There is little literature comparing personality differences between traditional (under age 25) and reentry women students (aged 25 and older). The purpose of the present study is to examine these differences. A background questionnaire and five additional scales: (1) the Work and Family Orientation Questionnaire (WOFO-3); (2) the…

Self-efficacy, a person's perceived capacity to execute a behavior required to produce a desired oucome, can affect motivation and behavior. It appears that individuals gain self-efficacy information from performance accomplishments, vicarious experience, verbal persuasion, and emotional arousal. Effective clinical interventions must promote…

Two variables, expectations and self-efficacy, were investigated to illuminate their relationship with achievement. The school was the unit of analysis chosen, and three levels of subjects were evaluated--students, teachers, and principals. Students, teachers, and principals within high achieving schools were hypothesized to evidence significantly…

Research has shown that children who are socially rejected exhibit classroom behavior problems and are at risk for adjustment dificulties in later life. To examine the relationship between locus of control for social relationships and peer social status, 413 fifth grade students completed positive and negative same-sex peer nominations, a same-sex…

A new construct, the Science Locus of Control (SciLOC) Orientation, was examined as a predictor of attitudes toward science teaching among 108 preservice elementary teachers. It is postulated that each person holds beliefs regarding the degree of his or her personal control in situations where decision, actions, or other modes of performance…

Many gerontologists have noted the tendency of nursing homes to nurture dependency and learned helplessness in residents. To test the effectiveness of a control-relevant intervention strategy, nursing home residents (N=40) were given the opportunity to care for wild birds by tending individually placed bird feeders. Residents were assigned to one…

This study of student teachers' reflective abilities defines reflecting about teaching as the capability and willingness of prospective teachers to question and critically analyze their teaching and teaching experiences. In discussing differences between student teachers in psychological and personal dimensions, the characteristics examined were:…

Little is known about the power strategies adolescents view as effective in influencing an intimate partner to have or avoid having sexual intercourse. These strategies were examined in a pretest survey of 203 adolescents who reported their agreement or disagreement with strategies used to have protected sex or to avoid having sex with a…

Research examining alcohol consumption by using Rotter's Internal-External Locus of Control Scale has reported conflicting results, possibly related to comparisons of clinical groups of alcoholics with nonclinical light drinkers or to an overuse of correlational statistics and a lack of appropriate controls. This study sampled a wide range of ages…

This paper evaluates models of positive mental health for their applicability to blacks and describes three studies that examined self-esteem, locus of control, and commitment to social change as critical dimensions of effective functioning and mental health among blacks. The first study examined racial differences in self-evaluation by subjecting…

A reformulated theory of learned helplessness posits that helplessness may be the outcome of a learning disabled (LD) student's belief of personal or universal helplessness. Motivational, cognitive, and emotional deficits may result. Research on locus of control and persistence as well as on the contrast between mastery (achievement)-oriented…

Recent research indicates that a significant number of college-age women suffer from bulimarexia (also called the gorging-purging syndrome, the binge-purge cycle, bulimia or bulimia nervosa). To examine the relationship of three personality variables (anxiety, assertiveness, and locus of control) to eating disorders, 46 college students…

The report presents data from the base year (1980) and first followup (1982) of a longitudinal study of U.S. high school seniors and sophomores. Students were asked in self-administered questionnaires whether they had any of seven specific handicaps; whether they had a condition that limited the kinds or amounts of work or education they could…

"High level wellness...is defined as an integrated method of functioning which is oriented toward maximizing the potential of which the individual is capable. It requires that the individual maintain a continuum of balance and purposeful direction within the environment where he is functioning." Expanding upon this quotation from Halbert…

Although the behavioral element of the Type A pattern has been identified, the cognitive component of the complex is less well understood. To examine the relationships of self-focused attention, standards for performance, and performance evaluation to Type A behavior, 72 undergraduates were studied. Subjects were classified as Type A (N=36) or…