While college access and choice processes are well documented, the post-college residential mobility of graduates has ramifications for the long-term benefits of state and local investments in education. In particular, we examine factors that shape whether youth who depart home for college return to the communities of their adolescence by middle…

A classic in the philosophy of education, considering the fundamental purpose and function of schools, translated into English for the first time. The open access edition of this book was made possible by generous funding from Arcadia--a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin. This classic 1971 work on the fundamental purpose and…

Explanation pertaining to individuals' cognitive development and learning approaches is a recurring theme in the areas of education and psychology. The work of Okagaki (e.g., Okagaki, 2001; Okagaki & Frensch, 1998), for example, has provided both theoretical and empirical insights into the structuring and situational positioning of individuals…

The community as part of the social environment is a key social determinant of health and is a central organizing feature of Pacific culture. A collective worldview informs the way social support is conceived in Pacific cultures, and it is core to Samoan and Tongan elders' perceptions of the influence of community on health and well-being. In…

Productive ageing recognises the contribution of older people to economic, social and cultural growth and helps build a sustainable community. Being involved in community life is good for individuals and good for society. However, we know very little about the participation of and contribution by people aged 50 and over in rural communities. This…

Ongoing demographic, social, economic and cultural changes point to the dynamic and continually changing contexts of rural areas in Ireland and Northern Ireland. However, the influence of such changes on the lives of older people remains under-explored, particularly the question of how older people perceive, connect to and engage in their…

Geographical, economic, social and cultural barriers to accessing services in rural areas are widely reported. Less widely discussed are dilemmas posed by individual and community reluctance to address sensitive health issues. This article, focusing on the highly sensitive area of mental health, and employing a participatory action approach,…

Offers an alternative perspective on school violence and other crime on school property that seeks to understand school violence as a contextually determined social phenomena. The paper discusses district-to-district variability in crime on school property in terms of out-of-school and in-school community and variability in economic and…

Findings from recent epidemiological investigations indicate that substance use in rural America has increased to the point where it nearly equals, if not exceeds, the rates found in suburban and urban areas. Although previous research has examined factors that have influenced use patterns, little attention has been devoted to the social and…

An earlier phase of a research project proposed a theoretical model linking the key concepts of community commitment, media use, knowledge about community, community evaluation, and community pride as well as a series of social locator variables. The present phase of the study concerned itself with the central part of the model, ignoring the…

Investigates the educative process in restorative justice reforms revealing three characteristics effective in facilitating moral learning for the common good. Explains that these three characteristics can be formulated as principles to guide the theory and practice of community-based moral education. Addresses implications for moral education.…

Examines the sociocultural influences on risk of first sex among Hispanic teens living in Los Angeles County. Hispanic teens living in low-density Hispanic neighborhoods have significantly higher risk of sex than do teens living in neighborhoods with higher levels of ambient hazards. Results highlight the importance of characterizing sociocultural…

Explores the potential of the public school system for influencing individual student development and achieving social amelioration. It is suggested that capacity of the school to affect social conditions must be determined before the school can be relieved of responsibility for achieving publicly determined ends. (Author/SDH)

Presented in this paper is a framework to examine environmental influences on learning. The framework identifies factors from several environments--the home, the community, and the larger sociocultural context--and links them with school policy and operations. Methodological considerations important to further investigation of these environmental…

Using national longitudinal data on 10,860 adolescents, a comparative analysis of community contextual effects on delinquency examined variables derived from three theories. Youths in areas of high male joblessness who experienced stressful life events or little parental supervision were especially likely to be involved in delinquency. The…