Examines the O'Banion model of academic advising, used for over 20 years, and presents a variation that is both nonlinear and holistic. Applying O'Banion's five dimensions (exploration of life goals, exploration of vocational goals, program choice, course choice, scheduling options) to two case studies, the authors demonstrate how advisors and…

Examines the impact of faculty guest speakers on introductory sociology students' (1) certainty of registering for another sociology course, or majoring or minoring in sociology; (2) interest in taking other sociology classes; and (3) perception of sociology as applicable to their lives, careers, and course of study. (DSK)

Data from the 1990 National Assessment of Educational Progress were used to study the number of Carnegie units earned by students in mathematics. Overall, gender and ethnic differences in total mathematics courses were small but ethnic differences relative to the type of course were large. Gender differences are discussed in light of college…

Data from the High School and Beyond survey for 1,076 students who took algebra before high school and 5,818 who took algebra in high school demonstrated that early access to algebra had an effect beyond increased knowledge, and that it might socialize a student into taking more mathematics. (SLD)

A study of 45,206 high school seniors investigated their participation and performance in mathematics subjects taken to complete the secondary education qualification in Victoria, Australia. Gender differences varied with the particular assessment administered. There was a significant regional effect where rural students, particularly males,…

Finds that high school physics and chemistry courses are not beyond the grasp of most high school students, provided they are given help when needed. (CCM)

Examined the relationship between the rigor of students' academic curricula in high school and the likelihood that students would persist in their pursuit of a bachelor's degree. Findings demonstrate a consistent advantage experienced by students who complete rigorous high school curricula and, to a lesser extent, those who completed mid-level…

Low participation rates of girls in advanced physics classes are a serious problem in many countries. Assuming that physics teachers can affect girls' choice to elect advanced physics classes, and that teachers' behaviors are affected by their knowledge and beliefs, the goal of this study was to investigate physics teachers' knowledge and beliefs…

Florida's Bright Futures program is one of the nation's largest merit-based scholarship initiatives. This study used high school transcript and college enrollment data to examine the program's impact on high school course-taking patterns, school grades, college entrance exam scores, and rates of college attendance over time. The study indicates…

Collegiate sports have opened many doors for African American males. However, serious involvement in athletics has hampered the development of the group in several areas such as academic and occupational achievement. It has been alleged that universities exploit athletes, especially African American male athletes in football and basketball. This…

Information Systems (IS) departments are facing challenging times as enrollments decline and the field evolves, thus necessitating large-scale curriculum changes. Our experience shows that many IS departments are in such a predicament as they have not evolved content quickly enough to keep it relevant, they do a poor job coordinating curriculum…

This article examines young women's access to two traditionally male domains, sport and science, from two perspectives. The structural approach suggests that sport and science are stratified by gender and have historically been chilly climates for women. The Critical approach argues that structure and agency are important in understanding sources…

The socioeconomic stratification of American society profoundly influences how the life course unfolds by shaping various developmental pathways as well as the connections among these pathways. Drawing on a nationally representative sample of American adolescents, this study charted trajectories of personal control and parental consultation from…

Since the publication of "A Nation at Risk," (U.S. National Commission on Excellence in Education, 1983), several state and local educational authorities have increased the number of mathematics and science courses required for high school graduation. This report examines the relationships between the numbers of courses in mathematics…

This study was conducted in response to the perceived problems of growing non-participation rates of students in mathematics courses, particularly at Year 12 and beyond, and the decline in skill levels of students entering tertiary courses in science and mathematics. There are signs that mathematics has been devalued by society and the education…