Background: Mid-adolescence is an important phase of self-development in various domains including academics as well as for changes in the neural mechanisms underlying the self-concept. Students' academic self-concept (ASC) is affected by educational achievements and social others (such as teachers and peers). To what extent these external…

Social gaming--online gameplay involving digital interactions with others--is a common form of social media use among adolescents. Research on this topic has neglected the social aspect of gaming and the potential role of social gaming in adolescent development. In this article, we define social gaming, drawing on interdisciplinary theories to…

This mixed methods study examines life purposes of Finnish adolescents (N = 843) at the end of their basic education. Purpose is understood as a long-term intention to accomplish something of meaning to the self, which also contributes to society. The research showed that, despite problem talk about adolescents' mental health, Finnish adolescents…

This study explored how mentoring begins and the benefits provided for African American sexual and/or gender minority (SGM) youth. Participants were mentors and mentees living in three Mid-Atlantic cities. Mentees (ages 15-21, n = 14) identified as African American; cisgender male, transgender female, or non-binary assigned male; and had sexual…

Digital flourishing refers to the positive perceptions of digital communication use in five dimensions: connectedness, positive social comparison, authentic self-presentation, civil participation, and self-control. This three-wave panel study among 1081 Slovenian adolescents (M[subscript age] = 15.34 years, 53.8% boys, 80.7% ethnic majority)…

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…

Adolescence is a critical period for social emotional development. The need to focus on social emotional competencies is exacerbated by the COVID 19 pandemic. This systematic review paper provides a collective account of mindfulness interventions conducted exclusively with adolescent students in an educational setting (mean age 11 to 18) with the…

"Middle School Today" is clustered into major themes: adolescent development and identity, the adolescent learner, curriculum and instruction, and the contemporary middle school. The book describes the components related to adolescent development starting with simple principles from psychology regarding the physical, cognitive, and…

This study investigates the influence of church mentoring on the psychosocial development of adolescents from immigrant and ethnic minority backgrounds. Framed within ecological systems and sociocultural theories, it examines mentoring processes in fostering positive youth development. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with fifteen…

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and other sexual and gender minority (LGBTQ+) youth and young adults (YYAs) have poorer mental health outcomes than their cisgender, heterosexual peers in large part due to multilevel stigmatization and minority stress. This was exacerbated by psychological stressors stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic;…

Life storytelling is a key method for developing the self, and family storytelling is an important setting for parents and adolescents to jointly make sense of adolescent experiences. Early adolescence is a key time for building a clearer sense of self. We studied mother scaffolding and adolescent meaning-making as adolescents recounted turning…

This four-wave longitudinal study among 698 Chinese early adolescents explored (1) how personal identity coherence and confusion develop; and (2) whether parenting style and peer relationships (i.e., close friend relationships and peer preference) were related to personal identity development. Participants (M[subscript age] = 11.39 yrs.,…

Many young people are inclined toward risk taking and also toward helping other people. "Prosocial risk taking" is a term that can describe different ways that youth provide significant instrumental and emotional support to family members, friends, and strangers, even when it involves a personal risk. In this article, we review research…

This paper aims to offer a new perspective on role modelling by examining adolescents' own efforts to lead a morally virtuous life. While traditional approaches to moral education emphasize the importance of teachers as role models, this study proposes a shift in focus towards adolescents' own role models. Drawing on the philosophical concept of…

Migration-related risk factors may impact the association between coping strategies, resilience, and identity development, one of the fundamental developmental tasks in adolescence. We examined the relationship between resilience and coping strategies in immigrant and non-immigrant adolescents' identity development. On a sample of Turkish…