The ecological perspective holds that community and school activities are a rare product of interaction among adolescents, communities, families, and schools. This study was designed to assess the outcomes of a personal empowerment program. The sample consisted of 25 male and 27 female ninth grade students. Students took a pretest and received a…

Heim's AH4 Test of General Intelligence, Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices, and two Piagetian formal operations tests (Shayer's Science Reasoning Tasks and Arlin's Test of Formal Reasoning) were administered to 459 15-year-olds attending Secondary three (grade nine) in Singapore. A hierarchical factor structure was found underlying all of…

Compared the effectiveness of cognitive restructuring (CR) and a structured group discussion (SGD) in preventing stress and improving self-concept in 209 high school freshmen. Results showed posttreatment attitudes were equal for both programs. The CR homework produced a significant decrease in students' perceived level of emotion. (JAC)

The averaged freshman graduation rate provides an estimate of the percentage of high school students who graduate on time. The rate uses aggregate student enrollment data to estimate the size of an incoming freshman class and aggregate counts of the number of diplomas awarded 4 years later. The incoming freshman class size is estimated by summing…

This study investigated the degree to which at-risk, urban, African American high school students' coping strategies and grade point average (GPA) would predict attendance. Data were collected from 100 high school freshmen using the Adolescent Coping Orientation for Problem Experiences. Students' GPAs were identified through school records.…

This paper examines the relationship between the climate of teacher-student relations within a school and individual student's likelihood of freshman year success. Using administrative data from the Chicago Public Schools and survey data, researchers used hierarchical linear modeling to determine whether teacher-student climate predicts students'…

Investigated high school students' (n=325) knowledge of suicidal peers. Found 68 percent of females and 42.5 percent of males knew peer who had committed or attempted suicide. Ninety-seven students reported having talked to a peer who was definitely considering suicide; of these, 63 percent talked to their peer, 24.7 percent told adults, and 12…

Examined effects of maternal employment on use of alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, and other drugs by ninth graders (n=48). Comparison of maternal employment patterns (full-time versus part-time versus not employed outside the home) indicated no significant differences in substance use behavior among adolescents. Findings support literature on…

Focus groups were used to examine ninth graders' participation in school nutrition programs, their opinions about the programs, and suggestions for improvements. Students expressed intense dislike and distrust of school meals. Suggestions for improvement included improving food's taste and appearance, serving a wider variety and more fresh fruits…

In this article, the author discusses a transition program called "For Freshmen Only." This program serves as a worthwhile service that juniors and seniors can offer incoming freshmen; it offers opportunities for ninth graders to develop positive relationships with upperclassmen; it gives participants a leg up as they entered the more competitive,…

To examine the effects of students reading multiple documents on their perceptions of a historical event, in this case the "discovery" of America by Christopher Columbus, 85 high school freshmen read 3 of 4 different texts (or sets of texts) dealing with Columbus. One text was an encyclopedia article, one a set of articles from…

This study views structure-dependence as a Universal Grammar (UG) principle and explores how and why children are able to attain the target grammar, in this case, the subject-auxiliary inversion rule. The hypothesis was tested that second language (L2) acquisition is guided by UG. In other words, L2 learners also adopt the structure-dependent…

An integrated motivation program to increase grades and improve attitudes toward English in English I Regular classes was implemented. A targeted group of high school freshman English I Regular students was established for the program with the objective to increase English I Regular students' English grades in each subsequent grading period. The…

Describes a high school orientation program for freshmen, designed to familiarize students with appropriate school-related behaviors through exploration, clarification, questioning, and discussion. Results of a program evaluation indicated participants had less failure, less absences, and less conduct problems than nonparticipants. (BL)

Rainier Beach High School, Seattle, Washington, uses a three-day freshman orientation program to prepare ninth graders for the high school experience and to help the high school to better know and provide for them. (DCS)