Utilizing data compiled from records of 33 students who had completed Algebra I in 1974 and 1976, the study examined the California Algebra Aptitude Test (CAAT) and other possible predictors of success for freshmen students entering Algebra I in a small rural high school. The CAAT and the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) were taken by these…

In this experimental orientation program, peer groups work with potential high school freshmen while they are still in the eighth grade, so that transition to high school will be easier. Groups consisting of two student leaders, and 10 to 15 eighth graders, meet for three 45-minute sessions, and engage in various orientation, visiting day, and…

In a study of 121 African-American urban adolescents, the use of spiritual support as a means of coping was found to be significantly related to psychological well-being and adjustment. The participants were high school freshmen in a midwestern city in an area where the student attrition rate had ranged from 55 to 65% over a 5-year period.…

Academic self-efficacy beliefs of 204 Korean high school freshmen were solicited in Korean, English, and math by using (a) specific problems, (b) task descriptions, and (c) general statements referring to each domain. Regardless of the assessment specificity, self-efficacy judgments demonstrated certain degrees of generality. Cross-domain…

This paper focuses on the social effect and individual meanings new staff and student members assimilate in formal orientations. (Author/EB)

No differences are found in scientific hypothesis formulation ability of 36 male and 50 female gifted ninth graders, but investigation of related variables indicates that hypothesis formulation may be independent of intelligence for high-ability students. A positive relationship also exists between quality and quantity of student responses. (SLD)

This fact sheet highlights statistics related to the transition into high school for U.S. students. The statistics indicate a noticeable trend in the lack of progress of many students throughout freshman year. Many students are held back in ninth grade--creating what is known as the "ninth grade bulge"--and drop out by tenth grade--contributing to…

Too many freshmen students remain mired in the ninth grade, presenting a growing problem for America's secondary schools as they struggle to improve high school completion rates. In an effort to stem the tide of high school dropouts, a southeast Texas suburban school district with five comprehensive high schools engaged in a systemic reform effort…

This report describes a program for advancing critical thinking skills in an integrated earth science geography course. The targeted population consists of high school freshmen from a growing, upper middle class, suburban community 40 miles west of Chicago. The information on these students comes from teacher observation, colleague surveys, and…

This study evaluated a career education program for 141 ninth grade students at Kemper County High School in rural Mississippi in an effort to reduce the dropout rate and increase career awareness. A mental health counselor gave students monthly instruction on career issues necessary for vocational life after high school graduation. A local…

The transition to high school is a crucial time in a student's academic career. This summary is presented as a caution to students, parents, teachers, administrators, and the public to warn of some of the hazards of the transition year (grade nine). In 1989-90, ninth-graders in the Austin (Texas) Independent School District had the lowest…

Previous research has demonstrated an association between locus of control in adolescence and a successful transition to adulthood. Having an external locus of control has been implicated as an important factor in adolescent behaviors such as teenage pregnancy and delinquency, and has been found to be negatively related to school achievement. This…

Causal attribution has been found to have a great effect on future performance. Causal attributions were studied across two academic subjects and two outcomes using an open-ended measure. All 180 ninth-graders in a girls' high school in the Bay Area of San Francisco (California) stated their best and worst subjects and provided their perceived…

A model was developed and implemented that met the needs of entering high school freshmen with school adjustment problems such as poor academic achievement, excessive absenteeism, poor school behavior, and negative school attitudes. A review of literature indicated that the comprehensive high school was not meeting the needs of this group of…

Outlines the practical marketing strategies used to implement Project Career REACH, a career development program for high school freshmen. Marketing basics for guidance programs are discussed, including mission analysis, market analysis, resource analysis, strategic planning, and evaluation. (TE)