Using the state-mandated Texas at-risk criteria to identify students at-risk for dropping out, the Austin (Texas) Independent School District (AISD) followed those students for three years to determine the accuracy of the mandated state criteria. The study focuses on the classification and follow-up of 25,587 students in 1987-88, 25,292 students…

This study investigated continuing motivation for hard and easy tasks and subjects' judgements of selected learner characteristics purported to be related to learning and motivation. The data were collected through subjects' self-reports on a Student School and Work Survey questionnaire. The subjects were approximately 100 males and 100 females…

Four primary tasks were conducted for this two-phase study, which examined the outcomes to challenged library materials in terms of retention, restriction, and removal, and identified key factors that influenced the outcome: (1) the relevant research literature was reexamined and a conceptual model for testing based on the research literature was…

Eighth-grade students (n=42) were observed during five different life science problem-solving activities. Student interactions and thinking skills were recorded in relation to the problem-solving steps. A causal model was hypothesized and tested using path analysis procedures. The hypothesized causal model was adjusted based on path coefficients…

This study was conducted to examine high school teachers' perceptions of self-efficacy and ways in which self-perception is affected by: (1) differences in the characteristics of classes taught; (2) differences in the organizational environments in which teachers work; and (3) interactions that neutralize the negative effects of difficult classes.…

Report cards (RCs) on schools have become common in several states. This study determined relationships among factors reported in RCs developed for local school districts within Tennessee in 1988-89. Every year the state board of education produces an RC for each school district containing student outcome data (test results and achievement data)…

In 1991, a study was conducted to assess the relative effects of verbal mediation (VM), feedback monitoring (FM), and instructional alignment (AL) on community college learners studying earth science topics. The study sought to investigate the proportion of test score variance explained by VM and FM and to compare this variance to the amount of…

In 1990, a study was conducted at Columbia College (CC) to determine whether a predictor variable could be constructed for student nonsuccess in beginning mathematics courses. For the purposes of the study, nonsuccess was defined as earning a grade of D, F, or No Credit either at the time of withdrawal from the course or as a final grade. The…

The relationship between a broad set of personality factors and principals' performance was studied using the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF). How high and low performing principals actually spent their time on the job was a secondary focus of the study. Subjects were 46 elementary school and 33 secondary school principals (96%…

The Double ABCX Model of Family Adjustment and Adaptation, a model that predicts adaptation to chronic stressors on the family, was extended by dividing it into attitudes, coping, and adaptation of parents and child separately, and by including variables relevant to child adaptation to epilepsy or asthma. The extended model was tested on 246…

This study replicated previous research that tested the validity of A. Biglan's classification scheme, a theoretical framework for empirically examining the differences among academic disciplines and classifying them according to three dimensions (hard-soft, pure-applied, life-nonlife). In addition, new data were used to attempt continued…

The nature and strength of home and school environmental characteristics relating to attitudes of children in Ghana are investigated. A total of 200 second, third, fourth, and sixth graders randomly selected from 10 schools serving urban and rural areas participated in the study. Two instruments were used to collect data: the values and attitudes…

Job stress is recognized as a primary roadblock to achieving job satisfaction. In order to investigate the linkage between important job characteristics and stressor levels, 378 factory supervisors (aged 45-54; 89 percent male; 93 percent white with an average of 21 years with the company) completed a two-part job analysis questionnaire. In the…

Loneliness has been implicated as a central causal factor in depression, suicide, social problems, physical illness and general maladjustment. To investigate the correlates of loneliness in gifted adolescents, 175 adolescents (aged 14-17) who had been separated from their homes to participate in a special academic program completed a battery of…

A study was conducted to detect possible bias in the prediction of school achievement with family background variables and the effects of biased selection on the classifications of exceptional schools. Bias was examined by testing the equality of subpopulation regressions for predominately Black, Hispanic and White school subgroups. Significant…