The historical roots of cognitive styles are traced in differential psychology, psychoanalytic ego psychology, gestalt and cognitive-developmental psychology to illuminate the varied theoretical issues that energize (and fragment) style research. Optimal measurement of cognitive styles as information-processing regularities and as intra-individual…

Because of the rising interest in the relevance of psychology to missions, a number of empirical studies have been completed which address various issues pertaining to missionary selection, stress, and ongoing functioning. This paper presents a critique and synthesis of the empirical literature relevant to missionary selection, stress, and…

One of the greatest challenges facing today's district-level policymakers and educational leaders is helping America's youth avoid adverse outcomes such as school failure, substance abuse, teen pregnancy, and delinquency. This document describes an alternative policy approach to address these problems--the building of resiliency in youth. Rather…

Learning style theories offer opportunities and challenges to composition instructors. Some complement contemporary directions in composition theory, but others are counter-productive in prescribing neat categorizations of students that tend to limit teacher expectations of students' abilities. Four current directions in learning style research…

The present research on self-evaluation embraced 360 students, 11-15 years of age, in grades 5 to 8. Subjects selected from an ordered set of tasks (easiest to most difficult) those conforming with their self-evaluated possibilities and attempted to solve them. The easier problems were typical of academic tasks, Polish language and mathematics,…

The scientific method originated centuries ago, but it is taught only to a limited degree in science classes. It is proposed that the scientific method is not just a method for scientists, but also offers a general approach to problem definition and solving and serves as a guide to problem prevention and solution-challenging. The Scientific Method…

These two articles, which are based on the comments of more than 2,000 readers of the American Association of Retired Persons'"AARP Bulletin," examine career changing in the United States. The first article, "Up and Away: Second Careers Taking Off," focuses on the specific careers that adults are moving into and out of and the…

The phenomenon of adolescent runaway behavior is of critical concern to mental health professionals. Conceptualization, prediction, and treatment interventions are of extreme importance. This study sought to build upon prior research by using the Personality Inventory for Children (PIC). Previous research indicated that adolescent running away…

This two-part study examined aspects of family environments that are considered to be influential in the development of young children's creativity. Mothers of children ages 4 to 6 years were surveyed on their valuing of particular personality characteristics (The Ideal Child Checklist) and specific features of the home environment (The Creative…

When faced with personal success, some persons appear to become anxious and will do something to avoid or sabotage their efforts. This fear of success among university students was investigated in this study. The sampling included 210 students, 83 males and 127 females. The independent variables under consideration were locus of control, gender,…

During the 1990s, the status of women faculty in higher education was the subject of numerous progress reports. Given the abundance of data available in these reports and articles on women faculty at colleges and universities, a study explored the issues, using another method of investigation--narratives. Six accomplished "resilient"…

Dispositions of eighth graders accelerated into first-year algebra were described in this study. Data were collected through surveys, observations, interviews, and cumulative academic files. The most frequently reported reasons for enrolling in algebra were for acceleration of course-taking and preparation for high school. Males demonstrated a…

Research has documented that the self-esteem of girls plunges at adolescence. Whether this is true for girls educated outside the school system was studied through interviews with 20 homeschooled girls, a questionnaire completed by 20 more, and tape-recorded responses of 5 others. Subjects were asked to describe themselves and their interests,…

In a study of the personalities of preservice teachers, Cattell's 16 Personality Factor (PF) Questionnaire was administered to 2,225 applicants to the College of Education of the University of Akron (Ohio). Data were analyzed by gender and by year of application (Year 1, 2, or 3). Results indicated that at the primary factor level, personality…

The relationship between career indecision subtypes and ego identity development was examined in a study of 423 college students (aged 18-26) who were attending undergraduate psychology classes at five southeastern universities and colleges and who had not yet decided upon a career. The students were divided into the following four cluster groups…