This paper describes an instance of a disadvantaged (urban) Australian government school that realized it had little alternative but to try new approaches; "old ways" were not working. The paper describes an ensemble of school reform practices, philosophies and strategies that give young adolescents genuine ownership of their learning.…

The current study presented a new description of adolescent school-based activity participation, in the form of mutually exclusive activity portfolios, and described the kinds of youth that participate in each portfolio. These portfolios included (1) Sports Only, (2) Academics Only, (3) School Only, (4) Performance Only, (5) Multiple Activities,…

Out-of-school time programs can provide valuable supports to the positive development of children and youth. These programs can help cultivate social and emotional skills, and further students' academic achievements. Furthermore, the safe environment provided by out-of-school time programs can offer children and youth, especially those living in…

In this article, we argue that policymakers in America should reference a coherent, comprehensive, and child-centered framework for children. That is, based on an extensive review of the empirical literature on the first two decades of life, we conclude that policies should address the needs of young people throughout the first two decades of…

A total of 137 mothers and 76 fathers of sixth graders rated their relationship with their child in terms of closeness or conflict. Parents also provided data concerning their expectations for their child's changes over the next 2 years, and the degree to which they influenced their child's behavior and would influence it when the child became an…

YOUTH DARES (Dynamic Alternatives for Rehabilitation through Educational Services) believes there are three major environments youth come into contact with or that impact on their development: the family, the educational system, and the "street." An element missing from all of these environments is youth participation. A fourth…

As a result of the Holocaust, many survivors developed long term psychosocial impairment known as the Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which is characterized by depression, anxiety, hypocondriasis, inability to concentrate or to express anger, nightmares, insomnia, obsessive thoughts, guilt, mistrust, and alienation. The literature in this…

Two samples of parents and one of teachers were interviewed to determine (1) what parents of early adolescents believe about adolescence as a developmental period and what they expect for their own adolescents' development; (2) junior high school teachers' beliefs about adolescent development; (3) evidence for the effects of personal experience…

Humor in adolescent literature is the focus of the articles in this themed journal issue. The articles and their authors are as follows: (1) "Of Fiction and Madness" (Paul Zindel); (2) "Before the Immaculate Cuticles" (Jerry Spinelli); (3) "I Want To Make Them Laugh" (Ellen Conford); (4) "The Terrible Hilarity of Adolescence in 'Dinky Hocker…

This document contains a reference sheet and an annotated bibliography concerned with sexuality education. The reference sheet provides a brief overview of the results of sexuality education programs as reported in the literature. The annotated bibliography contains the relevant information for each article, study, or book citation included in the…

This review examines research in moral and spiritual development during the adolescent years, with a primary focus on Piaget's and Kohlberg's theories. It begins by presenting definitions of morality and then discusses theories of moral development set forth by Piaget, Elkind, and Kohlberg. Theories of Piaget and Kohlberg are briefly compared.…

Drawing on a social cognitive understanding of the relationship between television and viewers which suggests that adolescents will seek media content consistent with their already developed notions about the sexes, a study surveyed 1,613 adolescents (aged 12 to 17). Respondents were drawn from 10 standard metropolitan statistical areas that are…

This book, written by staff members of the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect (NCCAN) and of NCCAN-funded projects, presents their reflections about their experiences in providing, supporting, and evaluating treatment to abused and neglected adolescents. It is intended to serve as a source book for those concerned with the problem of…

Several writers have suggested that changes in temporal perspective during adolescence are largely a consequence of the cognitive acquisitions held to characterize the period (i.e., emergence of formal operations reasoning). To replicate earlier research, which found little association between adolescents' formal operations reasoning and future…

The concept of juvenile court and juvenile delinquency as distinct from adult crime is grounded in the idea of allowing adolescents more consideration because they are not quite adults, cognitively, psychologically, or socially. These developmental progressions within the individual and complementary societal changes in how the individual is…