A total of 1,729 children (2nd-9th grades) in South Africa, Iceland, Poland, Australia, the U.K., and the U.S.A. rated 20 events in terms of how upsetting they are. Save in Poland, the ratings were in close agreement (r, .85-.97), placing the loss of parent at the top and a new baby sibling at the bottom. In Poland, the baby's arrival led the list. Even so, what was seen as quite upsetting fell everywhere in the same two categories--experiences that threaten one's sense of security and those that occasion personal denigration and embarrassment.

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A number of factors have been identified that affect academic achievement of learners. Among these factors, organizational culture seems to be a key factor. This is a complex factor characterized by many variables. To classify the variables included in organizational culture, a theoretical model was constructed. Two sets of variables were identified from the model: the tangible and intangible variables. The findings in this research indicate that a healthy and positive organizational culture exists in high-achieving schools whereas the same cannot be said for lowachieving schools. A positive organizational culture seems to exercise an exceptionally positive influence on members of a school and is instrumental in directing their behavior in achieving the stated goals of the school. It is recommended that management strategies should be developed and put in place to improve the organizational culture of low-achieving schools with the aim of improving their academic achievement.

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