Comments on problems raised in this special issue, focusing on the distinctive aspects of the risk research reported. Highlights issues like sample characteristics, measurement strategies, specificity of risk factors, and risk mechanisms. Discusses the challenges of integrating alternative models of risk, with special references to research into…

Rectifies the unsatisfactory textbook treatment of the finite-sample proprieties of estimators of regression models with a lagged dependent variable and autocorrelated disturbances. Maintains that the bias of the ordinary least squares estimator is determined by the dynamic and correlation effects. (MJP)

Examined sources of children's reading, vocabulary, general information, mathematics, and letter-recognition skills upon entrance to kindergarten. Predictors included ethnicity, gender, child IQ, family environment, maternal education, and months in child care. Found the need for strong parental involvement in children's development and subsidized…

This project established a metacognitive research and development framework (MRDF) and production process for the development of Web-based instructional science programming for early elementary and at-risk students. Mapped cognitive variables to metacognitive learning strategies for those variables, to metadata for the instructional design of the…

This study examined contributions of demographic, individual-level, and contextual factors on changes in perceived quality of general and closest same-sex friendships among 114 Asian American, Black, and Latino adolescents from low-income families. Findings suggested a compensatory model of relationships and drew attention to the importance of…

Tested psychometric properties of a new measure of developmentally appropriate practices in kindergarten through third grade and the predictive value of classroom and teacher characteristics. Found that grade, class size, number of children with disabilities, teacher educational level, teacher experience, and teacher beliefs accounted for 42…

Analyzed associations between psychosomatic symptoms and school-induced stress and personal and social resources among Norwegian adolescents who completed questionnaires as part of the World Health Organization's European Network of Health Promoting Schools. There was a consistent association between school- related stress experience and risk of…

Assessed at eighth and tenth grades the prediction of school dropout from measures of antisocial behavior, social preference, and achievement. Found that social preference does not uniquely predict school dropout. The possibility exists, however, that youth who are both antisocial and rejected may be at heightened risk for school dropout.…

This study examined how various components of school engagement contribute to the academic performance of African American adolescents. The sample consisted of 499 African American adolescents in Grades 9 to 11. We investigated how adolescents' gender, grade, cognitive functioning, and parental education affect their school engagement and whether…

Studies have shown that stand-alone technology courses, such as those taught in most teacher education programs, only develop basic computer literacy skills and do not prepare educators to use instructional technology in the classroom. A 14-item questionnaire assessed instructional technology use for classroom management and instructional…

In many countries there remain substantial sex differences in enrolments in elective science courses, despite concerted efforts in recent years to alleviate them. This paper explores the reasons for these differences by comparing models of male and female enrolment intentions in elective courses in biology, chemistry and physics. The models are…

Research on student withdrawals has largely ignored the issue of stop-outs, those students who withdraw from a college or university but subsequently reenroll. As a result, student withdrawals have been seen as an attrition issue. However, this study suggests they should be viewed as a retention possibility rather than an attrition issue. This…

This study examined predictors of process quality among Hong Kong preschools. Findings indicated significant intercorrelations among structural, management-related, and process measures of quality. Process quality (teacher-child interaction, curriculum goals) was higher in preschools exceeding government requirements for staff qualifications,…

The transition to the first year of schooling has been perceived as one of the major challenges children have to face in their early childhood years. This transition can be a critical factor for children's adjustment to the demands of the school environment and in determining future school success. When children experience social difficulties in…

A hypothetical model was formulated to explore factors that influenced academic and clinical achievement for graduate-entry medical students completing their third year of university studies. Nine latent variables were considered including the students' background, previous successes with their undergraduate and postgraduate studies and their…