The present study investigated the mediating role of career adaptability in the relationship between youth-perceived contextual support and positive youth development on the basis of a survey of 1,047 students in 10th to 12th grades. Measurement model analysis revealed that career search self-efficacy (CSSE), goal capacity, academic self-efficacy,…

There is insufficient empirical evidence exploring associations between gang membership and school violence behaviors. Using a sample of 272,863 high school students, this study employs a structural equation model to examine how school risk and protective behaviors and attitudes mediate effects of gang members' involvement with school violence…

In the framework of teacher's approaches to teaching, this study investigates the relationship between student-related variables (i.e., study time, class absence, domain knowledge, and homework completion), students' approaches to learning, and teachers' approaches to teaching using structural equation modeling (SEM) with two…

The overarching goal for American education under President Barack Obama has been to increase college enrollment and completion rates. The pressure to achieve this goal has been keenly felt in the postsecondary community, especially as federal and state funding have become increasingly tied to achieving higher college completion rates. Yet the…

This study uses an ecological systems framework to examine how indicators of individual, family, and school contexts are associated with post-secondary educational enrollment among a sample of rural youth. Structural equation modeling allows us to examine both direct and indirect effects of these contexts on school enrollment. Unique elements of…

The present study examined physical dating aggression in different adolescent relationships and assessed linear, threshold, and moderator risk models for recurrent aggressive relationships. The 621 participants (59% girls, 41% boys) were drawn from a 1-year longitudinal survey of Canadian high school youths ranging from Grade 9 through Grade 12.…

This study used hierarchical linear regression to examine the effects of taking specific high school courses on students' ACT performance in English, Mathematics, and Science. In addition, hierarchical logistic regression was used to examine the benefits of taking specific courses on students' likelihood of meeting or exceeding the ACT College…

Much of the research literature on school violence has focused narrowly on individual characteristics of troubled youth, without careful examination of contextual factors that might influence violence and victimization in school settings. This study examines the associations among Student Participation in Decision-Making in their Schools, Teacher…

This paper explores the complex, hierarchical relationship among school characteristics, individual differences in academic achievement, extracurricular activities, and socioeconomic background on performance on the SAT Reasoning Test™ verbal and mathematical sections. Using multilevel structural equation models (SEMs) with latent means, data from…