This study was designed to ascertain characteristics of three groups of secondary school students: absentees, check-outs, and nonenrollees. An effort was made to determine the magnitude of the problem, the whereabouts of the nonattenders, and the reasons for their nonattendance. Two sources of data were utilized: (1) personal interviews with…

One hundred and ninety-five subjects, undergraduates who began their college careers in a large state university and subsequently transferred to community colleges, were studied in relation to factors associated with academic performance. A questionnaire was developed based on data obtained from interview sessions with students enrolled at the…

An "in-progress" grade concept was added to the grading policy of Harrisburg Area Community College (Pennsylvania) in November 1971. The "in-progress" grade, or Y grade as it is designated, signifies that a student has not successfully passed a course, but that with the agreement of the instructor he/she will repeat the course…

The issues and problems faced today in regard to reading instruction were reviewed, and suggestions for meeting Commissioner Allen's challenge of the "Right to Read" were made. Three realities in United States education today include (1) the generally higher quality of the products of our schools than in the past, (2) startling statistical…

Investigated were the effects of test anxiety, success-fail experiences, and social reinforcement on the aspiration level of third and fourth grade subjects (Ss) in a suburban school system. Data were sought on whether high test anxiety (HTA) children would have lower aspiration levels than low test anxiety (LTA) children. Also studied were the…

The purpose of this study was to find factors related to the success in reading of low-income white children in high schools in five West Virginia counties. The study asked whether disadvantaged students who succeed in reading differ significantly from disadvantaged students who fail in reading: (1) in the amount of their participation in physical…

Seventy-two sixth graders, stratified on the basis of sex and two levels of IQ (high and low) were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: (1) Group I (success only); (2) Group II (failure only); and (3) Group III (success and failure). These subjects (Ss) were used to investigate the effects of verbally controlled success and failure…

It has been suggested that for women, success in competitive achievement situations may produce negative social sanctions, resulting in a motive to avoid success, which inhibits high performance in these situations. 120 college women, 60 exhibiting fear of success and 60 exhibiting no fear of success, based upon results of a projective measure,…

A dropout and flunk-out rate of 50% during the freshman year is occurring in many large municipal institutions of higher education, especially those operating under an open admission policy. This high rate of attrition is felt to be due, in part, to the fact that students entering college under open admissions policies often do not have the basic…

Grades and persistence have long dominated research concerning college success, but there are many important types of college success that should be considered in evaluating the effects of a college program. A thorough review of thousands of research articles published during the decades of the 50's and 60's revealed over 20 broad developmental…

The role of reading retardation as a factor in juvenile delinquency was examined in a study which sought (1) to determine a correlation between retardation over a 5-year period and (2) to observe any changes which might have occurred in the relationship since a 1915 study. Boys committed to a St. Paul, Minnesota, boys' residential treatment center…

Twelve kindergarten and 12 first-grade children with a high risk of failure in reading were identified using the Jansky-de Hirsch Screening Index; an equal number of potentially average readers were also selected. Strengths and weaknesses in areas related to success in reading were assessed using factor scores from the Jansky Diagnostic Battery.…

The relationship of socioeconomic status to the reading achievement of Anglo, Mexican-American, and black pupils was investigated in a sample of 144 third- and fifth-grade pupils. Pupils who participated in a free lunch program were classified as belonging to the poverty group; those who did not participate were classified as nonpoverty. At both…

The author looks at three years of effort to measure the effectiveness of the career education curriculum in Ohio. The final analysis revealed that test items should be developed by examining instructional processes rather than stated goals and objectives, to better measure change and reflect what is taking place. (BP)

Learning to read is a qualitatively different process from learning to compute, in that each student must discover his own ways of finding meanings. (JH)