Seventh-grade students at-risk for school failure

This study was designed to assess the effects of failure on the subsequent test performance in school of young adolescents. Fifty-one seventh-grade students, identified as at-risk for future school failure, were compared to 51 randomly selected classmates on individually administered measures of intelligence, self-concept, problem-solving ability, coping ability, attribution, and locus of control. Teachers' ratings, mathematics ability, and grades of the two groups were also compared. Students with a history of school failure, although of normal intelligence, were found to be significantly less intellectually, academically, and affectively competent than their more successful peers and were rated by their teachers as significantly less able to deal adaptively with normal school stress. A discriminant analysis separated the groups with 93% accuracy. On two equivalent mathematics tests, one given under relaxed conditions, and the other under normal school test-like conditions, approximately thirty percent of both the at-risk and the otherwise normal students got lower scores when they thought they were taking a test. Implications of these results for the understanding and remediation of stress-depressed school performance are discussed.     

Reducing the drop-out rates of at-risk high school students: the Effective Learning Program (ELP)

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Effective Learning Program (ELP) with students who are at high risk for dropping out of high school. The intervention sought to change external control expectancies to more internal ones, improve students' skills in building relationships with peers and adults, and increase graduation rates. Thirty-eight students considered at risk for dropping out of high school received the intervention. In addition, ELP-eligible students who did not receive the ELP intervention (n = 36) and regular education students (n = 50) from the same high school were compared with the students who received the ELP. A significantly greater percentage of ELP students graduated, became more internally controlled, achieved more as shown by standardized tests, and developed greater social skills and better relationships than their ELP-eligible but nonparticipating peers. The authors suggest that researchers identify which aspects of the ELP are responsible for the improvement in retention, achievement, and personal attributes.     

The communicative process of drug resistance among high school students.

This article reports the results of the second of two studies designed to examine social influences on adolescents' responses to drug offers. In the first study, a typology of both drug offers and drug resistance strategies was developed. The present study provides an analysis of the associations between offers and resistance and the differences between drug and alcohol offers. To accomplish this, sixty-nine narrative accounts of both successful and unsuccessful attempts to say no were collected from high school students. Analysis of the interviews indicated that peer pressure was applied in approximately 70% of the offers; however, much of that pressure was applied after the initial offer had been refused. It also was determined that simple offers were more likely with alcohol, while drug offers were more likely to be persuasive and involve pressure during the initial offer.     

The prevalence of depression in high school students

In response to the need expressed in the literature on adolescent depression, recent studies have examined the incidence of affective disorders. However, there continues to be a paucity of research on the prevalence of depressive symptomatology in nonpatient adolescents. The Canadian literature is especially lacking in this area. The present study examined the prevalence of depression in a sample of 366 Canadian high school students. Consistent with similar research in the United Kingdom and the United States, 31.4% of the sample were midly to clinically depressed as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory. Significant sex differences were found; these are discussed in the context of age and level of depression. The need for further research on adolescent depression is emphasized.     

Predicting suicidal ideation in high school students.

In a sample of 77 high school students, current suicidal ideation was predicted by depression, music preferences, and reasons for living scores.     

Characteristics of continuation high school students

This study examined the psychodynamics of students enrolled in a continuation high school. Forty continuation students were randomly selected and administered the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale and an author-prepared questionnaire which investigated students' experiences in a wide range of areas. The findings revealed that, contrary to expectations, these students had adequate self-concepts. Their responses to the questionnaire appeared to suggest that they were satisfied with their alternative school placement.     

Holistic attitudes of high school students toward themselves and their school experiences.

This study was based on an analysis of essays written by 47 teacher education students in response to the question, "If you could live your high school days over again, what, if anything, would you change?" The responses were organized into 20 different categories and tabulated according to students' age and sex. In retrospect, 38% of these students would have improved their attitude toward high school. Thirty-six percent indicated that high school was a positive experience, though this attitude was often unrelated to academic achievement. The responses strongly suggest that for many high school students, general attitude toward school affects achievement more than do attitudes toward specific school characteristics.     

Academic dishonesty among high school students

Research on academic dishonesty has generally relied on survey techniques, which may fail to capture students' true feelings about cheating. The present investigation used focus group discussions to gain a fuller understanding of students' beliefs about academic dishonesty. The results suggest that, in regard to their cheating, students generally place the blame on others.     

Sexual behavior of Colombian high school students

This paper presents the results of a survey on the sexual behavior of Colombian high school students. It documents significant gender differences in the sexual behavior of Colombian adolescents as compared with the more egalitarian sexual behavior of their American and European counterparts. The study indicates that prostitutes are playing a decreasing role in the sexual lives of Colombian males as a result of a trend toward premarital coital permissiveness among Colombian females. The findings also support previous studies which indicate that there are intrinsic gender differences in the intensity and frequency of sexual desire.     

Sources of stress and coping responses of high school students.

A series of focus group interviews was used to identify major sources of stress and coping responses of Grade 10 students. Relationships with parents and family, work, and lack of money were found to be important sources of stress. Major coping responses included substance use and diversionary activities. Differences between academic streams (tracks) in sources of stress and coping responses were examined.     

A differential analysis of time-use attitudes of high school students.

Time-use attitudes (TUA) of students contributes to our understanding of classroom behavior, but has received limited attention from investigators. This study empirically examined the major constructs or dimensions identified by other researchers (Baruch, Bruno, & Horn, 1987) of students' attitudes toward time use. Attention also was given to another dimension of TUA which has not previously been empirically explored, and to an analysis of differential developmental patterns of high school students. Three constructs of TUA were identified: passive fatalistic, egoistic, and conscientious. Several significant developmental patterns of TUA were found for males and females in Grades 8, 10, and 12.     

Job-seeking and job-acquisition in high school students

We surveyed 225 Year 9 and 10 students at T1 regarding their attitude, social norms, control, experience, plans and intentions to find a part-time job while at school. Of these, 149 did not have a job and were surveyed again four months later about their job-seeking and job outcomes (104 responded at T2). Job-seeking intentions at T1 were associated with past experience, plans and beliefs that getting a job was the right thing to do. Job-seeking at T2 was associated with beliefs about the value of job-seeking. Job interviews attended were related to job-seeking, and job offers were related to interviews attended. Students with higher job-seeking intentions and behaviours differed on most variables from students with lower intentions and behaviours. Students need to be aware of the relationship between job-seeking, interviews and offers, and be provided with strategies that increase their interviews and assist to manage unsuccessful job attempts.     

Feedback and self-concept in high school students

This study examined the relationship between self-concept and feedback in high school seniors. Students evaluated themselves on ten traits, and were asked to then have five significant others evaluate them on the same ten traits. After reviewing their average feedback scores, students again evaluated themselves. Results indicated a strong relationship between feedback and self-concept for all traits, with none indicating a stronger relationship than any other.     

Prevalence and psychosocial correlates of forced sexual intercourse among U.S. high school adolescents

Although a history of forced sexual intercourse affects a relatively small number of U.S. adolescents, it is a persistent and alarming public health problem. This study examined the robustness of the risk profile of adolescents who report a history of forced sexual intercourse using the most current and representative data from the national 2005 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Overall, 8.01% of high school adolescents reported a history of forced sexual intercourse. The lifetime prevalence for females (10.3%) was roughly twice of that for males (4.8%). Important differences in the risk profile associated with forced sexual intercourse were found by gender.     

Student characteristics and choice of high school remembrance role.

This study investigated variables related to how students choose to be remembered after high school (remembrance role). Over four hundred students in small, medium, and large high schools in a midwestern state provided information on demographics, parental characteristics, personality traits, participation in high school activities, and remembrance role. Discriminant analysis revealed that sports participation, social activity participation, high school academic rank, mother's education, and masculinity were the variables most strongly associated with the four remembrance roles: brilliant student, most popular, athletic star, and leader in activities. The findings are discussed, and suggestions for future research are presented.     

Traffic safety competencies in Peruvian high school students

This study aims to comprehend traffic safety competencies in high school students from two specific regions of Peru, as well as to analyze the differences between both groups. For this purpose, a qualitative study was carried out which consisted of eight focus groups in high schools, three of them in the metropolitan area of Lima (Lima region) and five in the province of Rodríguez de Mendoza (the Amazonas region). The focus groups were constituted by 73 students enrolled in the last three years of high school, named 3rd, 4th and 5th grade of secondary education, whose ages ranged from 14 to 18 years. The collected data were analyzed employing elements of Grounded Theory and Axiomatic Set Theory. The main findings reveal that most participants have a general understanding of traffic rules and the proper use of the components of traffic safety. Thus, they understand the traffic rules as road signs that regulate the behavior of drivers and pedestrians. In addition, participants know the proper procedure to follow at traffic lights, pedestrian walkways and how to use seat belts. They also identify the driver’s tiredness/drowsiness, and the consumption of alcohol and drugs as potential factors that cause traffic accidents. No causes that are linked to pedestrian behavior were identified, and only participants from the Amazonas region mentioned speeding as a contributing factor. On the other hand, participants report that in practical situations they engage in risky behavior and fail to comply with transit rules. They justify this behavior by citing poor infrastructure, vehicle malfunctions, and the need get around quickly in order to get things done. Finally, the implications of the results are discussed and compared to the content and implementation of the Peruvian Road Safety Educational Program (PENSV, for its acronym in Spanish), providing recommendations that can aid evidence‐based policy making in Peru.