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Comparative motivational studies of middle class and lower class children show that different economic and ethnic groups vary in their reward-punishment systems. Teachers should have a systematic theory of the working of reward and punishment in learning. Their theory should include the concept of a hierarchy of reward levels, and they should understand what levels of reward are working in their class. Teachers should help a student develop his ego, or internal control, as a controller and rewarder of his behavior. Order and consistency in the class room situation and individualized instruction help strengthen ego control. Students need to learn to predict their own learning in relation to their effort to learn. A successful program should let students know what their responsibilities are, participate in making decisions about their work and give them accurate information on their progress. This theory as applicable to disadvantaged students is discussed in the report. [Not available in hard copy due to marginal legibility of original document.] (KG)

A national fact-finding study on the education of American Indians, with financing under the Basic Research Program of the U. S. Office of Education, resulted from the National Research Conference on Indian Education held at Pennsylvania State University in May of 1967. Indians were involved in planning of the study, and Indian personnel were employed in field work and analysis of data. The 2 basic aspects of the study were an extensive survey to summarize the present status of American Indian education and an intensive field study of educational systems of 25 to 30 communities. In addition, 3 self-studies of educational needs and problems made by Indian communities and data from previous research studies were included. The field study was performed by research teams located in 6 universities and consisted of collecting information on students and schools by observation of the school and its relation to the community and by interviews with students, parents, teachers, and community leaders. Social-psychological questionnaires were also administered to students and teachers. Six series of papers and monographs will result from the study. (JH)

As a part of the Final Report of the National Study of American Indian Education, this document presents data related to suicides among Indians. Its purpose is to contribute to a better understanding of the problems of Indians in this society. An overall comparison of Indian and non-Indian suicide rates indicates no difference with reference to ethnicity, but there are significant differences with respect to age and sex. Suicide rates for American Indian males are higher for men under 45 than for American white males; however, for men over 45, the whites have a much higher incidence of suicide. The document states that there is no evidence relating suicide rate to the Indian's kind of schooling, but suicide rate is related to disorganized family life, alcoholism, and loss of friends and relatives by death. It is concluded that the high suicide rate of young Indian men should be taken as a symptom of something wrong in their society and that an improvement in the socio-educational situation of Indians would probably reduce this symptom. (AN)

As a part of the National Study of American Indian Education, this report deals with the urbanization of American Indians in the Los Angeles area, where the present Indian population consists almost entirely of people who have in-migrated within the last 35 years. It is noted that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), with its relocation program for the Indian families, has assisted 8,000 heads of families or unmarried young adults to locate in the Los Angeles area during the years between 1953 and 1968 (an annual in-migration of about 1,300 per year, including all family members). However, it is reported that perhaps one-third of these in-migrants left the Los Angeles area. Of those remaining, the age distribution reflects a relatively large number of persons between 20 and 30 years old, which is a result of the BIA vocational training and relocation programs. Variables examined in the study include area of residence, tribal affiliation, occupations and socioeconomic status, age distribution, church role, and education. (EL)

As a part of the Final Report of the National Study of American Indian Education, this document contains the summary report and recommendations regarding education of Indian children and youth. The document summarizes results of field research made in 30 Indian communities and contains recommendations for action to improve the education of Indians. The recommendations and the text of the summary, as noted, are mainly the work of the director of the study, Professor Havighurst. An overriding theme throughout the study is that there needs to be recognition of Indian authority and responsibility for the education of Indian children and youth. It is believed that the time has come to make this a major goal in the policies and practices of the Federal Government and of the state governments. In conclusion, the document provides information on sample communities and school systems included in the study, a reference list, and the availability and purchasing arrangements for papers constituting the Final Report. (EL)

As a part of the Final Report of the National Study of American Indian Education, this study collected data from 2,007 Indian students (from 8 to 20 years of age) who attended public, mission, and Bureau of Indian Affairs' schools from Alaska to North Carolina using self-report questionnaires dealing with the Indian self-concept. The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of this study regarding the influences of age, sex, and minority status in school upon the self-concept of the various Indian groups studied. A comparison was made between Indian and non-Indian groups in an effort to answer questions on the uniqueness of the Indian groups within the larger society. The self-esteem and self-concept data from the study indicate that the great majority of Indian youth see themselves as fairly competent persons within their own social world but can be expected to show doubts about themselves in the non-Indian world. The study also concluded that the context within which an individual judges himself is critical to attaching meaning to his so-called "self-esteem" ratings and that self-concept must be studied more extensively before it is understood. Tables of statistics and a bibliography are appended. (EL)

As part of the Final Report of the National Study of American Indian Education, this study viewed the education of Indian children and youth through the eyes of the people most involved in the process: (1) students, (2) parents, (3) community leaders, and (4) teachers. As noted, this required a representative sample of the people in each of the 4 categories and their perceptions and evaluations of Indian education. The sample communities studied were representative of all socioeconomic and geographic situations in which Indians live. In the study, which covered 28 communities and 37 school systems, information was obtained by a team of people who lived and worked in the communities for several weeks and who observed, interviewed, and administered questionnaires or social psychological instruments. Data gathered for the study were analyzed and interpreted via rating scales, which were made by listing dimensions covered by the interviews and then constructing a 5- to 7-point scale for each dimension. Listed in the appendix are descriptive titles of all rating scales for the 4 types of interviews used in the study. (EL)

As part of the Final Report of the National Study of American Indian Education, this paper reports on the reliability of rating scales used in analyzing the interviews conducted during the study. Approximately 4,000 interviews, which covered "adequate samples of people in the schools and communities" that were studied, were deemed valid as a source of accurate data. The rating scales devised by various field centers to analyze these interviews were used (1) to evaluate a particular school or school system of a particular community, (2) to compare schools and communities singly and in various combinations, and (3) to compare perceptions and attitudes of parents with students, parents with teachers, teachers with students, etc. The document provides an explanation of the components that make up the rating scales and the results. Reliability of the instruments used and the procedures used to study reliability are also discussed. It is concluded that reliability of the ratings from the various field centers was high enough to allow for comparisons between various schools or communities and between various types of respondents to the interview. (EL)

As a part of the National Study of American Indian Education, the self-image of the Indian student was evaluated with the Semantic Differential (SD) in terms of attitudes toward self as well as toward other persons or institutions. Study groups were expected to describe themselves in favorable, neutral, or derogatory terms. The SD used in the study was partially identical with a form used with teenagers in Chicago, Buenos Aires, Kansas City, and Puerto Rico, thus allowing for comparison of non-Indian boys and girls of the same ages in Chicago and elsewhere. The instrument, as noted, asked for a rating of several concepts including Myself, My Future, Teachers, This School, Indians, Indian Way of Life, and White People's Way of Life; it also included several pairs of adjective scales which included Good-Bad, Happy-Unhappy, Strong-Weak, and Active-Lazy. It was believed that if Indian youth were severely alienated and if they were antagonistic toward teachers and schools, the SD would reveal these differences. The study concluded that, given a like socioeconomic status, Indians have about the same level of self-evaluation as non-Indians. Some evidence indicated that Indian girls are slightly more self-critical than Indian boys. A list of the various tribes included in the study from Alaska to North Carolina is given, along with the number of participants and scores derived from each correlation. Tables of statistics are appended. (EL)

As part of the Final Report of the National Study of American Indian Education, this background study provides information on the Pima Central and Blackwater schools on the Gila River reservation south of Phoenix, Arizona. Socioeconomic and community background data are given on location and climate, transportation, government, housing, and economy. A description of the Pima Central School, operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), discusses student transportation, enrollment, staff size, physical structure, administration, curriculum, and extracurricular activities. The Pima Central School, it is predicted, will become a local public school and no longer will be operated by the BIA. The second school reported upon, the BIA-operated Blackwater School located 5 miles east of Sacaton, Arizona, has only a kindergarten and first grade. The document contains 1 map. (AL)

As a part of the Final Report of the National Study of American Indian Education, this study points out that there are no reasons to suppose that Indian children are basically or genetically less or more intelligent than other children. It is noted that the low achievement of the Indian children at certain grade levels is related to the child's limited experiences and is compounded by the family's socioeconomic circumstances. The study points out that most studies (except 2) place Indian children just below the national norms during the first few grades. Evidence derived from this study is presented in tables. Conclusions point out that the pattern of low achievement of the Indian children is similar to that of other low-income and non-English-speaking children. (EL)