This paper reports on a 1992 study that examined a group of 16 students and non-students, all paid workers at a university's food co-op. The purpose of this study was to understand more about the lives of counterculture students, their beliefs and values, and preferences and politics, specifically as those factors relate to their educational…

The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) was used to assess the level and intensity of burnout in 165 California State University at Long Beach college seniors preparing for the human services professions, specifically teaching, nursing, criminal justice, and social welfare. A comparison group of 80 engineering seniors was also assessed. The 40-item…

Student disengagement from school is observed through withdrawal, absenteeism, low-level participation, and discipline problems. This article discusses research on student evaluation systems and presents a study on high school students and the extent to which they experience incompatibilities in the school's evaluation and authority system. (DF)

This study explored psychosocial diversity of two groups of gifted adolescents: those who feel different from their nongifted peers (n=379), and those who do not (n=94). Comparisons between groups on demographic variables, perceptions of self and other students, and school behavior showed the latter group manifesting greater desire for social…

School refusal, as differentiated from both school phobia and truancy, is a term used to denote emotionally-based avoidance of school. To identify factors associated with school refusal, 41 junior high and high school students (including special education school refusers, special education non-refusers, and a comparison group from a regular…

Investigated the grade/grade levels at which alienation from science occurs. Alienation is defined in terms of declining science subject preference and attitude scores of students (including Blacks and females) in cross sectional samples of adjacent grade levels. Data show that the greatest decline occurred between 6th and 7th grades. (JN)

This paper reports on a study intended to examine problems in student evaluation systems that may lead to manifestations of student disengagement from secondary school such as absenteeism, low effort, violence, or vandalism. A theoretical framework is provided by Dornbusch and Scott's theory of evaluation and authority in organizations, which…

Reports on a study of school subcultures and their impact on 16 ex-public school British students, age 18-21. Finds that subcultures are genuine interactive units grounded in shared ideological positions. States that the subcultures fit within a hierarchical pattern and the higher the subculture the greater the level of exclusion. (CFR)

A research study of 245 students from Korea, the Arab nations, and Nigeria was conducted to determine whether there are significant relationships between any of the three measures of the level of stress (anxiety, depression, and somatic complaints) among international college students. Variables analyzed in the study included English language…

Provides historical background for understanding social changes and the resulting problems facing Japan's schools. Topics include resistance of youth to society and its schools, the breakdown of regional communities, the impact of competition for grades, and the changing role of teachers. (JHZ)

Reports on a 1990 study of political and social attitudes of Russian school students, age 10-15. Finds that belief in Communism is declining and that boys are more skeptical about Communism than are girls. Concludes that social issues and moral values were considered very important by a large number of the respondents. (CFR)

Reports on a survey of 1,077 German students and 233 teachers about different forms of student violence. Finds that the perpetrators were nearly all male, while victims were both male and female. Observes that, in comparison with previous studies, the rate of school violence does not appear to be on the increase. (CFR)

Maintains that, during the intifada (the revolt of Palestinians against Israeli occupation), the social order and power bases in Arab schools in East Jerusalem were transformed by significant social change. Discusses the rapid decline in teachers' authority and students' abuse of teachers and their property. (CFR)

Reports on a study of 640 Russian secondary students and 140 teachers on their attitudes about schools and schooling. Finds that both students and teachers agree that the primary goal of education should be to transmit the culture and prepare people for decision making. Also finds that forced participation in extracurricular programs caused…

Theoretical traditions concerning school environments and student achievement are described, and their insights are linked with analyses of school and classroom interactions to develop a simple conceptual model of environmental influences on student achievement. The literature regarding environmental influences is then reviewed, and the last…