The impact of four influences--family, peers, part-time employment, and school-sponsored extracurricular activities--on the achievement patterns of high school students is examined in this research study. The main purpose of the study was to identify the specific processes in each of the four areas by which students' academic engagement and school…

Intended for parents, this book offers straightforward directions on how to guide children in constructing a composition. It also helps parents review and clarify compositions that their children have already written. The book gives a developmental perspective to children's performance and includes sample compositions from actual classroom writing…

This report focuses on 11 states' efforts to develop state-funded family literacy initiatives either through legislation or other actions. An introduction defines family literacy. Part I includes in-depth case studies on seven states that have either passed or attempted to pass state family literacy legislation. For each state (Kentucky,…

This study examined the impact of play context on the speech of mothers and children. It was expected that the types of speech produced by both children and mothers when they played with toys that involve fine motor manipulation would differ from the speech produced when they played with toys that involve gross motor play. Sixteen children (eight…

A study identified the critical areas in which single parents and homemakers need assistance so that they can complete educational programs to prepare them to enter the work force. A questionnaire was developed that examined such factors as single parent/homemaker demographics, work history, self-confidence, career awareness, education-related…

How can vocational and technical education teach the work ethic to a new generation of workers? Interviews, a literature review, and a survey of three groups (vocational and college preparatory students, and entry-level workers) examined work attitudes. Research supported three conclusions: there is agreement on traditional work ethic attributes…

This report completes phase 1 of a study of the school choice issue, by summarizing information regarding school choice options currently proposed or implemented in Virginia and other states. Methodology involved: (1) a survey of 127 out of 135 total school divisions; (2) a literature review; (3) interviews with school division personnel, other…

Concerns about and characteristics of family/school partnerships are the theme of this issue of a "newsletter for the on-line administrator." Because of the changing natures of students, families, and schools, school administrators must take a leadership role in facilitating parent involvement in education. The six major types of involvement for…

This metaanalysis examined different parental variables in order to determine which best predict children's externalizing behavior. Also examined were other variables that may influence the association of parenting and externalizing, such as type of child behavior, gender of parent and child, and age of child. Parental variables included in the…

Several authorities have observed that a moderate degree of conformity by the young may be necessary for a society to function effectively. In order to examine the relationship between adolescents' perceptions of parental power and behavior and adolescent conformity, adolescents (N=368) in 184 families completed questionnaires concerning aspects…

Children's beliefs about why affective expressive behavior should be dissociated from internal state were elicited via a structured interview and investigated in conjunction with their parents' (1) attitudes toward children's expressive behavior, (2) perceptions of their own self-monitoring, and (3) perceptions of their families'"social…

The potential impact of several maternal involvement behaviors on teachers' ratings of children's academic skills was examined through statistical analyses. Data, based on mothers' responses to selected questions concerning maternal involvement and on teachers' ratings on the Classroom Behavior Inventory, were obtained for 115 kindergarten…

Social learning theory maintains that parents incluence sex development by modeling and reinforcing masculinity and femininity. To further examine the effects of parental modeling and reinforcement antecedents on sex role development, 103 college students (52 female, 51 male) who had been previously categorized as masculine, feminine, or…

The task of dissolving infantile dependency ties to the mother and family during adolescence has been frequently cited as a major developmental task of adolescence. The role of the mother in the resolution of the rapprochement crisis as it continues into adolescence was illustrated through a case analysis of a 14-year-old boy and his mother. The…

Research on the relationship between maternal employment and academic orientations of school-aged children is critically reviewed, and avenues for future research are suggested. Most data reviewed are based on white, intact families. Patterns of academic orientation were found to differ by sex and, particularly for sons, by social class. Daughters…