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PROBLEMS RELATED TO SEX DIFFERENCES IN ACHIEVEMENT AMONG ABLE HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH WERE STUDIED--(1) THE LACK OF CORRELATION BETWEEN A MEASURE OF ACHIEVEMENT MOTIVATION AND ACTUAL SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENT AMONG GIRLS, AND (2) THE RELATIVELY DIFFERENT EFFECT OF CERTAIN PARENTAL ATTITUDES ON THE ACHIEVEMENT BEHAVIOR OF BOYS AND GIRLS. THE SUBJECTS USED WERE ABOUT 100 BOYS AND GIRLS IN THE 12TH GRADE (EACH HAD BEEN TESTED ON A NUMBER OF NONINTELLECTUAL VARIABLES 2 YEARS PREVIOUSLY). ALMOST 90 OF THEIR FATHERS WERE ADMINISTERED A PARENTAL ATTITUDES TEST. THE MOTHERS HAD BEEN TESTED PREVIOUSLY DURING A FORMER STUDY USING THE SAME STUDENT SUBJECTS. ALL SUBJECTS WERE ADMINISTERED ACHIEVEMENT AND ATTITUDE TESTS. THE FINDINGS OF THIS STUDY AND THE FORMER STUDY RESULTED IN THE FOLLOWING CONCLUSIONS--(1) ACHIEVEMENT MOTIVATION IN GIRLS IS RELATED TO MOTIVATION TO REACH ADULTHOOD EARLY, RATHER THAN TO MOTIVATION TO ACHIEVE ACADEMICALLY, (2) FOR BOYS, IT IS RELATED TO "COLLEGE GOING" AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, AND (3) ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF BOYS IS AIDED BY HOME SITUATIONS WHICH ARE RELATIVELY DEMOCRATIC, WHEREAS ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF GIRLS APPEARS TO BE AIDED BY HOMES WHICH ARE MORE STRICT AND DEMANDING. FURTHER RESEARCH WAS RECOMMENDED TO ACHIEVE AN EVEN GREATER UNDERSTANDING IN SUCH AREAS AS ACHIEVEMENT MOTIVATION, VALUES, PARENT ATTITUDES RELATED TO ACHIEVEMENT, AND LEVELS OF ASPIRATIONS IN GIRLS. (AW)

THIS STUDY SOUGHT TO DISCOVER AND ANALYZE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN MOTIVATIONAL PATTERNS AND THE EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT OF TALENTED STUDENTS. THE OBJECTIVES WERE TO DETERMINE--(1) THE DIFFERENCES IN MOTIVATION TOWARD ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT BETWEEN THOSE WHO ACHIEVE AND THOSE WHO DO NOT, (2) THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ACHIEVERS AND NONACHIEVERS IN RELATION TO THEIR SELF-CONCEPT, DEVELOPMENTAL HISTORY AND HOME BACKGROUND, SOCIAL ADJUSTMENT, PEER RELATIONSHIPS, AND PARENTS' SOCIAL STATUS, (3) THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ACHIEVEMENT AND NONACHIEVEMENT AMONG STUDENTS OF HIGH ABILITY AND THEIR CONTINUATION OF STUDY BEYOND HIGH SCHOOL, AND (4) THE DIFFERENCE, IF ANY, BETWEEN THE PATTERNS OF EDUCATIONAL MOTIVATION OF BOYS AND GIRLS. IT WAS FOUND THAT HIGH ACHIEVING STUDENTS TEND TO BE MORE HIGHLY MOTIVATED AS MEASURED BY THE INTERVIEW MEASURE OF MOTIVATION AND, IN THE CASE OF BOYS, BY MCCLELLAND'S TEST. VALUE ACHIEVEMENT WAS HIGHER AS MEASURED BY THE SEMANTIC-DIFFERENTIAL AND, ESPECIALLY IN THE CASE OF GIRLS, BY STRODTBECK'S AND DE CHARMS' INSTRUMENTS, AND MORE ADJUSTED AS MEASURED BY THE CALIFORNIA PSYCHOLOGICAL INVENTORY, WHO ARE THEY, AND BEHAVIOR DESCRIPTION CHART INSTRUMENTS. THE GIRLS WERE MORE ACTIVE IN EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES, HAD MORE LEADERSHIP, SAW FATHERS AS IMPORTANT IN THEIR LIVES, WERE MORE RESPONSIBLE AND INDEPENDENT, HAD SOMEWHAT HIGHER SOCIAL STATUS, HAD PARENTS WHO WERE BETTER EDUCATED AND HELD HIGH ASPIRATIONS FOR THEM, CAME FROM SMALL FAMILIES WHERE THEY WERE THE FIRST-BORN OR ONLY CHILD, AND HAD MOTHERS WHO PLACED A HIGH VALUE ON IMAGINATION. (JL)