School dropout rates for two consecutive years (1985-86 and 1986-87) for all California regular public high schools are examined in conjunction with the percentage of students covered by Aid to Families with Dependent Children, total enrollment, achievement, and academic course enrollments. Higher achievement was associated with lower dropout…

Investigated the differences in persistence and graduation rates after seven years, resulting from participation in a freshman seminar course at the University of South Carolina. Findings confirmed strongly positive association between successful completion of University 101 and increased retention, persistence, and graduation rates for freshman…

Reports on a study which assessed the long-term consequences of prenatal and perinatal stress and documented the effects of adverse early rearing conditions on children's physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development. Concludes that competence and confidence can result under adverse circumstances if children experience security in their lives.…

After controlling for socioeconomic status and ability, social sex roles and processes of identifying with them were compared to gender-related achievements and aspirations of 3,154 Israeli students from two ethnic groups. Findings indicate that as girls mature, their rates of achievement and progress decrease, while those of boys increase. (TJH)

Investigation of the retention of school-learned French language skills in Dutch students over a period of four years following training revealed that global receptive skills actually improved. Only lexical and grammatical skills attrited, although students' self-perception of their skill retention was much more negative. (Author/JR)

Course-taking patterns and achievement were studied among high school seniors in six states (1980) and two states (1982), using High School and Beyond and College Entrance Examination Board data. The more time spent in academic courses, the higher the academic achievement. Disparities among states have consequences for achievement. (SLD)

Extent of agreement between retrospective and prospective measures of variables in 7 content domains (residence change, anthropometrics, injuries, reading ability, family characteristics, behavior problems, and delinquency) was studied for 1,037 New Zealand adolescents. Absolute agreement among measures was poor, suggesting caution when using…

Summarizes the conduct and results of the Seattle Longitudinal Study, an investigation that has assessed mental abilities in more than 5,000 adults and has followed some for as long as 35 years. Integrative findings are presented on age changes, cohort differences, factor structure, individual differences, and interventions. (SLD)

Reviews school-based approaches to prevention of adolescent alcohol use and abuse undertaken in the 1950s through the 1970s and discusses problems associated with such studies, remedies to these problems, and current school-based approaches. Also discusses the Alcohol Misuse Prevention Study, a longitudinal intervention undertaken in the 1980s to…

Data from a longitudinal study of 2,000 children concerning paternal involvement, the father-child relationship, and effects on gender role expectations of sons and daughters suggest that the development of egalitarian views about work and parenthood depend less on paternal involvement than on the nature of that involvement. (SLD)

A 10-year study of the major career choice factors of social work undergraduates (n=746) found that, although altruism remains important, students are motivated by both service to others and job self-interest. Dimensions of motivation for choosing social work have not changed significantly over this period. (Author/MSE)

Changes in the socioeconomic background of Finnish university students are studied for the period 1945-85. In different parts of Finland, students come from different socioeconomic groups. In addition, different fields of study draw from different socioeconomic groups. Future student distributions are explored. (SLD)

A survey of vocational rehabilitation agencies in 49 states and the District of Columbia identified 74,657 supported employment participants and 2,647 provider agencies. The survey analyzed disability classifications and severity levels of participants, employment model used, availability of extended services funding, and wages and work hours of…

Assessed correlations between 415 first graders' scores on the Metropolitan Readiness Test (MRT), and their scores on standardized achievement tests in mathematics and reading in grades 3, 6, 9, and 10. Concluded that the MRT has potential for contributing to readiness decisions in early grades. (MM)

Two studies examined the ability of a peer play scale, based on the Howes Peer Play Scale, to assess developmental sequences in children's play with peers from the infant through the preschool periods. The frequency and proportion of play forms, and the ages at which they emerged, varied as a function of the children's child care setting. (LB)