The SUGAR Program Manual was designed based on an extensive literature review on bullying, adolescent development, resilience and protective factors, and anti-bullying programs. Literature on anti-bullying programs showed a deficit for older adolescents, particularly high school students. A whole-school approach is proposed by incorporating…

With rising rates of adolescents experiencing suicide-related thoughts and behaviors (STB), schools have been identified as key sites for suicide-prevention initiatives. Research on the roles of school professionals has centered on the identification of risk and referral of students for treatment. Less is known about the ongoing, subtle ways…

Much research has been published on leadership, leadership development, and strategic leadership relating to theories, styles, strategies, and practices. However, there has been little published research on the influence of adolescent experience and the impact those influences have on the leader they become (Liu et al., 2019). This study aims to…

This ethnographic study interrogates youth understandings of the concept of "monstrosity" as presented in young adult speculative fiction novels and as it pertains to contemporary U.S. politics. The monster is a popular figure in fiction for adolescents, and it often serves a metaphorical political function within its narratives. This…

Despite long-standing acknowledgement that U.S. adolescents of color are disproportionately deemed "struggling readers," various iterations of supposedly neutral neoliberal literacy reform legitimized by quantitative data systemically deny access and opportunity through labeling and sorting and perpetuate educator deficit ideologies.…

The current study's purpose was to validate a revised Story World Absorption Scale (SWAS; Kuijpers et al., 2014) as a measure of habitual adolescent reading engagement. This approach to measuring reading engagement reflects the multidimensionality and theoretical alignment that is currently missing from the reading engagement literature.…

This evaluation study addressed the need to increase the participation of teenagers in the Youth Service Agency ABC (YSA ABC). ABC offers positive, powerful, and empowering experiences for area teens. These programs help them with character development, financial literacy, emotional intelligence, healthy well-being, and many other skills and tools…

Teenagers today are coming of age under unprecedented, pervasive networks of institutional mass surveillance technologies. Surveillance technologies spreading in youth spaces are impacting young people's prospects today and are expected to continue in the future. Additionally, today's teenagers will be tomorrow's decision-makers, tasked with…

The study explored the profound influence an attuned mentor can have on the career trajectories of young mothers. By engaging in detailed interviews with women who navigated the challenges of early motherhood while pursuing higher education and establishing themselves in the workforce, this researcher seeks to uncover the pivotal role mentors…

Reading motivation has been the subject of research for almost a century, although these studies are primarily solely quantitative in nature and lack hearing from the voices of students themselves. The purpose of this research was to understand how early adolescent readers' knowledge of their reading level determines their reading habits and…

This qualitative case study examined leadership development and mentoring in a chapter of Jack and Jill of America (JJOA), a national organization for African-American women and their children focused on leadership, cultural awareness, and civic duty. While JJOA is a national organization, individual chapters are self-governed, and there is no…

Identity is a foundational element in a person's development and can influence all aspects of a person's life. Although research on adolescent identity development is a growing field, there are opportunities for additional research on this stage of development, with specific focus needed on the role of asynchronous development. This study utilized…

Exercise is associated with unmasking underlying cardiac disorders and increasing an athlete's risk for experiencing a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) event during sports. Parental knowledge is an important component of health education in relation to the future of their child's health. The purpose of this quantitative research study was to assess the…

In this dissertation I report findings from two studies of the literacy abilities of children with Williams syndrome (WS), a genetic disorder associated with intellectual disability. I had two overarching goals: 1) evaluate the applicability of theories of reading and spelling acquisition developed based on typically developing children to…

This study examines the relationships between peer victimization, peer relations and depression among adolescents, with a focus on the moderating roles of peer rejection, peer acceptance and reciprocal friendships on the association between peer victimization and depression. A sample of 605 adolescents (average age 13.5 years) completed measures…