In the study reported on here we explored the influence of life-design counselling intervention on high school learners with career indecision who hail from resource-poor contexts in rural South Africa. Purposeful sampling was used to select 17 participants from a resource-constrained area. A mixed-methods group-based intervention embedded in…

A potential underlying mechanism associated with the difficulties in social interactions in Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) concerns the abnormal development of moral reasoning. The present study examined utilitarian and deontological judgments in impersonal and personal moral dilemmas, comparing 66 individuals with ASD and 61 typically…

Educational identity has been studied increasingly in the past decades since school is a structured context that shapes adolescent identity formation. Across the academic years, adolescents learn to position themselves in terms of their education and schooling, perceiving these entities as more or less relevant for their self-formation. In this…

Individuals aged 12 to 18 are establishing housing connections that could significantly impact their future housing choices when they are particularly susceptible to external influences. Recognizing the impact of early life experiences can enhance educational initiatives to assist adolescents in making more informed housing decisions. The research…

Background: Adolescents are required to take increased responsibility for their health. Although health literacy is implicated in adults' health decision-making and health behaviors, little is known about adolescents' health literacy and its relationship to their health behaviors. Furthermore, adolescent health literacy research overlooks…

How researchers use statistical analyses shapes their research toward or away from an anti-racist agenda. In this article, we demonstrate how developmental scientists can use the QuantCrit framework to critically examine the process of conducting quantitative analyses. In particular, we focus on mixture modeling to clearly demonstrate how the…

Background: Although positive youth development (PYD) programs have demonstrated effectiveness in improving adolescent reproductive health outcomes, there is a lack of evidence on effective school-based interventions designed especially for high school settings. This study examined the efficacy of Peer Group Connection (PGC-HS), a school-based PYD…

Adolescence is a period of growing focus on social interactions and relationships. The peer context is one of the most significant developmental contexts in this transitional period and positive peer experiences contribute positively to adolescent well-being. Although negative peer influence on antisocial behaviour has received much attention, we…

This study examines the process and outcome of a life design group intervention with grade 9 students. In a sample of 139 participants (91 girls and 48 boys), a quasi-experimental design was applied to analyse the intervention's effectiveness at fostering vocational identity, career adaptability and career decision-making self-efficacy. Seventy…

The impact of social media on teens' mental health and development raises the need for educational interventions that equip them with the knowledge and skills to cope with dangerous situations. In spite of the growing effort to expand social media literacy among youngsters, social media interventions still rely on conventional methods that tend to…

Amidst essentialising discourses that circulate through educational spaces (e.g. that 'boys will be boys' or that boys are inherently aggressive), there is a need for more research that explores adolescent identities as complex and relational. This study considers the affective-discursive practices that both constrain and enable teenage boys to…

A large body of literature examines parental interpretations of their child's autism diagnosis. However, research examining intersections between parental disclosure of their child's autism diagnosis to their child and their child's identity development is lacking. The primary aim of this study was to analyze if parental decisions to…

Gifted adolescents may identify as "gamers" who create avatars to navigate video games and cell phone apps. Avatars provide a unique venue through which gifted teens can explore the issues of self and identity in a critical time of their development. The purpose of this article is to (a) provide an overview of what avatars are, (b)…

Many researchers have used the standard Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) to assess decision-making in adolescence given increased risk-taking during this developmental period. Most studies are cross-sectional and do not observe behavioral trajectories over time, limiting interpretation. This longitudinal study investigated healthy adolescents' and young…

Changes in their brains, combined with a greater awareness of peers and events around them, make adolescence a key time for students to figure out who they are, what they aspire to be, and what they want to do in the world. This Alliance for Excellent Education report explores how human identity and self-regulation develop during adolescence and…