A study examined 12 suburban preservice teachers' reactions to an educational field experience in an economically disadvantaged rural school district. Most participants' reactions were negative and based on stereotypes. They did not grasp the complications of poverty nor how geographic isolation might affect this school district. Recommendations…

A study investigated the influence of self-concept and perceived family environment on psychosocial adjustment among 180 early-entrance college students (ages 14-17). Family cohesion, conflict, and expressiveness and overall self-concept were predictive of adjustment to college. Family cohesion, organization, control, conflict, and overall…

Relationships between parenting and children's school readiness were examined within socioeconomically comparable samples of African American and Euro-American kindergarten children, mothers, and teachers. Although similarities existed across ethnic groups in the relationships between parenting and school performance, family income moderated…

A longitudinal study examined effects of social influences on 557 middle school students with learning disabilities and 8,392 typical students. Having a learning disability was associated with consistent, mostly negative, effects on social relations. Student perceptions of friendship groups had small, but significant, effects on their growth in…

The research needs in the epidemiology of child sexual abuse are discussed in terms of: a definition of epidemiology, the clash between the medical and legal cultures, statistical concerns, the relationship of social class or poverty with child sexual abuse, the need for cross-cultural research, intervention studies, studies of service…

Studies the determinants of track placement in Israel, using approximately 4,500 ninth graders. Findings suggest that although ability and academic performance are strong predictors of track placement, it is also significantly affected by student's socioeconomic status (SES), ethnic origin, and gender. Students of higher SES, those of Western…

Examined age, gender, ethnicity, self-esteem, physical activity, parental smoking, and socioeconomic status as predictors of smokeless tobacco use among middle-school students. Student surveys indicated that males, Hispanics, and older students were more likely to be current smokeless-tobacco users. Other influential factors were low self-esteem…

Analyzes National Longitudinal Survey of Youth data to examine whether adolescents living in low-income cities have less accurate information about labor market institutions than affluent teens and whether information influences attainment. All teens underestimate educational requirements. Inner-city teens have less information than those in other…

The authors examine the influence of neighborhood characteristics on the academic outcomes of children in middle childhood. Prior research has examined structural features of the community and has evaluated their associations with youth outcomes (Brooks-Gunn, Duncan, Klebanov, & Sealand, 1993; Kowaleski-Jones, 2000). Other research has related…

Objective: There has been relatively little attention given to positive adaptation following childhood sexual abuse (CSA), and typically such resilience has been explored primarily in the intrapersonal domain. This study explored questions about later resilience following CSA within a multidimensional framework by assessing resilience across…

This research study evaluated the efficacy of the "Bracken Basic Concept Scale-Revised" (BBCS-R; Bracken, 1998) and the "Bracken Concept Development Program" (BCDP; Bracken, 1986a) in a test-teach-test paradigm with students from a Head Start program. Prior to the intervention, 54 children were administered the BBCS-R and were…

In this chapter, the authors argue that alignment of higher education with workforce needs should be based on careful action by institutions to embed skills and attributes within instructional programs. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)

Background: Siblings adjust to having a brother or sister with a disability in diverse ways. This study investigated a range of child, parent and family factors as predictors of sibling adjustment outcomes. Methods: Forty-nine siblings (aged 7-16 years) and parents provided information about (1) sibling daily hassles and uplifts; (2) sibling…

This research examines the extent to which a mother's ethnicity, social class, and immigration status, singly or in interaction, are associated with her beliefs about how best to prepare her child for kindergarten. One hundred and fifty-six lower- and middle-class Euro-American, African-American, non-immigrant Latina, and immigrant Latina mothers…

In this article, Maria Estela Zarate and Ronald Gallimore identify factors that predicted college enrollment for Latino and Latina students. Using data from a 15-year study of randomly recruited Latino and Latina youth (primarily second-generation Mexican Americans), they found that different factors were associated with their college enrollment.…