A quantitative synthesis of the results from 66 studies indicated that boys' and girls' science achievement is positively related to affect, but the relationship is weaker than expected. Science achievement correlates more strongly with cognitive abilities than with affect. (Author/BW)

Examines 5th-, 7th-, and 10th-grade students' attitudes toward school and classroom science using a questionnaire. Results indicate that, although a statistically significant relationship did exist between students' attitudes toward school and classroom science, the relationship had no practical meaning. Females were slightly more positive about…

Over 2,300 13- to 14-year olds in 7 mixed and 6 single-sex English high schools were tested on their attitudes to science, specific subjects, and school and asked to rank all school subjects in terms of liking and perceived importance. Results confirmed the tendency toward greater polarization of attitudes in mixed schools. (SK)

An exploratory study examined the relationship between adolescents' stance ("monologic" versus "dialogic") and several issues, including the degree to which adolescents explore tensions and contradictions in their writing and the nature of such tensions as related to gender and/or school attitudes. For the purposes of the…

An instrument entitled Students and Their Schools assesses the perceived availability and value of different academic and interpersonal dimensions of the high school environment and student satisfaction with these areas. When administered to 411 students, results indicated that resources availability was more highly related to student satisfaction…

At 4-year followup on 110 Mexican-American adolescents in a drug abuse prevention program, association with deviant peers was strongly predictive of alcohol and drug use and criminality, whereas parental influences were minor predictors. Low school satisfaction was related to greater drug use, particularly for females. (Author/SV)

This study examined the relationship between student values and the values of the school as an institution, with emphasis on how this relationship is mediated by the student's sentiment toward the school. Subjects were 353 seventh- and eighth-grade students, 11 of their social studies teachers, and building principals from three schools in the…

Interviews with 56 Dutch adult students, 46 ex-students, and 27 teachers revealed that the centrality of school in the social environment was the same for persisters and dropouts. There was a clear correlation between dropout and the degree of disparity between student self-images and those teachers have of them. (SK)

This study examined a Queensland secondary school where students select a track: Academic, Commercial, or General. Six months into their program, Grade 9 students were queried about their school experience, track choice, peer relationships, and future plans. Responses of the three track groups are summarized, with consideration of sex differences.…

This study examined the direct and indirect influences of adolescents' religiosity on selected social-emotional aspects of their development. A total of 369 boys and 372 girls attending 3 Catholic high schools in Winnipeg, Manitoba, completed a questionnaire that addressed family religion, religiosity, prosocial values, school attitudes, family…

The effect of attitudes toward mathematics-related coursework, previous mathematics coursework, student sex, spatial ability, and masculinity-femininity of interest pattern on statistics achievement were studied in 188 graduate students. Sex-related differences were found in mathematics attitude, spatial visualization, and achievement in the…

Examined the emotional content of conversations of 100 mother-child dyads about the children's school experiences. Mother-daughter dyads made more emotional references than mother-son dyads, especially when discussing interpersonal relationships or emotions experienced by the daughters. Ethnic and socioeconomic differences are also discussed. (SLD)

Effects of sex, ethnicity and their interaction on initial status and year-long change in (1) Language Arts and Social Studies achievement; (2) attitude toward school, and (3) self-rated coping were examined. Subjects included 1657 sixth graders from 51 classes in Austin, Texas. Each class was comprised of a mixture of Anglos, Blacks, and Chicanos…

A study of Norwegian elementary school children found that in fourth to eighth graders, low academic achievement was associated with low self esteem and strong perceived parental pressure for boys, but not for girls. In eighth graders, low achievement was associated with low perceived value of school for girls only. (GC)

This study compares the school climate perceptions of 1,634 ninth-graders in eight secondary schools on the variables of sex, race, and enrollment in schools with low or high suspension rates. (Author/SJL)