Development of rural education in the USSR should not be based upon comparison with the USSR's urban education; rather, it should be perceived as an educational alternative with inherent advantages. The shift to compulsory secondary education as accomplished during the 1971-75 five-year period has established education as a major factor in the…

A synthesis of Polish research and research methodology (1965-75) re: leisure time and rural youth reveals methodological differences and research results with implications for the future of rural youth. In the order of their popularity, the major Polish research methods are: inquiry; the memorialist approach; a combination of inquiry and free…

Male (N=920) and female (N=915) rural, senior high school students from Eastern Kentucky (N=643), Central Kentucky (N=617), and Western Kentucky (N=575) were surveyed for purposes of exploring: levels of occupational and educational aspirations and expectations, felt certainty of achieving career goals, and migration plans after graduation…

A federally sponsored project called ACCESS is described, which is designed to help rural high school students in 27 counties of northwest Missouri obtain skills needed to attend college or trade school and then return to work in their communities. (MLW)

If small businesses are the engines of our economy, then entrepreneurs are the sparks that ignite those engines. This research report will explain how entrepreneurship education programs can help students create and establish their own business. The paper defines entrepreneurship education, outlines the major components of entrepreneurship…

With the ultimate goal of articulating a research agenda, a November 1999 conference of researchers and educators examined the educational, social, and economic factors affecting rural adolescents' transition to the workforce. The first section of this white paper discusses the need to clarify research questions about adolescence to include a…

This paper reports on attitudes toward welfare and poverty among male and female students at a university in rural eastern Kentucky. The area has high poverty rates and low educational and employment levels, particularly among women. A 60-statement survey covering a wide range of social issues was completed by 390 undergraduates. About two-thirds…

This paper describes strategies for developing drug abuse prevention programs in rural communities, based on available evidence about factors contributing to drug abuse. Comprehensive interventions to prevent drug abuse and other youth problems are needed because drug abuse is entwined with other problem behaviors and stems from a complex set of…

This study examined the effect of specified demographic and psychological variables on the academic achievement of high school students from urban and rural settings (n=177). Psychosocial variables considered in this study were familism (perceived closeness of the family), perceived discrimination, time management, and home and school factors.…

Describes the grades 11-12 joint vocational program at an Ohio vocational school to illustrate the components in an educational matrix designed to meet the needs of all students. Programs include career development, assessment/evaluation, basic skills lab, occupational work adjustment, occupational work experience, and placement and followup. (CT)

Reports that the Estes Attitude Scale suffers from the influence of cultural biases that make it inadequate to measure attitude about reading among low-income, Black students in grades three through seven in the rural southern United States. (FL)

A survey of 177 secondary students in rural Victoria (Australia) examined attitudes towards primary health care delivery. Most students valued general practitioners, felt their doctor was an empathetic listener who used language they could understand, and felt they had reasonable access to health care. Confidentiality issues were important,…

A survey of 163 senior medical students attending a South Australian medical school found that rural students were more likely than urban students to experience stress; be concerned about getting a provider number (license); feel that consultants had little time for them; have made the decision to study medicine without pressure from others; and…

Interviews with 33 teenagers from three small rural Midwest towns examined how they saw themselves, their families, friends, communities, and futures. Interview excerpts illustrate ambivalence about rural experiences, desire to move elsewhere, and Hispanic students' experiences with racism, but also convey positive attitudes about family, friends,…

A shortened and revised Student Aspirations Survey was administered to 1,160 students in rural middle schools and high schools. Evidence of construct validity was considerable for student responses to the aspirations scales and very limited for student responses to the school climate scales. Suggestions for improvement of score interpretation are…