and nonresilient Latino middle-school students, primarily immigrants from working-class families speaking English as a Second Language. Resilient students had greater involvement and satisfaction in math class, academic self-concept, and achievement motivation than nonresilient…

A study profiled freshmen with diagnosed learning disabilities at a large, state-supported university. Results are summarized concerning this population's educational aspirations, self-reported study habits and academic weaknesses, decision to attend college, adjustment expectations, anticipated involvement or affiliation with campus groups, study…

Analyzes declining Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores since the 1950s. Distinguishes between the population of those who take the SAT and the population of all high school seniors. The culprit is the downward trend of educational skills of U.S. academically most promising students toward those of the average student. (JB)

Students' perceptions of differences in teacher interaction for males and females in grades 5 through 12 were studied, and school-related attitudes, preferences, and aspirations of 132 boys were compared with those of 97 girls. Compared to girls, boys perceive inequities to a greater extent and show greater preference for mathematics and science.…

Interviews with four African-American recent high school students in a predominantly black rural North Carolina town focus on the individual's perceptions of society with regard to definitions and decisions about education. It is evident that school is regarded differently by those who graduate and those who drop out. (SLD)

This guide provides information about how middle schools can promote the development and education of adolescents, especially about how they can focus students' attention on career opportunities and training. It also offers families some ideas about how they can encourage their children's career awareness, and it presents some criteria for parents…

This study explored mothers' beliefs about their children's educational and occupational futures, and it examined relationships between mothers' beliefs and children's academic achievement and between mothers' beliefs and maternal perceptions of parental responsibilities. A sample of 141 mothers and their first- or fourth-grade child participated…

Data on dropout trends over time are combined with data from the National Education Longitudinal Survey to give a picture of the dropout situation in the United States and the aspirations of students who have dropped out. In 1993, about 381,000 students dropped out of high school. In economic terms the consequences of dropping out can be…

This report describes the 1994 postsecondary education assistance patterns, job experiences, lifestyles, and values of the eighth grade class of 1988. The data from the report are from the 1994 Third Follow-up of the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 which collected information on postsecondary education participation, employment,…

This case study of a student retention program for at-risk students at Mount Hood Community College (Oregon) contends that student retention programs are seldom as holistic and comprehensive as intended. The study analyzed three areas: the design and implementation of a comprehensive program to improve student retention; the organizational…