This report describes trends and patterns in school-leaver entry to higher education in Scotland. (School-leaver entrants to higher education are those who leave school and start higher education in the same year, or direct entrants.) The report uses data from the Scottish School Leavers' Survey (SSLS), a biennial sample survey of school leavers…

This paper describes a program designed to increase student motivation to complete homework assignments. The targeted population consisted of 3rd, 4th, 9th, and 10th grade students attending schools in the Midwest. Analysis of probable cause data reveals that parental involvement can be insufficient and misdirected. Homework can lack relevance to…

In the United States, education is not only free and public, but it is compulsory in all continental United States and in its principal outlying parts. The aim in this study is to present in a summary manner what appear to be the most interesting legislative features of compulsory education systems in the various States: (1) When did the States…

Queries which college serves best: one with 10,000 part-time students or one with 2,500 full-time students? Deems the services rendered dissimilar, but the costs about the same. Discusses attrition rates and transfer success and the relationship between academic persistence and goal attainment. (DMM)

Relates some of the challenges involved in teaching English to Yup'ik Eskimos in the rural areas around Bethel, Alaska. Focuses on problems of student attrition, uninformed attitudes of white instructors, and the operations and failings of the delivery system, which employs itinerant field concept coordinators and campus-based instructors. (AYC)

A study of eight successive freshman cohorts at the University of South Carolina found that both participating in a freshman orientation seminar and living on campus reduced freshman dropout rates. Students who both participated in the seminar and lived on campus had the lowest dropout rate, whereas those who did neither had the highest dropout…

Examines patterns of school attendance, adult literacy, and occupational status among U.S.-born Mexican Americans, Mexican immigrants, and Anglos in south, central, and west Texas regions, 1850-1900. Concludes that education and literacy produced occupational advantages only for Anglos. (SV)

Describes study that investigated the impact of computer ownership and lab attendance on College of Business students' performance on an examination and in an introductory course on information systems. Results indicated that both owning a computer and attending lab sessions were associated with a student earning a better course grade. (10…

Reports on a study of two introductory sociology courses to determine whether informal writing assignments can aid learning. Finds that requiring students to keep journals did not significantly improve performance on essay tests. Asserts that teachers may be justified in requiring attendance as a strategy for increased learning. (CFR)

This study reviews higher education assumptions of traditional net-price theory and an emerging approach considering a set of price and subsidies in enrollment and persistence decisions. Results suggest that within-year persistence decisions made by students from all income groups are more sensitive to tuition charges than to student aid.…

The study evaluated the effectiveness of a community-based court intervention aimed at reducing truancy in a large urban school district. A quasi-experimental design was used to assess attendance outcomes for 567 truants matched on demographics and drawn from three categories of intervention (no court referral, traditional court referral, and…

Background: Functional impairment is a key feature of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) of childhood. Aim: To compare impairment, illness attitudes and coping mechanisms in childhood CFS and in other paediatric disorders. Method: Participants were 28 children and adolescents with CFS, 30 with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and 27 with emotional…

This study focused on selected cognitive measures, work habits, and performance patterns of students with low critical thinking skills who achieved high grades in a large entry-level course. The high-performing low critical thinkers were compared on all target variables with both low critical thinkers who achieved low grades in the course and high…

This paper presents data on Ontario's student mobility for 2006. This report found that the desire to obtain both a college and university credential in Ontario's postsecondary system is considerable. At least one quarter of college students have serious intentions of attaining a degree after a diploma. Currently, over 7% of Ontario's college…

Project Achieve Transition Services (PATS) is a four-year high school attendance improvement, dropout prevention project which targets late-entry students consisting primarily of immigrants, transfers, and long-term absentees. The program uses a case management approach to provide support services, instructional enhancements, and family outreach…