The majority of two national samples of SAT and GRE test takers reported that they thought the test they had taken was fair, that it did not influence their application decisions, and that its importance in the decisions of the institutions they applied to was secondary to their previous grades. (Author/MLW)

The factorial ecology paradigm was applied to law schools, yielding four factors: scholarly orientation, practicality, public control, and minority emphasis. Law school characteristics were correlated with characteristics of the states that constitute their "habitats," yielding a meaningful pattern of moderate to strong relationships. (Author/MLW)

Students' expectations (obtained on the first day) and the violation of these expectations are two possible factors that affect course evaluations. Their effects on students' final interest and future intentions are compared with students' actual reports of the class given at the end of the semester. (Author/MLW)

An examination of a learning style topology through the comparison of information processing and instructional preference toponymies is discussed. It was hypothesized that learning style modes would be discernible within each of these toponymies and that the toponymies would demonstrate orthogonality. Data analyzed for 429 university students…

Study examines implications for rural special education cooperatives of federal law mandating education for handicapped children. Compliance was assessed in 135 cooperatives in Regions 4 and 5. Mandated parental rights, student assessments, and individual plans posed least difficulty. Lack of special education knowledge posed most difficulty.…

Presents evaluation studies examining use of Direct Instruction (DI) Model on rural South Carolina students. Compares results of DI and conventional methods in reading, mathematics, language, and spelling. Results show DI students outperformed local comparison students on virtually every measure. (TES)

Compares test scores and class offerings in Connecticut's small schools with larger, noncity counterparts. "Small" high schools had fewer than 150 students per grade. Finds no differences between large and small school districts' achievement scores. Large high schools offered more advanced courses than small or medium schools. (Author/TES)

Explores secondary economic effects of rural Minnesota school districts, including purchasing power of payrolls, employment, retail stimulus, recapture of taxes, property values, and banking services. Provides nontechnical approach to interpreting how school operations offset costs of rural education. Study can be replicated by rural educators.…

Studies the dissemination methods and clientele of agricultural extension in rural Virginia. Sample was 300 beef farmers. Identifies typical farmer characteristics. Farmers rate farm visits as beneficial, whereas they rated computer messages and cartoons low. Suggests favored extension methods change with clientele's education levels. Includes…

Researchers exploring aspirations of youth generally examine variables such as sex, community size, place of residence, race socioeconomic status, effect of time (age), or a combination of these. This literature review focuses on studies which examine aspirations of rural, nonfarm youth in the United States. (Author/TES)

Describes adult educational program by University College Galway in rural West Ireland, following significant out-migration of young people. Aim is to encourage development initiatives, community participation, and self help. Program includes lectures, seminars, and class projects. Program's successes noted. (Author/TES)

A large-scale longitudinal study of the progress of elementary school students, focusing on effects of school membership upon cognitive outcomes, attainment in verbal abilities, and noncognitive outcomes such as attendance, attitudes, behavior, and self-concept, found that school membership is far more influential in these areas than are…

A study of educational choices made by students in England and Wales during their first post-compulsory year of school identified differences between students who stayed in school and and those who joined the Youth Training Scheme (YTS). These differences indicate that YTS does not encourage students to leave school. (CB)

A review of observational and discourse analysis research argues that observational research is bound by a characteristics discourse with roots in early anthropological descriptions of education and suggests that, while observational methodologies and techniques have changed, the discourse of observation has always served to promote a single view…

Comparison of Great Britain's and other countries' school admission policies suggested that, while Great Britain already has one of the lowest statutory admission ages in Europe and the United States, there is a trend in England and Wales to admit children to school at an even younger age. (Author/CB)