Since the 1970s, schools in Ireland have offered an optional programme known as 'Transition Year' midway through secondary education, when students are typically 15 years old. It lasts one academic year and aims to promote maturity, social development and vocational exploration, and to give students a chance to develop personal and intellectual…

The article reviews recent classroom research developed in South America related to child and adolescent development. We review work about three themes: ethnicity, school climate and violence, and the learning process. The few studies found on ethnicity and classroom experiences told a story of invisibility, if not exclusion and discrimination.…

Character education is integral to the educational enterprise. Recent character education endeavors across the educational landscape have originated from a variety of different organizational sources. This article provides a review of the progress character education from the 18th century up through the 21st.

In this chapter, we present a brief review of the developmental literature linking healthy adjustment to five core competencies: (1) positive sense of self, (2) self-control, (3) decision-making skills, (4) a moral system of belief, and (5) prosocial connectedness. A central premise of this chapter and the rest of the volume is that promoting…

This article illuminates the current status of our understanding regarding the academic and social-emotional needs of gifted, early adolescent females in the United States. A synthesis of both theoretical and empirical studies addresses two foundational questions. First, how do we describe the unique population of gifted, female, adolescent…

Just as infants and the elderly have special health care needs based on their stages in the life cycle, adolescents also have particular health needs. While some of those needs are simply a result of the bodily changes that define adolescence, others are true medical conditions which are most commonly found in this age group. Among achievements…

Social consequences likely to result from the popularity of video game arcades among teenagers are considered. Views of social theorists are summarized; social and financial problems created by the games are discussed, as are possible advantages, such as development of quicker reflexes. Attempts to regulate arcade hours are noted. (PP)

The authors focus on the moral development of the early adolescent (ages 10 to 15). The ways in which early adolescents develop morally, social influences on such development, and the expression of morality behaviorally are discussed. (Editor/KC)

Overviews the nature of self-esteem and describes various dimensions of self-esteem, including gaining a sense of competency and experiencing acceptance by others. Strategies for camps include establishing goals for camper achievement, creating developmentally appropriate camp activities, and training staff with the necessary skills for enhancing…

Reviews research on how gender affects adolescent development. Discusses various conceptualizations of adolescence, the crisis of self-esteem for adolescent girls, the ways in which schools reinforce traditional gender roles, differences between boys' and girls' achievement patterns, and the intersections of gender with ethnicity and social class.…

A review of the literature on the socioemotional development and status of hard-of-hearing students in regular classes identifies sources of negative attitudes to which students may be exposed. These include the presence of a hearing aid, requests for clarification, speech impediments, erroneous information in available literature, confusing…

Discussed are major developmental characteristics of 10 to 15-year olds. These characteristics are organized around the developmental, social, behavioral processes within early adolescents. It is suggested they are taking on the characteristics of older adolescents of the 1970s, involved in their own lives and in the decisions affecting them.…

Provides an overview of research on emotional expression and emotional experience during adolescence, defined as the period between the ages of 10 and 21 years. Reviews methodological issues related to this research, and reviews research in the two major content areas of biological influences on emotional expression and experience, and emotion in…

This paper provides an overview of research on community service in adolescence and outlines a theoretical approach that relates service participation to identity development. After building the case that the 1990s has been a period of increased interest in the prosocial effects of service participation among school-aged youth, this paper…

To assist the North Carolina League of Middle/Junior High Schools, this paper briefly surveys the literature on developmental characteristics of early adolescents and the characteristics of effective teachers and also discusses the implications of the findings for instruction and the curriculum. The authors first define early adolescence as the…