Reports a study that examined social factors which might predict adolescent smoking transition from nonsmoking or experimental to more advanced stages. Data from teens who participated in the Teenage Attitudes and Practices Survey indicated that best friends' smoking status was the only factor that consistently predicted adolescent smoking…

Parents (N=100) of children (ages 9 to 13) with or without learning disabilities (LD) responded to a retrospective developmental survey. Parents reported that the children with LD had significantly more neurodevelopmental problems or delays across domains (e.g., language, motor, attention, social behavior) than normal achievers. A pattern of…

Ethnic and American identity were studied as predictors of self-esteem for 372 Latino, 232 African American, and 65 White high school students. For all groups, ethnic identity was a significant predictor of self-esteem, although it accounted for a relatively small portion of the variance. (SLD)

Extends research on the centrality model -- an integrative model of stress and cognitive appraisal -- by examining the relationships among achievement, challenge appraisal, and subsequent coping behaviors. Results indicate that the importance of achievement interacted with challenge appraisal to predict both planful problem solving and positive…

A study of 359 men who sought sexual dysfunction treatment found that childhood sexual abuse did not predict sexual dysfunction in the men. Unemployment was the only significant predictor of male sexual dysfunction. Differences between the sexual abuse experiences of the male victims compared to female victims (n=73) are discussed. (Author/CR)

Investigates the relationship between perceptions of women principals' leadership (regarding sex-role orientation and leadership functions) and teachers' work attitudes (regarding sense of efficacy, community, and professional interest) in a sample of teachers supervised by women principals in Hong Kong secondary schools. Findings do show…

The value-added indicator is a more conceptually appropriate indicator of school performance than average and median test scores, since it tries to account for influential nonschool factors and isolate these from schools' contributions to student progress. This paper defines two types of value-added indicators and shows their appropriateness for…

A study involving 60 parents of children with hearing impairments from three rural districts in Kenya found there were six factors underlying parent expectations about post-school outcomes of their children: civil rights, community participation, personal responsibility, marriage and family, financial security, and freedom and independence.…

Linked a database of California student borrowers with background financial and demographic information and post-college employment data to examine factors that predict default for borrowers in the federal Family Education Loan program. Found that background demographic and financial characteristics, leaving school without a degree, having low…

Reviews research related to the study of college student retention, specifically examining research related to individual student demographic characteristics. The increasing diversity of undergraduate college students requires a new, thorough examination of those student variables previously understood to predict retention. The retention…

Compared three risk measures associated with adolescent substance use (truancy, grade point average, and recent sexual intercourse) to assess the reliability of risk measures across different survey instruments, communities, and points in time. Truancy appeared superior because of its strong predictive value, particularly among younger children,…

Analyzes data from 10,088 high school seniors surveyed through the Monitoring the Future study between 1996 and 1999. Chi-square statistics are used to explore the temporal relationship between ace and the use of ecstasy during this time frame. Statistically significant relationship between race and ecstasy use are discerned. (Contains 46…

Investigates the relationships among students' perceived social support and a wide range of academic, behavioral, and social indicators. Significant, positive relationships among perceived social support and a variety of positive indicators (e.g., social skills, self-concept, and adaptive skills) were found. In addition, significant, negative…

Study assesses self-destructive behavior in a group of inpatients who have dissociative disorders compared to those who report few dissociative symptoms. Results reveal that these patients more frequently engage in self-destructive behaviors, use more methods of self-injury, and begin to injure themselves at an earlier age then patients who do not…

Examines the relationship between postsecondary education and retirement economic well-being among white and African American women. Finds that after controlling for demographic characteristics and employment-related variables, both white and African American women with postsecondary education were better off economically and relied less on…