The adjustment to college represents a potentially invigorating and unsettling time for students. As students are socialized into college experiences, they must simultaneously navigate issues of identity, uncertainty, and change--all of which take place in a dynamic, ever-changing communication environment. The purpose of this study was to explore…

Presents results of a study comparing student class size preferences among first-year college students and upper-division students. Reports that first-year students prefer small classes and upper division students prefer large classes. Concludes that experience in larger classes results in a stronger preference toward the large classes. Urges…

An analysis was done of methods for dealing with cultural insensitivity found on predominantly white university campuses and of strategies for remedying the dissatisfaction of students from minority groups with their college experience. The analysis used Arthur Chickering's vectors of development theory and Alexander Astin's theory of student…

This paper reports on two studies, one quantitative and the other qualitative, on the effectiveness and influence of Freshman Interest Groups (FIGs) at the University of Washington. A quantitative panel study compared 442 freshmen participating in 21 FIGs with 1818 non-participating freshmen. Findings indicated that the FIG program provided a…

This study examined the attitudes and behaviors associated with leadership qualities in 73 freshman athletes at the University of Maryland, College Park. The Sport Leadership Behavior Inventory (SLBI), the Noncognitive Questionnaire (NCQ), and the New Student Census were administered to the athletes. The SLBI was chosen to provide a definition of…

Presents observations concerning religion study in 150 Moscow schools. Reports that, although there are still some extracurricular activities promoting traditional former Soviet atheistic ideology, religion is now taught openly. Indicates that religion and atheism also are being studied on a scientific-philosophical basis. Examines how various…

This study, with 103 nongifted students and 77 female and 76 male gifted students in grades 3, 6, and 9, found that gifted females evidenced self-defeating causal attributions for math performance relative to gifted males only in grade 9. For the nongifted subjects, the sex differences were not as pronounced. (DB)

Prior to a curriculum unit on European exploration of the New World, a class of fifth grade U.S. history students stated what they knew (or thought was true) about the discovery of America and what they wanted to learn about it. After the unit, they reported what they had learned about the general topic of European exploration of North America. In…

In order to understand the mechanisms of the socializing processes associated with citizenship development in the United States, it is necessary to study the interactions of ideology, education, and cultural pluralism as they are manifested in educational programs and in the processes of child development. The means and methods for understanding…

In recent years, commentators on socialization and adolescent development have suggested that secondary schools encourage students' participation in voluntary community service. This study, conducted in 1982-83 on students in volunteer programs and in comparison groups at eight high schools, tested whether such programs positively effect the…

This follow-up study of gifted students who had either entered the University of Washington before age 15 (n=61), qualified for early entrance but chose the normal high school path (n=36), or were nonaccelerated National Merit Scholarship finalists (n=27) found that early entrants entered graduate school in greater numbers than did the other…

A longitudinal study investigated developmental changes in moral and ethical decision-making among college students at three Christian, evangelical, liberal arts colleges. The three colleges had an "ethics across the curriculum" emphasis in place during the period of the study. The study began in 1987 with 99 freshmen from a total incoming class…

A study was done to examine the effort put into their undergraduate study by University of California Davis students and their estimates of what they think they have gotten out of their study. The study used data collected from a stratified random sample of 300 Black students, 300 Chicanos, and 886 other students all of whom received a survey in…

Children mature into adults through their own activities and the influence of their social environment. One such social influence, education, is purposeful, planned, and institutionalized. Educational psychology investigates the psychological foundations of this process, particularly in the development of humankind. The publication focuses on such…

An input-output model for studying student outcomes is examined, along with the results of a longitudinal study using this approach. An Entering Student Survey was designed to measure characteristics of incoming students, including demographics, expectations, and aspirations. A Follow-up Survey measured outcomes that were relevant to the college's…