Reports family background continues to be closely related to educational attainment. Suggests that because there is a strong negative relation between the number of siblings and scores on tests measuring verbal ability, recent reductions in sibling number would be expected to contribute to enhanced verbal ability and increasing years of schooling.…

Reviews "Strong Hearts, Wounded Souls," by Tom Holt, which examines American Indian involvement in war and the life experiences of Indian Vietnam veterans. An excerpt draws on the Readjustment Counseling Service's survey of Indian veterans to discuss childhood experiences, cultural traditions, and community and family influences that motivated…

Explores developmental issues regarding domain theory, a theory explaining moral development. Concludes that this theory does not explain how domains of moral reasoning and behavior evolve, neglects social and historical aspects of domain development, and does not recognize the effects of individual differences on domains. (JW)

Reviewed research findings with respect to family influences on student achievement. Identified five family and home environmental factors that affect student achievement and whose effects may be altered through intervention: parent expectations and attributions, structure for learning, home affective environment, discipline, and parent…

Among over 24,000 eighth graders in the National Education Longitudinal Study, the lower academic achievement of students in stepfamilies relative to those in intact 2-parent families was largely explained by differences in parents' economic and cultural resources and involvement in children's school and nonschool activities. Boys and girls fared…

Analyzed the relationship between general coding orientation and specific characteristics associated with the family (social class, race, gender) and the school (pedagogic practice and science achievement) of (n=80) socially differentiated elementary school children. Found that there is a mutual influence of family and school factors on students'…

Investigated the relationship between marital adjustment and children's functioning at school and home. Marital adjustment was significantly related to two achievement measures (grades and teacher reports of school performance) and a trend was found for a third (achievement test scores). Significant associations also were found for other measures…

Reports the results of a study concerning college student characteristics and alcohol consumption. In general, family income was positively associated with likelihood of drinking. In the lowest income category, men were more likely to drink than women; in the highest income category, women were more likely to drink than men. (LKS)

Proposes a model in which parental social status (PSS) affects school achievement and self-concept in the academic domain. Also studied how perceived PSS affects self-concept in social domains. Findings supported the model with one exception: PSS was unrelated to academic self-concept in the urban setting. (RJM)

Presents research from a recently completed study investigating the relationship between college-age offsprings' perceptions of several dimensions of interparental conflict and indicants of adjustment. Analysis revealed that frequency of interparental conflict was the most important predictor of depression, externalizing behavior problems, and…

Presents an analysis, using data from the Children of Immigrants Survey, of the manner in which extended family arrangements, especially the presence of grandparents, is related to national origin, cultural assimilation, and socioeconomic variables. Analysis uncovers the need to treat the presence of grandparents as an independent variable,…

Reviews information on American Indian dropouts. Surveyed 991 American Indian women, aged 17-36; found no simple formula for school success or dropping out. However, an important factor in the lives of women who completed high school or college was the support of their families, particularly mothers and grandmothers. Contains 56 references. (SV)

Explores the relationships among family interactions, personality variables, and courtship violence for 311 African American college students who were dating. Findings indicate that more than half had been verbally aggressive to a partner. Forty-seven percent of females and 35% of males reported at least one act of physical violence. (SLD)

Examines the relationship between parental divorce or separation and selected aspects of academic motivation and educational aspiration for 900 African-American first-year college students. By the age of college attendance, there may be no salient motivational or educational aspiration differences resulting from a nonintact family among these…

Examined sex role socialization and sex-typing in six-year olds from conventional and nonconventional family types. Children from families with strongest sex egalitarian beliefs displayed non-sex-typed knowledge of objects and occupations more often than did children from other families. Across family types, girls had more flexible sex-typing…