Two studies of gifted high school dropouts (n=3,854) found many dropouts were from low socioeconomic-status families and racial minority groups, had parents with low levels of education, and participated less in extracurricular activities. Dropout behavior was related to student's educational aspiration, pregnancy or child-rearing, gender, and…

A study explored variables associated with engagement in seven inclusive community-based preschool classrooms. Results found disability status did not predict engagement, but activity characteristics were significantly related to engagement. Another variable, coteacher team characteristics, was also found to be a significant predictor of…

Examined 475 adolescents from Grade 7 through early adulthood to identify antecedents and pathways of teen parenthood. Found that teen fatherhood and motherhood were predicted by individual and peer configurations such as a combination of high aggression, low academic competence, low popularity, and low family SES. Peer characteristics, race, and…

Constructed a path model mapping the effect of career decision-making self-efficacy (CDMSE) and degree utility on persistence of underprepared college students. Found that students who believed college would provide employment opportunities and better careers were more likely to persist, and that CDMSE has a direct effect on social and academic…

This paper on the behavioral manifestations of child sexual abuse first reviews previous research concerning child variables, parent/family variables, sexual abuse in combination with other maltreatment, and physiological outcomes. Criteria for future research are offered and specific research needs in the areas of developmental progression,…

Reviews the research on medical sequelae of child sexual abuse; identifies unanswered questions; and suggests areas of research, including prospective studies of child sexual abuse, follow-up of victims, studies of nonclinic populations, studies of male victims, examination of additional variables (such as regional variation and age), diseases…

This commentary on a previous article (EC 619 261) about medical consequences of child sexual abuse urges prospective studies using large populations to evaluate many variables, as well as selection of projects which are most likely to influence practice or policy and thus affect significant numbers of persons. (DB)

Examines the effectiveness of "social presence" as a predictor of learner satisfaction in a text-based medium based on the GlobalEd inter-university computer conference. Results suggested social presence as a strong predictor of satisfaction, and participants felt a higher sense of social presence by using emoticons (i.e. icons that express…

Discusses results from a meta-analysis that synthesized existing research comparing the effects of hypermedia versus other forms of instruction on students' achievement. Results suggest that the effects of using hypermedia are positive over non-hypermedia, but the effects may vary depending on what type of instruction hypermedia is compared to.…

Twenty children (grades 4 through 7) with reading disabilities participated in 16 one-hour individual tutorials over a one-month period with instruction for half the group including structural analysis and alphabet principle training without structural analysis. Children in both groups improved reliably and equally in reading and related measures.…

The predictive validity of active responding on a computer-based groupware system was examined with 48 second graders. Results showed that active responding correlated highly with initial and final performance measures and that active responding contributed significantly to predicting final performance when initial performance was controlled.…

Describes a follow-up study on student performance that investigated whether students' lack of success in an introductory psychology course was specific to the class or part of a general pattern of failure. Finds that 9.5% of the students did not finish the course successfully and that academic intervention did not help. Contains 14 references.…

A survey of 413 Mexican-American junior high school students, aged 11 to 14, found that absence of sexual activity was most strongly related to child's perception of the congruency of parent and child values, followed by child's educational goals and religiosity. Contains 27 references. (Author/SV)

The stereotypic behavior 26 children (ages 33-86 months) while in a playroom session with their parents was studied. The sample included children with pervasive developmental disorder, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, language impairments, and typical children. Results indicated that stereotypies associated with different moods differed…

A study examined juvenile cases processed in an East Coast state between 1992 and 1994 (n=33,423). Findings indicate mental health placements are used rarely relative to other court outcomes (i.e., dismissal, probation, other types of placements), and gender and race significantly influence whether an offender receives this type of treatment.…