Astin, Helen S. EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS OF DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS. Bureau of Social Science Research, Inc., Washington, D.C. Aug 1970. 77 p. (ED043082)

The primary effort of the study described is an examination of the effects of college environments on the aspirations, achievements, and attrition rates of disadvantaged students at the end of their freshman year. Subjects were 180 students all of whom were classified as being disadvantaged. The various variables in the study are presented and discussed. This section is followed by results and discussion including the topics: (1) educational aspirations; (2) occupational aspirations; (3) academic aptitude and achievement; (4) self-ratings on academic and personality traits; and (5) life objectives. The next section discusses the effect of college environments on educational outcomes of disadvantaged students. The method of analysis is given along with educational, occupational, and personal outcomes. Some results of the study are: (1) a greater proportion of blacks aspire to postgraduate education than nonblacks; (2) disadvantaged students rate themselves high on drive to achieve and social self-confidence; (3) the best predictors of educational outcomes in this study were early achievements and aspirations; and (4) cohesive and personal school environments have positive effects on most of the educational outcomes. (KJ)