STUDIES OF SOCIOLOGICAL, ECONOMIC, EDUCATIONAL, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS INFLUENCING THE OCCUPATIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL DECISION-MAKING BY RURAL YOUTH WERE REVIEWED. INCLUDED WERE STUDIES OF ASPIRATIONS, MIGRATION AND MOBILITY, SOCIOECONOMIC SCALE, OCCUPATIONAL CHOICE, COST AND BENEFIT OF EDUCATION, EDUCATIONAL AND OCCUPATIONAL ATTAINMENT AND ACHIEVEMENT, AND PURSUIT OF HIGHER EDUCATION. CONCLUSIONS INCLUDED--(1) FEWER CAPABLE RURAL MALES ATTEND COLLEGE THAN URBAN MALES, (2) ECONOMIC FACTORS GENERALLY DO NOT APPEAR TO BE A MAJOR DECISION-MAKING FACTOR. OCCUPATION OF FATHER, ATTITUDES OF PARENTS TOWARDS EDUCATION, AND EDUCATION OF PARENTS ARE INFLUENCING FACTORS, (3) RURAL-URBAN MIGRATION IS GREATER NEAR LARGE CITIES THAN IN REMOTE RURAL AREAS, (4) FARMING IS TRANSMITTED FROM FATHER TO SON IN LARGER PROPORTIONS THAN OTHER OCCUPATIONS, AND (5) ON-THE-JOB EXPERIENCE IS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR INFLUENCING DECISION MAKING. A 149-ITEM BIBLIOGRAPHY IS INCLUDED. (JM)