This paper presents a qualitative study that used classroom observations, faculty interviews, and student interviews to investigate the meaning and importance of seven non-cognitive variables to a cohort of developmental writing students at an urban community college. The variables studied included finances, study management, college surroundings,…

This article examines the potential individual characteristics and environmental protective factors that promote academic resilience among impoverished eighth-grade students in Turkey. Study results revealed that home high expectations, school caring relationships and high expectations, and peer caring relationships were the prominent external…

Because assessment of student learning is mandated by accrediting bodies, many faculty and administrators feel coerced and so resist or even undermine assessment activities on campuses. In this article, the author describes how a prominent motivation theory called "self-determination theory" can be helpful in understanding the attitudes and…

Making a promise involves a self-conscious, self-commitment to undertake an obligation in the future and involves a personal sense of control. To study promises and self-focused attention, 72 women completed measures of self-focused attention and locus of control, a questionnaire, and were asked to promise to return postcards. As predicted,…

The Internal-External (I-E) Locus of Control scale (Rotter, 1966) was administered to 185 male and 185 female university students. The resulting scores were factored, producing two factors for males and four for females. The male factors were the generally-accepted "luck" and "powerful others"; for women, however, the "powerful others" dimension…

Studied the determinants of attributional modesty in women. Women tend to make modest attributions for success when concerned about how others would evaluate them and when concerned about their self-image. Self-derogatory attributions for failure occur when the subjects thought their attributions would be public. (Author/JAC)

The relationship between psychosocial development and ego identity was explored among a group of 29 married women, 21-59 years old. After being interviewed, subjects were assigned to one of four categories of identity status, based on their statements regarding decision-making and commitment. There were significant differences between identity…

The Youth Leadership Program (YLP) has been in operation in schools throughout Albuquerque and the State of New Mexico for four years. Students selected for the program represented two groups: high risk, or negative, leaders; and positive leaders. The program established situations in which pupils from both groups could work together in individual…

Although social psychology has always had an interest in helping behavior, only recently has the full complexity of helping relations begun to be researched. Help seeking and receiving in the educational setting raise many issues regarding the use and effectiveness of the help itself. Central to all helping relations is the seeking/receiving…

Forty subjects who had previously been identified for internal/external locus of control characteristics read a case history that was manipulated to reflect either persuasive or coercive influence strategies. The subjects then completed five seven-point scales that measured the extent to which they approved or disapproved of the means of influence…

A set of prevalent emotions, including pity, anger, guilt, pride (self-esteem), gratitude, and resignation, shares a common characteristic, i.e., causal attributions appear to be sufficient antecedents for their elicitation. Research in the field of emotions has shown that the underlying properties or dimensions of attributions are the significant…

Examines the effect of treatment on both the cognitive and the affective functioning of 142 low achievers. Results indicate significant gains for the experimental group on four variables (academic achievement, self-concept, social acceptance, and locus of control). Group therapy enhanced academic progress and social well-being of low-achieving…

The theoretical African mode of thinking about liberty seems to stand in contrast to the view of liberty that has dominated Western philosophy. Western philosophy accepts as its starting point the notion of an unconstrained and uncontextualized "I" that is defined in relation to the self and its inner being. Greek, Cartesian, and…

Reviews research on the effects of school desegregation on achievement, self-concept, locus of control, and the social behavior of Black children. Describes a study that investigated the friendship-making behavior of second-grade children who were bused following the completion of kindergarten. (GC)

This descriptive study examined the interaction between 25 mentally retarded (MR) adult participants in a physical education setting and 51 physical education majors. The study was designed to identify and analyze the causal attributions of physical education majors concerning MR adults' motor performance, to identify and analyze the causal…