Describes study of eighth grade students that was designed to determine whether gender of the protagonist in mathematics story problems can play a significant role in mathematics learning. The use of the Secondary-School Attitudes toward Women Scale is described, and correlations among individual difference and task-outcome variables are analyzed.…

After summarizing differences in teen childbearing by race, this article addresses problems inherent in a comparative approach to understanding race differences. More meaningful measures of socioeconomic status are outlined, and how the social context approach might inform the literature or the role of family factors in teen childbearing years is…

This study examined possible predictors of feelings of alienation from school in elementary and middle school students who completed surveys in 1991. Results indicated that gender and school variables were the most consistent predictors of alienation. The study did not wholly support the theory that alienation is a steady developmental process.…

Argues that studies of socioeconomic stratification in Papua New Guinea have ignored or dismissed gender as a source of inequality. Educational opportunity is the key to wealth and political power. Data from censuses, fieldwork, and the literature show that rural women are the most disadvantaged group in Papua New Guinea. (SLD)

Provides marriage and family therapists with an overview of issues related to the treatment of clients of American-Indian descent. Discusses a rationale for studying the American-Indian population, presents concerns that therapists are likely to encounter, and identifies considerations when engaging in a therapeutic relationship with an…

A survey of 285 high school seniors in six rural Pennsylvania schools found that student plans to attend postsecondary education were strongly influenced by parents' educational attainment and somewhat influenced by sibling educational attainment. Family financial situation was not a factor in student choice of postsecondary educational options.…

Data from a randomly selected sample of 840 Ontario students were used to examine factors that affect self-rated physical health. Analyses focused on demographics, family structure, financial situation, child-parent relationship, school achievement, self-esteem, alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis use as factors which directly and indirectly influence…

Articulates the idea that a track is a type of social position in students' relations with particular teachers and course work. Uses students' profiles of course work in high school to derive eight curricular positions associated with status characteristics and students' attitudes. Includes statistical analysis that links variables to achievement.…

Forty-nine adults with learning disabilities who had attended a university between 1980 and 1992 were interviewed. Most respondents had adjusted well, with approximately 80% employed, mostly in white-collar jobs. Most reported they were active socially and happy with their social life. Few disclosed their learning disabilities when applying for…

Examined effects of normative school transition during early adolescence on self-esteem and perceived school and peer social contexts. Subjects were 580 black, white, and Latino youth from low-income families. Found that the transition from elementary to middle or junior high schools led to declines in self-esteem, class preparation, and grade…

A study of 39 rural kindergarten students and their parents examined the relationships between parental print exposure, socioeconomic status (SES), and children's early language and literacy skills. Results suggest that SES had minimal impact on children's literacy and that parental print exposure strongly influenced children's vocabulary and…

Examined low socioeconomic-status (SES) preschool classrooms for teacher perceptions of children and teacher/child interactions as a function of ethnicity. Hispanic teachers described Hispanic boys as having high levels of difficulty; they engaged in high levels of interaction with them. Perceptions of girls were more positive and less influenced…

This cross-sectional study explored whether participation, from early childhood, in play involving different cognitive abilities predicts visuo-spatial achievement at ages 9, 12, and 15. Based on parental assessment, prior and present practice of spatial manipulation play was found to be consistently more frequent in boys than in girls; the…

The study reported in this article examined relations between ethnicity, out-of-school activities, and arithmetical achievements in Latin American and Korean American children in first, second, and third grades. Three types of data were collected: parents' educational attitudes and beliefs, parents' reports of children's everyday activities with…

In this study, the authors examined the parenting practices, developmental expectations, and stress levels of 136 fathers and the challenging and prosocial behaviors of their 1- to 5-year-old children. In addition, the authors systematically addressed fathers' qualitative concerns about their parenting. The authors divided the participants into 4…