A study was conducted to determine those factors influencing people to select a career in agricultural education. Specific objectives of the study were to determine the following differences in influencing factors: (1) between pre-service students and teachers for selecting agricultural education as a major and teaching as a career; (2) between…

Eight physically handicapped (blind, spina bifida, cerebral palsy, or genetic defect) preschool children and eight children with normal sensory motor abilities (mean age of both groups 3 1/2 years) participated in a preschool demonstration project designed to promote equal educational and social experiences in an integrated preschool through the…

An executive summary of a study designed to investigate the identification and solution of clinical and nonclinical problems in dental practice is presented. The study used a combination of structured group meetings of individuals involved in dentistry and related areas and written workbooks completed by participants. A steering committee advised…

The extent to which the middle school becomes a true educational alternative is directly related to the ability of middle school educators and researchers to identify and investigate the developmental needs and learning capacities of students. Three important developmental characteristics of early adolescents are a high need for peer friendships,…

A critique of research attempting to determine student achievement by identifying the characteristics and resources of schools is offered. It is pointed out that frequently the academic achievement of students is related to the socioeconomic status of the general student population of the school. The suggestion is made that future research should…

To achieve competency as consumers in the marketplace, young people need to acquire specific consumer skills. To determine the influence of such socialization agents as television, family, peers, and school on the acquisition of these skills, 607 middle and high school students in Kentucky and North Carolina completed self-administered…

The Religion in Elementary Social Studies Project (RESS) at Florida State University provides an opportunity for determining the effectiveness of an innovative curriculum in religious study. The project stresses objectives dealing with sensitivity, empathy, and tolerance as well as information about religions. Two second grade level classrooms at…

Misconceptions of giftedness and factors influencing underachievement are outlined. Key sources of vulnerability that place intellectually gifted children at risk for learning difficulties include parent/teacher expectations, the child's self-concept for academic achievement, the child's learning style and educational needs, and the potential…

Examines the social networks of 85 young children as they made the transition from a home-centered to a school-centered existence. As children reached school age, they had increased contact with peers and decreased contact with kin. Children as young as three showed more same-sex than opposite-sex peer contact. (Author/BJV)

Using a new social pressures model to examine data on the social networks of over 2,000 seventh- through tenth-grade White suburban adolescents, demonstrates that, although gender differences in the perceived intimacy were widespread, they were neither present in all types of relationships nor did they always go in the same direction. (Author/BJV)

Analysis of achievement test scores of 439 tenth-grade students found the hypothesized variables of IQ, socioeconomic status (SES), self-rated motivation, peer-rated studiousness, peer-group status, and parent-rated home environment contributed uniquely to achievement variance; SES, sex, and language medium of instruction were superfluous in the…

Results of a national survey of college students concerning the relative usefulness or role of publications and individuals in choosing a college are presented and discussed. (MSE)

Unprecedented attention has gone to researching young voters, and yet one segment of this age group has been largely ignored: non-college (or "working") youth. Because very little is known about them, the following paper advances three fundamental concerns: What types of political activities do young workers engage in? What can be learned about…

Youth courts provide communities with an opportunity to impose immediate consequences for first time youthful offenders, while providing a peer operated disposition mechanism that constructively allows young people to take responsibility, be held accountable, and make amends for violating the law. Dispositions hold youth accountable in part…

This article adopts a motivational stance in identifying factors that strongly predict physical activity in children. One model for understanding physical activity motivation in children portrays the sources and consequences of self-esteem for physical activity behavior (perceived competency/adequacy, social support, enjoyment, and physical…