A study was conducted to examine the characteristics of students enrolled in an introductory biology course at a predominantly Black, southern university. Characteristics studied were ability, aptitude, locus of control orientation, cognitive style, number and enjoyment of spatial experiences, attitudes toward biology, and family background…

Presents current psychological and educational literature associated with the behavioral characteristics of the mentally retarded adolescent. Discusses empirical constructs including adaptive behavior, motivation, reinforcer effectiveness, locus of control, and social discrimination skills of the mentally retarded. Suggests practical strategies…

Learning disabled and slowly developing readers were assigned to reading instruction programs on context cue use differing only in extent of pupil control over determination of errors. Results indicated no main effect for experimental condition. Interaction was found, however, between pretreatment locus of attribution and experimental condition.…

Reviews the literature on computer assisted instruction (CAI) and computer managed instruction (CMI), and discusses learner-controlled and program-controlled models in CBI. Experimental research on instructional processes and computers, particularly evaluative techniques, feedback procedures, and learner characteristics, are also reviewed.…

Interventions aimed at community college administrators, instructors, and counselors were shown to have a positive effect on academic year completion rates of vocational students when compared to nontreatment colleges. Treatments included a goal setting procedure, training in personalized systematic instruction, and training in counseling…

Over one thousand British primary schoolchildren completed the Crandall Intellectual Achievement Responsibility Questionnaire. Comparisons with earlier American data provided similar results. The Crandall scale is more closely related to attainment than to intelligence, indicating that high internalized reinforcement responsibility provides a…

Changes in health behaviors as well as changes in self-concept are often the primary goals of health education. Both the Piers-Harris and the Parcel-Meyer Health Locus of Control (HLC) scales are reliable measures of the affective impact of a health education program. (CJ)

Professional women may have difficulties combining the role of professional worker with that of wife and mother. Describes common issues which face women, discusses methods for coping with competing demands, and presents a structured approach for helping women conceptualize the issue and choose appropriate intervention strategies. (Author)

Summarizes research studies published since 1960 which provide comparative data on Black and White adolescents. Topics covered include academic achievement, development, creativity, achievement motivation, locus of control, self-concept, personality, aspirations, attitudes and beliefs, and mass media use patterns. (GC)

This paper reports the results of a survey of 1349 secondary school students in a rural county in North Carolina. Data are presented on psychological and social problems, self-concept, locus of control orientation, utilization of professional and nonprofessional counseling resources, and the family relationships of the respondents. (Author)

Several measures of psychopathology were administered to 111 psychiatric inpatients (ages 13 to 17) including 46 patients who reported sexually abusive experiences. None of the scales was correlated with sexual abuse in either sex, and a history of physical abuse was the only characteristic that significantly correlated with sexual abuse for both…

Interviews with seven recent-immigrant Chinese families in Canada examined parental expectations of their children's school performance. Parents' expectations motivated their children to pursue goals with hard work, which enhanced self-efficacy and nurtured good study habits. However, high parental expectations and unwillingness to accommodate…

A study examined career aspirations of 15 girls (ages 14-19) with behavior disorders and the contribution of life experiences. Results indicate participants were highly engaged with their school-supported vocational experiences, family cohesion had a significant effect on career aspirations, and participants believed they had little control over…

Examined four variables (sense of control, perceived social support, degree of achievement motivation, and experienced satisfaction) thought to mediate or buffer adolescents from the negative impact of stress. Study of 61 students and their parents revealed that students perceiving high levels of support and self control had the lowest levels of…

Three variant group counseling approaches for 128 low-performing seventh and eighth grade students were compared on self-concept, locus of control, school grades, attitude, and behavior. Data analysis showed the marathon approach to group counseling to be more effective than traditional approaches. (Author/TE)