THE MAJOR OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY WERE TO--(1) INQUIRE INTO THE NATURE OF ADOLESCENT SOCIAL CLIMATES, (2) LEARN WHAT FACTORS IN THE SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY TEND TO GENERATE ONE OR ANOTHER ADOLESCENT CLIMATE, AND (3) DETERMINE THE CONSEQUENCES OF SUCH SOCIAL CLIMATES UPON THE ADOLESCENTS LIVING WITHIN THEM. THE STUDY WAS CARRIED ON IN 10 HIGH SCHOOLS IN AND AROUND CHICAGO. THESE INCLUDED RURAL, URBAN, AND SUBURBAN LOCATIONS, AND THE SCHOOLS RANGED IN SIZE FROM 95 TO OVER 2,000 STUDENTS. DATA WERE COLLECTED THROUGH QUESTIONNAIRES ADMINISTERED TO ALL STUDENTS IN EACH SCHOOL AND INTERVIEWS WITH ALL TEACHERS. THIS INFORMATION WAS SUPPLEMENTED BY SCHOOL RECORDS, CENSUS DATA, AND INTERVIEWS WITH PARENTS. FIELD TEAMS VISITED EACH SCHOOL TO COLLECT DATA, MAKING TWO VISITS TO EACH SCHOOL TO COLLECT EARLY AND LATER DATA ON THE CLIMATES OF THE SCHOOLS. IN ADDITION TO STATISTICAL TABULATIONS, THE DATA PROVIDED BASES FOR MORE COMPLEX ANALYSES OF THE SOCIAL STRUCTURE WITHIN THE STUDENT BODY OF EACH SCHOOL. THE FUNDAMENTAL THESIS OF THIS RESEARCH WAS COMPOSED OF THE FOLLOWING PREMISES--(1) ADOLESCENTS LOOK LARGELY TO THEIR PEERS FOR APPROVAL, ACCEPTANCE, RECOGNITION, AND STATUS, (2) VARIOUS ADOLESCENT SOCIAL SYSTEMS DIFFER IN THE VALUES CURRENT IN THEM, AND (3) THESE DIFFERENCES IN VALUES HELD BY DIFFERENT ADOLESCENT CULTURES ARE AT LEAST PARTLY A CONSEQUENCE OF FACTORS OVER WHICH THE SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY HAVE SOME CONTROL. (AH)