Investigates stability and change in four social motives (achievement, affiliation, fear of weakness, hope of power) over the adult life cycle. Motives were assessed in 1957 and 1976 by coding thematic apperceptive content in stories told about six pictures. Some age differences and cohort stability were evident for both sexes. (Author/CB)

Distinguishes possible aging, cohort, and period effects, explaining time series differences by age groups in the General Social Survey data. Results indicate that the decline in environmental concern among most age groups can be accounted for by period effects, but an aging effect is important among young adults. (Author/JN)

Education Matters' working hypothesis in this report was that the quality of implementation of ILT (Instructional Leadership Teams) and LASW (Looking At Student Work) groups is related to the quality of implementation of other components of reform. Specifically, the authors anticipated that schools in which ILTs and LASW groups were…

Reports on a study of the presence of historical change in the self-concept and self-esteem of male and female late adolescents which utilized a time-lag design. Discusses results in terms of theoretical positions with which they are inconsistent and an emerging interactionist view which they appear to support. (Author/MK)

Current Population Survey data were used to examine men's later labor force participation for the 1895-1934 birth cohorts. A substantial portion of differences may be attributed to changing levels of social security benefits, the proportion of workers receiving disability benefits, and the unemployment rate. (SK)

School leaders are increasingly being asked, whether by rhetoric or policy, to measurably improve student achievement. The resultant need to assist school leaders in their ability to improve teaching and learning for all students in their schools led to the establishment of the National Institute of School Leadership's (NISL's) Executive…

This "Briefing" looks at participation in VET in Schools programs by members of three groups of young people who have been part of Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) since 1995, when VET in Schools offerings experienced sustained growth. Highlights of this briefing include: (1) Student enrolments in VET in Schools have grown…

The purpose of this research was to explore the way pupils of different age groups use a model to understand abstract concepts in genetics. Pupils from early childhood to late adolescence were taught about genes and DNA using an analogical model (the wool model) during their regular biology classes. Changing conceptual understandings of the…

The present study was conducted to explore library users' desired service quality levels on the twenty-two core LibQUAL+ items. Specifically, we explored similarities and differences in users' desired library service quality levels across user groups (i.e., undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty), across geographic locations (i.e.,…

Numerous epidemiological studies from the early years of the tragic HIV and AIDS pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa identified formal education as a risk factor increasing the chance of infection. Instead of playing its usual role as a preventative factor, as has been noted in many other public health cases, until the mid-1990s educated African men…

This paper investigates the experiences of a group of mature students as they move from a Foundation degree in Teaching and Learning Support to a progression route, the BA (Honours) in Teaching Learning and Mentoring. This piece of action research employs student narratives as a means of gaining some understanding of individual and specific…

The multiple and conflicting identity pressures that young women in western society face have been remarked upon in the literature. Adolescence is a time when identity development activity intensifies, and this process can present young people with challenges. In this paper a social constructionist and interpretive frame is applied to such…

This study examined how graduate students enrolled in a university-based cohort community college leadership doctoral program perceived their leadership development experiences. A total of 50 doctoral students enrolled in the Morgan State University (MSU) doctoral program were surveyed. A separate group of students (20) participated in a focus…

I investigate the nexus of gender, student ability, and post-baccalaureate (PB) program quality. This is the first general empirical study of graduate and professional educational investment to consider inter-field differences in quality and gender composition. A primary goal of this dissertation is to establish whether admissions policy can…

One literature documents a significant, black-white gap in average test scores, while another finds a substantial narrowing of the gap during the 1980's, and stagnation in convergence after. We use two data sources--the Long Term Trends NAEP and AFQT scores for the universe of applicants to the U.S. military between 1976 and 1991--to show: (1) the…