This factsheet considers dropping out of school from the dropout's point of view: reasons for dropping out, life after leaving school, and the dropouts' own evaluation of their decision to leave school. It identifies a dislike of school, low academic achievement, and a desire to work as key reasons for dropping out. Thirteen resource documents are…

Argues for a redefinition of the term "disadvantaged student" because, as currently used by educational institutions, the negative image it projects results in failure to develop curriculum and procedures which effectively educate children in this category. (SF)

This study tests hypotheses about achievement orientation, particularly vicarious achievement. Undergraduate students (N=437) completed multiple-choice questionnaires, indicating likely responses of one person to the success of another. The sex of succeeder and observer, closeness of relationship, and setting (medical school or graduate school of…

In order to determine whether there was a significant correlation between a student's academic standing in a course and the time when the student withdrew from the course, grades received by students in 14 high withdrawal-rate courses taught by five community college instructors were reviewed. For the purposes of the study, withdrawal was defined…

For some time, military behavioral scientists have attempted to find ways to identify the young person who could successfully complete basic training and become a useful soldier while also detecting those individuals who would not be able to adapt or adjust and might be returned to the civilian world. This paper reports on the investigation of the…

Results indicate that increased cross-sex competition increases fear of success in females. It appears, however, that the motive is largely formed before a girl reaches high school and that females who have not learned to avoid success in the presence of male classmates in elementary school do not fear success. (Author/BJG)

Success and failure were experimentally induced by means of a puzzle task, and subjects were then required to perform two dependent tasks from which outerdirectedness was inferred. Results supported the hypothesis that children shift from an outerdirected to an interdirected problem-solving style as age increases. (Author)

Recent work in attribution theory has shown the importance of not only the distinction between beliefs in internal and external causes, but also between relatively fixed, stable causes and those more unstable and subject to change. The relationships of causal attributions for success and failure in achievement and social affiliation with…

This study investigated developmental trends in children's attributions for success and failure in achievement and social situations. Twenty-four second graders, 21 fourth graders, and 24 sixth graders were shown pictures and told accompanying stories depicting either social and achievement success or social and achievement failure. They were then…

This paper presents an overview of current research on causal attributions for success and failure with a focus on theoretical developments since the Weiner et al (1971) paper and applications which have been made using this theoretical model. Theoretical advances include more sophisticated measurement of causal attributions, applications of the…

Urban Community Mental Health Centers (CMHC's) are faced with large case loads and long waiting lists. Clients failing the initial appointment represent a significant loss of staff time and resources to CMHC's. Despite the high rate of failed initial appointments reported, no studies have looked at means of reducing the failure rate. In the…

A PILOT PROGRAM IS BEING CONDUCTED AT HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY IN HEMPSTEAD, NEW YORK, THROUGH THE JOINT EFFORTS OF ITS READING CENTER AND HISTORY DEPARTMENT. THIS COORDINATED HISTORY-READING PROGRAM FOR COLLEGE FRESHMEN WAS DEVELOPED TO INVESTIGATE THE CAUSES OF STUDENTS' DIFFICULTIES IN A COURSE REQUIRING EXTENSIVE READING, TO ANALYZE THE CONTENT OF A…

THE PRESENT DILEMMA OF BOSTON'S PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM IS CAUSED BY THE STUDENTS' POOR READING AND ARITHMETIC ACHIEVEMENT, A LACK OF MODERN BUILDING AND MATERIAL FACILITIES, UNREALISTIC FACULTY PROMOTION POLICIES, RACIAL CONTROVERSIES, AND A LACK OF COOPERATION BETWEEN AGENCIES AND PERSONNEL SERVING THE SCHOOLS. STUDIES REVEALED THAT BOSTON STUDENTS…

THIS CONFERENCE WAS HELD IN AUGUST 1964 TO ENCOURAGE RESEARCH AND EXPERIMENTATION IN THE AREA OF COLLEGE ATTRITION. APPROXIMATELY 25 PARTICIPANTS WERE SELECTED FROM VARIOUS DISCIPLINES. SELECTED PROCEEDINGS WERE REPORTED. PART ONE TOPICS WERE INSTITUTIONAL POLICIES, WARNING SIGNS OF THE DROPOUT, AVENUES OF PREVENTION, AIDS FOR DROPOUTS, AND…

The relationship between freshmen college persistence and self-report variables and objective academic indices is investigated. Follow-up data on persistence or non-persistence was gathered one and one-half years later, allowing one semester for attrition. Results indicate male non-persisters came from relatively low socioeconomic status families…