Adolescents spend a large proportion of their day in school or pursuing school-related activities. While the primary purpose of school is the academic development of students, its effects on adolescents are far broader, also encompassing their physical and mental health, safety, civic engagement, and social development. Further, its effects on all…

Extending the study of autobiographical narratives to entire life narratives, we tested the emergence of globally coherent life narratives in adolescence, as hypothesized by McAdams (1985). Participants were 102 children and young adults (ages 8, 12, 16, and 20 years) who narrated their lives twice. Between narrations, half of each age group…

By definition, adolescence begins with the onset of puberty (often starting earlier now) and ends when adult responsibilities are assumed (often starting later). This is a very long period of enormous change and rapid growth, physically, socially, sexually, cognitively, emotionally, motivationally, and morally. Adolescents are moving from…

Using a social constructionist perspective, we investigated the flexibility of early adolescents' (N = 80, 40 boys, 40 girls; M age = 13.14; SD = 0.65) masculinity and femininity as a function of the interpersonal context (same- or other-sex partner) and situational demands (co-operation or competition). Participants played a block-building game…

Middle school students are naturally curious about their expanding possibilities. This stage of their lives is a time of transition, of figuring out who they are and where they belong in the world. Many students also think that the world they look at through the classroom window is distant and unconnected to the world of chalkboards and pop…

This article illuminates the current status of our understanding regarding the academic and social-emotional needs of gifted, early adolescent females in the United States. A synthesis of both theoretical and empirical studies addresses two foundational questions. First, how do we describe the unique population of gifted, female, adolescent…

In this article the authors explore the relationship between concepts of identity and the purpose, process, and products of youth media arts organizations. Since the explicit mission of these organizations is to work with adolescents to explore and represent identities, the authors develop our understanding of how organizations conceptualize…

Objectives: To longitudinally describe prosocial behaviour development from childhood to adolescence, using multiple informants within Canadian and Italian samples. Method: Participants in Study 1 were 1037 boys from low socioeconomic status (SES) areas in Montreal, Canada, for whom yearly teacher and mother reports were obtained between the ages…

This brief resource list of books and articles on early adolescent physical, social, and intellectual development mentions materials relating to psychology, religion, employment, and parent participation. (BJD)

Relates the experiences of a tenth grader as she has grown up keeping a journal and what purposes the journal has served. (SRT)

Relates resistance in adolescents to individual developmental issues and social context. Suggests viewing resistance as having a positive and protective function and working with the resistance rather than in opposition to it. A continuum of types of adolescent resistance is proposed with several specific interventional strategies for deactivating…

Discusses implications for career counseling of men and women in nontraditional occupations. Reviews two studies on occupational innovators which suggested that nontraditional employees described themselves as less sex typed than others. Discusses implications for career counseling with adolescents. (JAC)

Investigated differences between male and female offender and nonoffender youths (N=117) in social perspective-taking. Subjects completed the Defining Issues Test three times--as self, teacher, and police officer. Results indicated 14- and 15-year-old offenders and nonoffenders do not differ in perspective-taking ability across three social roles.…

Americans can learn from the British the vital importance of having a positive developmental approach to working with adolescents. (Author/MLF)

Psychosocial crises may inhibit the ability of adolescent students to meet the demands of nursing curriculum and to develop the skills of reflective practice. Educational and clinical support for young nursing students is recommended. (SK)