A growing body of literature documents the frequency and magnitude of adolescent suicide. Because of the difficulties inherent to the nature of suicide, ascertaining the actual frequency of suicidal completions, attempts, and ideation is extremely difficult. Although there have been many attempts to isolate the correlates and causal factors of…

Examines whether there are gender differences in the associations between conduct problems and risk factors. Results reveal that even though there were gender differences in the strength of these associations, the same risk factors seem to be relevant in explaining conduct problems for both gender groups. (Contains 72 references and 5 tables.)…

Examines the hypothesis that as central district offices try to assert their power over school buildings, students' performance will decline. Uses the National Educational Longitudinal Study as a database to test this expectation. Results suggest that intrusive central offices are associated with somewhat lower student performance. (Contains 27…

This document reports on a study undertaken to identify specific behaviors of secondary school principals that are effective or ineffective in promoting positive school characteristics. The researchers first searched the literature to find an organizational model that would take into account the organization's goals, the means for measuring…

Examines a study of student motivation in physical education that incorporated constructs from achievement goal and self-determination theories. Self-determined motivation was found to positively predict, whereas amotivation was a negative predictor of leisure-time physical activity intentions. (Contains 86 references and 3 tables.) (GCP)

The Chinese Perceived Causes of Poverty Scale (CPCPS), constructed to assess how Chinese people explain poverty, covers four areas of explanations: personal problems, lack of opportunities, exploitation, and bad fate. Chinese secondary school students were administered the CPCPS. Four subscales were abstracted from their responses and found to be…

Discusses teachers' use of systematic instructional design practices; describes fundamental components of instructional design; explains a teacher planning inventory; and reports on a study of junior and senior high school teachers that examined their use of instructional design practices in their planning routines. (Contains 21 references.) (LRW)

This review of the literature on the relationship between domestic violence and adolescent aggression focuses on the added risks to the normative stresses of adolescence when the adolescent's family is characterized by conflict, the role of the family in the child's development of social competence, and warning signs of children affected by…

Investigates the links between adolescent risk-taking and personality, as conceptualized using the Five-factor Model of personality (N=459). Results reveal that risk judgments, personality factors, age and sex were significant predictors of risk behaviors; however, the personality factor of significance was found to differ depending upon the risk…

Examines the literature regarding the increase in teenage parenthood and its consequences for the teenagers, their education, and society. Concludes that teenage mothers have high rates of welfare dependence, and suggests that moves toward prevention or job training will not succeed until the economic situation of women is improved. (LLL)

Reviews the health consequences of smoking among African Americans. Examines factors predicting smoking onset in general and discusses studies assessing gender and ethnicity differences. Describes the Memphis Health Project, a five-year study identifying factors associated with smoking onset in African American versus Euro-American girls. (SM)

Problem behavior is a widespread phenomenon in schools. The present paper examines the consequences of problem behavior (disruptive behavior, physical aggression) in grade 7 on psychosocial adjustment (self-esteem and social self-concepts) in grade 10, controlling for psychosocial adjustment. Results suggest that problem behavior in grade 7 had…

Research is reviewed on stress, depression, and suicide among adolescents with learning disabilities from the risk resilience perspective. Adolescents with nonverbal learning disabilities and/or those who are less academically adept manifest higher rates of depression. Some evidence also exists to support an increased risk of suicide among this…

Study creates and tests a comprehensive model of adolescent problem drinking. Results indicate that high levels of parental support and a positive school climate in the 8th grade influence the formation of relationships with peers with positive values in the 10th grade that guard against problem-drinking behavior in the 10th grade. (Contains 40…

Discusses empirical studies conducted between 1950 and 1970 examining the relations between psychological characteristics of students and subsequent high school dropout. Results clarified some methodological requirements for research on school completion and suggested that social and emotional variables explain some of the variance in school…