Describes a project sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Department of Defense that investigated the relationship between the use of U.S. government technical reports by aerospace engineers and scientists and seven independent sociometric variables. The conceptual framework is explained, and relevant…

Studies the ecological association of infant mortality rate (IM) with per capita income (PI) and prevalence of adult illiteracy (AI) using 103 countries as units of analysis. The association of IM and PI shows slight, but nonsignificant improvement, between 1960 and 1982. AI remains a good predictor of IM. (SLD)

Examined association between risk factors and alcohol use among young rural adolescents (n=463). Found family relations, family structure, marks in school, participation in academic activities, frequency of church attendance, and deviant behavior significantly associated with alcohol use two years later. No gender or age differences were found in…

A 3-institution study investigated the effectiveness of transfer of 1,786 Los Rios Community College students to the University of California at Davis and California State University at Sacramento, measured by student preparation, persistence, and performance before and after transfer. Need for remediation. before transfer was also examined.…

Educational achievement and its relation to college admission were studied for 482 high school seniors in Athens (Greece) in mid-1985, whose grades and college entrance examination scores were reviewed. Consistency in the grading system and social equity in college admission were found. Pedagogical, socioeconomic, and policy implications are…

Using National Longitudinal Study of Youth and school enrollment data, this study examines effects of early childbearing and mothers' school progress on cognitive test scores of young children (626 Whites, 376 African Americans, and 240 Hispanic Americans). Cognitive achievement of mothers was a good predictor of children's cognitive achievement.…

In a longitudinal study, the relationships between student interests, school subjects studied, and preference for college science and technology courses were investigated in a group of 262 Australian male students attending independent single sex secondary schools. Interests, ability, and occupational preferences were all predictive in varying…

Describes a study which was conducted to test the ability of four motivators to explain adult use of the public library: (1) home and family life; (2) vocational growth; (3) religion; and (4) politics. Other general user characteristics were examined as supplements to the four motivators in predicting library use. (16 references) (LRW)

Structure and meaning of efficacy were examined for 182 prospective teachers, and efficacy was related to beliefs about control and motivation. Results support competing formulations of efficacy as teacher efficacy and personal efficacy. Interaction of these factors makes important contributions to prediction of pupil control ideology and…

The effectiveness of an abridged group assessment procedure in predicting initial teaching success, where success was measured largely through practice teaching evaluations, was tested with a sample of 247 female graduates of a teacher training college in Israel. Results justify use of the assessment in the college admission process. (SLD)

A stepwise multiple regression analysis of final course grades of 184 psychology students revealed that scores on a self-assessment of memory ability were the best predictors of final course grades, followed by locus of control, and scores on the Self-Concept of Academic Ability Test. (SLD)

The Carolina Longitudinal Learning Disabilities Project identified 42 first- and second-grade students with learning disabilities (LD) and compared their development over 5 years with that of randomly selected peers. Different variables were predictive for the two groups. Teacher perceptions of intelligence, measured intelligence quotient, grade…

Studied whether individual differences in print exposure and exposure to other media can account for individual differences in acquired declarative knowledge, controlling for confounds between experience and ability. Results with 268 undergraduates (90 males and 178 females) suggest that exposure is a significant contributor to knowledge…

Investigates home ownership differences among 12 racial and ethnic groups using the Public Use Sample data of the 1980 Census. Majority group members have the greatest probability of home ownership. Results support an assimilation perspective on home ownership. (SLD)

Used longitudinal data from a sample of African-American children of teenaged mothers in the Baltimore, Maryland, area to examine determinants of functional literacy in adulthood. Found that preschool cognitive and behavioral functioning predicted literacy in young adulthood. Family environmental factors that predicted literacy in young adulthood…