A study examined four features of African-American college students' social adjustment to predominantly White campuses: sense of underrepresentedness; direct perceptions of racism; hurdle of approaching faculty; and effects of faculty familiarity. The model described African-Americans' experiences in adjusting to institutional climate and relating…

Examined the contributions of academic background, self- beliefs, and other factors toward predicting college withdrawal by late adolescents. Found that academic background and self-beliefs were significant predictors of withdrawal. Found that specific self-beliefs showed significant negative relationships with withdrawal. Noted that relationships…

Describes a meta-analysis conducted on six studies that attempted to ascertain the effect of academic and social integration on student persistence in community colleges. Indicates that both academic and social integration significantly impacts persistence, which is consistent with Tinto's model of student retention. Contains four data tables and…

Grade point average for residence hall freshmen (N=1,167; 52%male, 90% white, 74% in-state) is related significantly to precollege characteristics (high school rank, gender, ethnicity, parental education, divorced/separated parents, self-perception of abilities, expectation of honors or changing major) and environmental variables (learning…

Unsupervised after-school peer contact was examined as a risk factor in developing externalizing problems among early adolescents. Longitudinal findings showed that unsupervised peer contact, lack of neighborhood safety, and low monitoring incrementally predicted grade seven externalizing problems, after controlling for family background factors…

A study of 50 students (grade 9) enrolled in a computer course found that home computer access for females was a predictor of early success for using computers as a learning resource and that enrollment in a computer course was greater for females who had access to home computers. Initial advantages diminished with continued use of computers. (PEN)

Describes a study of students at the Open University of Hong Kong that investigated gender differences in factors that contributed to successful achievement in distance education. Considers previous experience; study habits; motivation; help-seeking and use of support services; family, social, and work context; self-perceptions and attitudes.…

Two studies used latent growth-curve analysis to examine the relation between witnessing violence and changes in problem behaviors (drug use, aggression, and delinquency) and attitudes during early adolescence. In Study 1, six waves of data covering 6th to 8th grades were collected from 731 students in urban schools serving mostly African-American…

We analyzed the role that psychosocial empowerment and social support factors play in the employment status of immigrants who participate in job-readiness programs financed by the European Social Funds and the Welfare Services of Andalusia, a region in the south of Spain. The goal of these programs is to find new ways to improve immigrants'…

Predictors of parental school involvement were examined within a sample of 159 economically disadvantaged, African American parents living in an urban setting. School involvement was defined in terms of parent activity within the school. Parent demographics, attitudes about education, and community engagement behaviors as well as parent…

In this study factors associated with past suicide attempts in female inmates were examined. Female inmate participants (N = 105) were given structured diagnostic assessments of antisocial and borderline personality disorders and substance dependence, as well as measures of depression, hopelessness, problem-focused coping styles, and reasons for…

Good teaching should be inclusive of all students. There are very strong arguments for making courses/units/modules as inclusive as possible, based on issues of equity and access. Inclusive teaching has been a catch cry in recent times and most universities have policies related to this issue. However, research into the effectiveness of measures…

This study examined whether factors affecting first language reading acquisition also affect English Foreign Language (EFL) reading acquisition. Hebrew (L1) and EFL reading related measures were administrated to 145 fourth graders from the north of Israel who were beginning their first year of English instruction. Results from a Linear Structural…

This article discusses the relationship among an individual's cognitive style, attitude to learning, and his or her achievement in the context of computer aided learning (CAL). The results of a small-scale study involving 32 students (18 male and 14 female) studying their first electronics module during an Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Design and…

This paper concerns the influence of age of acquisition (AoA) in word reading and other tasks, and attempts to develop a number of issues raised by Zevin and Seidenberg (2002). Analyses performed on both rated and objective measures of AoA show that the frequency trajectory of words is a reliable predictor of their order of acquisition, which…