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…

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.…

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…

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…

This study sought to explore the importance of mentorship programs for Black adolescent females. Due to the unique challenges that Black women face regarding the intersectionality of race, gender, and socioeconomic status, they are in need of mentorship programs to overcome these challenges. The Critical Race Feminist Theory was the theoretical…

Adolescents spend a significant and increasing amount of time online, especially on social media (SM) platforms. Replicating most of the questions from the 2018 PEW Teen Survey (Anderson & Jiang, 2018), this study provides a current understanding of how a sample of Canadian adolescents use SM, what perceived effects of SM they report, and…

Indianapolis, Indiana is a sprawling city making it an exceptional locale to pursue environmental learning and stewardship research, particularly in the urban context. To achieve improved understanding of people's attitudes and behaviors towards their natural environment and resources, research was conducted on different local populations of…

This dissertation focuses on the everyday life information practices of teens in the Nerdfighter online fan community known as Nerdfighteria. Nerdfighteria is the community of fans of vloggers John and Hank Green. This study examines aspects of everyday life information seeking (ELIS) by (1) focusing on an understudied demographic, teens between…

We are currently experiencing unprecedented waves of forced migration (UNHCR, 2022a), leading to an increase in anti-refugee rhetorics which in turn fuel policies that have life or death consequences for refugees (Gotlib, 2017). In this context, refugee voices are urgently needed in scholarly, public, and political realms, yet these perspectives…

The newest science standards and national economy demand a committed emphasis to STEM integration in K-12 education. The need for STEM programs in K-12 education continues to grow, specifically in the formative adolescent years. In response, one public school district pursued and was awarded a grant to implement a STEM program. This research study…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore and further understand the ways in which middle school and high school students perceive their school experiences within the school environment. School has an important impact on the social development of children (Milsom, 2006). Learning is not done individually as classrooms are inherently social…

Teen dating violence is more prevalent among African Americans than any other racial group in the United States leading to serious health consequences for victims. However, limited data exists on how African American adolescents' attitudes and perceptions regarding dating violence are formed, and whether they are influenced by family members. The…

Access to higher education can help tribal communities maintain political sovereignty, protect traditional knowledge and languages, and help close economic and social gaps (Adelman, et al., 2013, Brayboy, et al., 2012). Statistics indicate that too few Native Americans participate in post-secondary institutions and considerable research has gone…

This study explored the relationship between adolescent risk behavior and flow, a state of optimal experience characterized by a spontaneous and fluid, yet deeply focused state of awareness (Csikszentmihalyi, 1996). The purpose of the study was to better understand adolescent risk taking, as well as how it may interact with experiences of flow.…

Literature indicates that 72% of adolescent girls are exposed to sexually explicit Internet material (SEIM) before the age of 18, and between 2%-30% of girls report intentionally seeking SEIM. Despite the recognition that adolescent girls are consuming SEIM, and that their use impacts behaviors, beliefs, and attitudes, there has been limited…