Adolescence is an important time in human development. Teenagers spend much time questioning their core belief structures and developing the foundations of their identity. For students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT), this path of development is difficult in American schools because of strongly held homophobic…

Multiculturalism and its attendant meanings have undergone several metamorphoses. Among many reasons, rapid technological change, the media of mass communication, easy world travel, and availability of higher education are altering both the way individuals look at their culture and the way cultures look at the individual's sense of self, leaving…

Self-empowerment techniques are personal growth activities that are used over time to create a sense of self-worth, personal accountability, and power in an individual. Generally, the goal of these techniques is to recognize, accept, and act upon individual hidden reserves of talent, ability, and courage. The techniques are learned experientially…

This article explains how and why stress mechanisms operate in students who participate in sports. Students respond to different sport situations with various physical, psychological, and social reactions. When developing and supervising sports, school personnel should take into consideration the physical and psychological development of…

Uses a stage-environment fit paradigm to provide evidence of a mismatch between early adolescents' developmental needs and aspects of the junior high school classroom environment. Discusses psychosocial problems possibly caused by this lack of synchronicity. Describes the consequences of differential treatment of adolescent females. Six patterns…

Parents, teachers, and peers play significant roles in a child's development of self-esteem. This report describes a program for improving the self-esteem of fourth-grade students in a large, multi-ethnic suburb. The researcher documented the students' low self-esteem through teacher observations and by the administration of a student self-esteem…

Provides middle-level teachers with suggestions for evaluating their classroom environment to guarantee a positive classroom climate that will enable students to develop a positive self-concept and achieve academically. Presents six evaluative factors that address challenge, freedom, respect, warmth, control, and success issues. (SD)

Proposes recommendations for balancing middle school students' academic, personal, and social needs by addressing personal development through curriculum and instruction, instructional program components, and a culture of assessment. Argues that academic achievement enhances self-esteem, concluding that students' academic achievement and personal…