This report presents the methodology, data analysis, results, and highlights of a graduate follow-up survey conducted in 1998 at Nevada's Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC) for the 1996-97 graduating cohort. The goal of the study was to find out graduates' opinions of TMCC, their employment status and location, and the extent to which…

This study assesses the differential substance use between male and female college students through the administration of a survey of recent use of six commonly used psychoactive substances (cigarettes, chewing tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, and caffeine). It investigates the situational contexts associated with use of particular substances…

A 3-year community service learning program was established at a small high school in Maine. The program aims to provide a unifying focus for a fragmented student population, address community problems, and increase students' self-esteem and feelings of being meaningful members of their community. In grade 9, teachers of every subject design…

In Colorado, 8,663 high school seniors from 132 high schools in 91 districts (more than half the districts in the state) participated in a study that posed the following questions: What motivates today's students in school? and How prepared are these students for their future? The study found the following: (1) high school seniors are motivated by…

In 1997, the Financial Aid Office Staff at Johnson County Community College (JCCC) in Kansas conducted a survey to gauge student satisfaction with the Student Financial Aid Office. Surveys mailed to 3,026 current and prospective JCCC students resulted in 299 usable responses. This report combines results for applicants for two types of financial…

This study examined the relationships between students' noncognitive characteristics and their performance on the ACT Assessment. Of particular interest were the contributions of these noncognitive variables to explaining ACT Assessment performance (over and above course work taken, grades earned, and high school attended). The sample for the…

This study sought to identify factors that motivated students at Pennsylvania State University and the University of Cyprus to major in elementary education and to compare the high school scholastic ability of these two groups of students. Questionnaires were completed by 157 randomly selected male and female Pennsylvania State University and 176…

This study examines the importance of structured reflection in service-learning courses. The study consisted of interviews with 15 faculty and 72 students from three different higher education institutions; interviews were conducted between October 1998 and March 1999. Focus group interviews with faculty gathered information about course design,…

Occupational safety and health faculty and occupational safety and health professionals (i.e., the potential audience for graduate level distance education programs) were surveyed to determine the considerations for a distance education-based graduate occupational safety and health program. Findings are reported related to the demand for distance…

West Virginia received two grants from the U.S. Department of Education to encourage disadvantaged youth to have high expectations, stay in school, and take academically rigorous courses to prepare for college. A total of 17 counties were served by these grants. As part of the program, surveys were completed by 3,716 students in 54 middle and…

To collect data about the first-year university experiences of rural students, 15 students were drawn from a pool of 125 Riverina (Australia) students who had participated in an earlier study on factors that influence academic persistence. The sample consisted of approximately equal numbers of males and females, about equal proportions of students…

This paper presents the results of a study undertaken in Portugal to determine the influence of different factors on students' (n=499) decisions to study or refuse to study in one of the physical sciences or engineering. Some influencing factors are related to what goes on in school and during science lessons, and other factors are related to the…

The Wake County Public School System, North Carolina, conducted the High School Student Survey of students in grades 9 through 12 during the 1998-99 school year. The return rate for the survey was 80.4%. Students responded to a variety of questions related to homework, technology use, fairness, safety, support, and future plans. A majority of the…

This study first examined the motivation construct with personal goals, agency beliefs, and emotions in a World Wide Web assisted learning environment. It also investigated the influence of personal goals, agency beliefs, and emotions on the students' learning achievement from fundamental biology courses assisted with Web pages. Finally, it…

The World Wide Web has become a promising medium for delivery of instruction. This paper describes a case study in which the Internet was used to supplement teacher education course instruction via an Interactive Web module. The goals of using such a medium for facilitating teaching and enhancing learning are described as they relate to learning…