Examined the role of family and friends in accounting for alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use among young adolescents. Lack of parental affection, concern, involvement, and modeling appeared to be central factors in the family's influence. Friends' delinquency and use of drugs largely determined the influence of friendship. (Author/ABB)

Tested Cohen's hypothesis that students who develop the school preferred information processing approach will perform better than other students. Using six instruments designed to identify preferred cognitive strategies, 135 students stratified by achievement were tested. Results suggested achievement is signficantly related to the acquisition of…

The first volume of this report examines the existing measures of high school completion and the newly proposed proxy measures. This includes a description of the computational formulas, the data required for each indicator, the assumptions underlying each formula, the strengths and weaknesses of each indicator relative to a true cohort on-time…

Examined the relationship between academic performance and various contextual factors for urban, African American high school freshmen. Survey data indicated that gender, peers' church attendance, and percentage of relatives completing high school were significant in predicting positive academic outcomes. Perception of neighborhood deterioration…

A Georgia school system addresses the need for middle schools and high school personnel to work cooperatively to assist eighth graders in making a smooth transition to ninth grade. (MLF)

Explored effects of psychoeducational intervention on adolescents' involvement in extracurricular activities, self-esteem, and locus of control. Randomly assigned 52 ninth graders to either empowerment or control group. Students in empowerment program maintained their level of involvement during transition to high school, time when participation…

To help reluctant high school readers, a ninth-grade teacher modified a pedagogy called the Socratic Seminar (the Paedeia Approach) based on the work of Mortimer Adler and Dennis Gray. A Socratic Seminar is a focused discussion on a short piece of writing. The process is explained. (MLH)

The transfer to a new school or grade has been identified as a typical transition period for students that is usually characterized by declining academic performance and increased absences. At the close of the 1991-92 academic year 26% of 9th-grade students in a large urban high school were failing 50% or more of their courses. A preventive…

The practicum described in this report aimed to improve student achievement in a ninth-grade English class in New Hampshire by restructuring the program so that students felt more involved in the course content, delivery, and process. Students in three sections of ninth-grade English who were identified in eighth grade as stable, high achievers,…

Intended to guide local high schools in the development of an orientation program for incoming freshmen, this booklet in a question/answer format presents the needs of such a program, the program goals, a step by step development plan, and a list of suggested resources. The guide also explains how to implement and evaluate the program and points…

Investigated the effects of assertive training on measures of assertiveness, state anxiety, and mathematics performance in highly anxious ninth graders (N=96). Found that assertive training resulted in increased assertiveness and decreased state anxiety, with no significant effect on mathematics performance, and no significant effect due to sex.…

Ninth grade students (n=298) participated in a study to examine the influence source credibility, message, quality, and personal relevance on HIV prevention message efficacy. A pilot study with adolescent focus groups created the high and low quality messages, as well as the high (HIV+) and low (worried parent) credibility sources. Participants…

Examined the relationships between internal-external locus of control, career maturity, occupational information-seeking, and sex in 240 ninth-grade students. Analyses indicated that locus of control significantly correlated with career maturity, and career maturity was correlated significantly with occupational information-seeking behavior. (JAC)

Attempted to determine type of school organization that most benefited ninth-grade students. Results from ninth graders in junior high schools (n=771) and in high schools (n=825) indicated that ninth graders in the junior high school setting participated significantly more in extracurricular activities and achieved significantly higher…

Discusses the social studies requirements of Sidney High School (Ohio) and the place of geography in the curriculum. Maintains the importance of geography. Outlines several world geography activities used at the school including supermarket geography that teaches students the origin of their food. (RW)