This occasional paper updates and extends earlier papers in the Monitoring the Future project. It provides a detailed description of the project's design, including sampling design; data collection procedures; measurement content; and questionnaire format. It attempts to include sufficient information for others who wish to evaluate the results,…

This guide shares information about the South Carolina Curriculum Standards with parents. The standards outline state requirements for children's learning, and what students across the state should be able to do in certain subjects. The guide lists seven key reasons for parents to be aware of the new curriculum standards, and then presents a…

Extensive testing data from federal, state, and private sources indicate that Indiana students underperform their peers in most other states. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the shortcomings of Indiana students relative to students elsewhere are most severe among students from middle- and upper-income families. Forty percent of 3rd-graders, 52…

In the past 50 years many political organizations have attempted to seek redress from repressive governments. Many have used methods considered to be terrorism. The United Nations (UN) is interested in establishing a set of guidelines dealing with the prevention of terrorism. This unit focuses on several questions that attempt to define terrorism.…

In this lesson plan, each student acts as a Member of Parliament (MP) in England in 1832 who must analyze the effects of what some people are referring to as the "Industrial Revolution." Students will write a bill, write a speech, and participate in debates. Students are provided with background information, detailed instructions, online…

Data were collected in 51 desegregated high schools, to determine what school practices improved racial attitudes and behaviors. Results indicated that programs involving cooperative interaction among students of different races were most likely to lead to positive race relations. (Author/MH)

This study examined why Australian high school students decided to continue or discontinue their schooling, using a comprehensive theoretical model to examine the issue. Three surveys of 817 tenth-grade students over a 13-month period indicated that the theoretical model adequately and appropriately explained and predicted students' persistence…

A sample of 333 8th, 10th, and 12th graders completed a questionnaire measuring their academic motivational orientations through items investigating perceptions of causal attributions and actual causal attributions. Results show a number of gender differences, with girls more likely to attribute failure to lack of ability and lack of effort. (SLD)

A study found first-year physics students at the University of Namibia (UNAM), considered to be a select group of students, to be as prepared for laboratory work as Australian tenth-graders. Comparison with students of Potchefstroom University (South Africa) found UNAM students deficient in both cognitive and affective aspects of laboratory work.…

Describes a study in Israel that was conducted to examine the attitudes of dropout adolescents to electronic learning and to compare these to the attitudes of normative 10th graders. Considers demographic differences, including parents' education and computer ownership; motivation; enjoyment; cognition; and accessibility of computers. (LRW)

Examines changes in attitude toward traditional morality accompanying the change from adolescence to adulthood. Finds that while the transition to adulthood involved changes in attitude, these shifts were not consistent in nature. (FMW)

Reports on a study of students' preferences for social studies, English, and science courses among 888 secondary students. Finds that seventh graders preferred social studies over science, but this preference weakened substantially as students advanced into high school. Finds that boys preferred social studies over English throughout high school.…

Maintains that, to write meaningful history, historians work implicitly with criteria of historical significance. Reports on a study of 14 10th-grade students' opinions about the significance of historical events. Concludes that attention to students' understanding of historical significance would enhance the teaching and learning. (CFR)

Survey responses from a stratified sample, across school type, of Israeli tenth graders (n=544) indicate that informal and nonformal science activities are associated with a distinctive commitment to science and science learning. Further, school conditions, home influences, and career aspirations appear to mediate the decision to participate in…

A study of Southeast Asian-American immigrants showed that English writing skills for mainstreamed students were the same at the eighth-, tenth-, and twelfth-grade levels and were the same as nonnative university students. Results suggest that age on arrival was a more important factor than number of years in United States and grade at entry. (21…