Many entering freshmen lack computing skills. Minority students and women of low socioeconomic status are particularly susceptible to academic failure when they are ill-equipped to meet faculty demands for computer-assisted coursework. Reasons for these "deficiencies" are explored. The author also describes courses developed to assist…

Analysis of data from 4,692 school districts from the 1992 census of the Office for Civil Rights finds that African American boys are subjected to physical discipline in school at excessive rates, and that a black child is more than three times as likely to be hit by a teacher. (SLD)

Examined the validity and reliability of scores on the Academic Self-Concept Scale (W. Reynolds and others, 1980) in groups of 291 European American and 396 African American college students. Results suggest important ethnic differences in the structure of academic self-concept regarding beliefs about ability and the relationship between effort…

Assessed whether the timing of prenatal care related to low birth weight delivery, adjusting for sociodemographic and behavioral risk factors. Data on births to white and African American women showed no benefits for early initiation of prenatal care in reducing the risk of low birth weight.(SM)

Identifies two conceptual and methodological limitations to current treatments of cultural diversity in social science research: the tendency to treat race, ethnicity, culture, and social class as fixed categories and the tendency to focus on single levels of analysis. Proposes strategic guidelines for mitigating these limitations, illustrating…

Examined Youth Risk Behavior Survey data to investigate changes in cigarette smoking among white, black, and Hispanic high school students from 1991-01. Overall, the prevalence of lifetime smoking decreased significantly. The prevalence of current smoking increased, then decreased. For females, the prevalence of current smoking peaked during…

Used colonialism and dual labor market theories to interpret race, gender, and educational class distributions of occupational prestige. Data from all high school graduates and higher in the Census Bureau Integrated Public Use Microdata indicated that there were significant differences in the distribution of occupational prestige, and race,…

Telephone interviews of 2,854 southern Californians examined beliefs about causes of poverty: individual characteristics, labor market conditions, failure of schools, discrimination, or luck. Contrary to previous findings, structuralist explanations of poverty were rated higher overall than individualistic explanations, and blacks and Latinos…

Race, gender, and career motivation, their interactions, a self-efficacy measure, and the six Holland codes were examined for relationships with choosing a teaching career. Respondents motivated by either personal satisfaction or former role models were more likely to choose teaching than those motivated by financial reward. Holland's social…

When 197 disadvantaged older medical patients completed the Beck Anxiety Inventory, the instrument demonstrated high internal consistency and no significant differences by sex or race, suggesting that it is appropriate for use with diverse populations. Total instrument scores correlated negatively with age. (SLD)

Describes a graduate seminar on race and ethnicity in the teaching of chemistry. Tables show representative titles from the course bibliography and course announcement for Chemistry 901, covering such issues as the culture of science and multicultural teaching strategies. Discusses course requirements and syllabus. Concludes with course feedback…

Assesses the determinants of National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) acquisition in the United Kingdom, using a probit model, and discusses possible implications for government policy. Labour Force Survey data contradict previous findings; being female and nonwhite increases the chances of having an NVQ, and previous formal qualifications and the…

Examines the number and type of vocational rehabilitation services received by state rehabilitation agency consumers. Overall, men, African Americans, and persons whose cases were closed successfully received more services. Women were also less likely to receive services related to a successful closure, such as job referrals and placement. (RJM)

Examined black-white disparities in 4th, 8th, and 12th grade mathematics achievement and instruction, using data from the 1990, 1996, and 2000 National Assessment of Educational Progress. Results identified substantial black-white achievement gaps. Socioeconomic status failed to account for much of the gap. Several instruction-related factors…

Administered an intelligence test to blacks and whites in 2 studies involving 254 community college students and 2 more studies involving 115 community college students. Results show that differences in knowledge between blacks and whites for items on an intelligence test, the meanings of words, can be eliminated when equal opportunities for…