This study was conducted to ascertain changes in the aspirations of rural youth in Ohio as they matured during their high school years and entered college or the work force. A Student Information Questionnaire (SIQ) was developed to measure the following variables: (1) sources of influence on curriculum decisions; (2) changes in desired and…

This study, the first phase of a 2-year longitudinal investigation of television-viewing patterns of preschool children, examines family characteristics, parent/child interactive patterns, and aspects of the home environment associated with young children's television viewing. Participating were a group of 320 children within 3 months of their…

To explore the interrelationships among family communication patterns (FCP) and children's cognitive development and political socialization, 718 parent-child pairs were interviewed by telephone on the extent to which children were encouraged to and did discuss politics with people of different views. In addition, subjects were asked questions…

An investigation was conducted to assess parental and family characteristics of boys who displayed competence when exposed to a set of stressful circumstances expected to impair and/or retard their development. Participating children and families were involved in the University of Rochester Child and Family Study, a prospective developmental…

Research in the area of social cognition has suggesed that actual stimuli don't predict later judgments and responses as well as cognitive representations of and cognitive responses to those stimuli, in the form of attitudes, impressions, or causal attributions. To identify the factors most important in predicting adolescent smoking, a 4-year…

The study provides evidence of a broad range of difference in child-rearing practices among 47 Chicanas, living in a midwestern city of approximately 250,000, during a structured teaching task with their kindergarten-aged children. Maternal behaviors were observed/measured during two 5-minute observations of a mother teaching her child to make a…

This handbook for parents is intended to help them to stimulate their daughters' interest in career paths for young women in mathematics and science-related areas. Main topics included are: (1) problems, i.e., the dearth of women in the sciences (includes a fact sheet); (2) practical advice and guidelines; (3) activities; (4) reading materials;…

This bibliography provides annotations of 33 major research studies on the school and social factors that impede disadvantaged children's ability to learn and succeed in school. The studies demonstrate that a wide range of educational, familial, and social influences can either put children at risk of educational failure early in their lives or…

Part of a series designed to provide practical ideas parents can use to help children become readers, this booklet focuses on how parents can encourage their children to read and write. The booklet describes how individuals learn to use language; discusses how to encourage the use of language; urges parents to build positive attitudes toward…

Over the last decade, it has been reported that American students lag behind their Asian counterparts as early as the first grade. This study investigated variables influencing elementary school students' mathematics achievement in Japan, Taiwan, and America. Children's mathematics achievement and cognitive abilities were tested. Children,…

This study investigated parents' perception of their involvement in the academic achievement of a select group of 56 high school graduates from the Klein School District in Spring, Texas. A 13-item multiple-choice questionnaire was distributed to the parents consisting of two parts: the first assessing background information of the respondents and…

The degree to which schools cooperate with parents on the individual child level is investigated in this paper. The first chapter reviews the literature of empirical data and concludes that teachers and parents generally limit cooperation to obligatory rituals. The second chapter examines the extent to which pedagogical reasons enhance cooperation…

Fifty-nine Mexican-American families, each with a child between age 5 and 9, participated in a study to determine whether paternal proximal behaviors related to child ability and achievement. Proximal behaviors studied were: (1) teaching strategies; (2) language in literacy related activities; (3) involvement level in childcare; and (4) select…

Measures of family interaction from the preschool and early adolescent periods are examined as predictors of competence in late adolescence. Data on which this report is based are drawn from a longitudinal study initiated by Jack and Jeanne Block almost 20 years ago which included 51 males and 52 females. Measures of competence include an…

Research showing a lack of upward social mobility for most Hispanics in the United States sometimes blames Hispanic parents and culture for the failure. According to the Wisconsin Status Attainment Model, parents' and students' aspirations are important predictors of educational and occupational attainment. In contrast, statistics summarized in…