Parental heads of households and high school students in 2 rural Illinois counties were studied to determine their respective attitudes toward several minority groups using the Bogardus Social Distance Scale as the primary attitudinal measure. A parental sample of 1096 households and a sample of 738 students were independently drawn. The two…

The psychological role of the father in the life of an adolescent is crucial. Delinquent adolescent males have severe problems in the oedipal area. Most have had negative father-son relationships. The study group was composed of 25 boys who were on parole. Outpatient psychiatric treatment was a condition of their parole. Of the 25, 23 had fathers…

As part of the continuing search for the environmental antecedents of competence in young children, this study investigated several parameters of a population of disadvantaged Mexican-American children. The factors of child competence on which this study focused were behavioral adjustment and linguistic ability. The antecedents of competence were…

This report describes a pilot project that is investigating the childrearing practices of individuals who have chosen living arrangements different from the traditional two-parent family. Alternative life styles include these groups: (1) unmarried parents who live together, (2) single or unwed mothers, and (3) participants in communes. Depth…

The overall design is elaborated for a proposed research program which would examine the antecedents, concomitants, and consequences of successful integration of Black, Mexican-American, and white children in the elementary grades of the Riverside, California public school system. Essentially, the proposed research is a 7-year longitudinal study…

Longitudinally examines how the complexities of the family economic environment may affect children's health, behavior, and ideas about the world of work. Family economic factors considered include father's/mother's work status (especially parental unemployment); per-capita income; health insurance; father's job security; and satisfaction with…

Describes rural/urban differences encountered by practicum students/recent graduates working in early childhood special education. Identifies differences in four areas: prevalence and identification of handicapping and risk conditions, type of educational placement, relevance of community dynamics, and relevance of family attitudes. Suggests…

The vocational maturity of Arab and American ninth- and eleventh-grade students were compared. Arab students were found to have lower maturity scores than American students. Eleventh graders of both nationalities were more vocationally mature than ninth graders. The possibility that the overall difference can be attributed to cultural differences…

This study examined family media habits, including the use of television, movies, videos, computer and video games, the Internet, music, and print media. The study was conducted by mail with telephone follow-ups, surveying a national random sample of 527 parents of 2- to 17-year-olds who completed MediaQuotient questionnaires. Findings were…

This paper summarizes work from a dissertation, the main contribution of which was to develop and estimate a new empirical framework for analyzing the equilibrium outcomes of families' choices for choosing a particular residence. The principal component of the framework is a random-coefficients discrete-choice model of the residential location…

Capitalist, patriarchal, and sexist social structures and values affect how working class adolescents plan to allocate responsibility for domestic labor. Interviews with 83 Canadian male and female high school students revealed that they anticipate choosing patterns of domestic labor which perpetuate women's subordinate roles at home and work. (AM)

Study examined perceptions of pregnancy, including life-expectations, desire for pregnancy, and knowledge of menstrual cycle in a sample of pregnant urban adolescents. Results indicate that, although teens were aware of birth control methods, they had little understanding of menstrual cycle and its relationship to intercourse. And while few…

An 8-year study examined the experiences of 23 rural families in the Early Intervention Early Childhood process. Findings indicated a lack of prenatal care and limited access to medical care, specialists, and local doctors due to geographic isolation and shortages of service personnel. Recommendations for improving rural service delivery are…

Interviews and focus groups with 50 professionals and 7 parents of children with special needs examined challenges faced by families and early intervention professionals in rural East Texas. Challenges identified by families included transportation, housing, access to medical care, and feelings of isolation. Professionals identified the lack of…

Describes materials for college level distance education students that use a student-centered approach to help individuals realistically assess their expectations. Highlights include costs; time needed; family considerations; educational and intellectual considerations; and examples of materials that are used at the Open University in Britain and…