Middle schools embrace exploration as a guiding principle across the school curriculum. Noting that the research on exploratory courses is sparse, this digest discusses what is known about exploratory curriculum in middle schools. The digest first looks at the role of exploratory curriculum, pointing out that the purpose of exploratory courses is…

As the Navajo nation undergoes rapid assimilation and modernization, counseling needs of the Navajo children have changed in ways similar to counseling needs in developing or "Eastern Block" nations. An adolescent sub-culture, full of at-risk behaviors, is epidemic worldwide. The paper states that a multicultural perspective can provide…

The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) sponsored a conference to identify key issues that could help OERI develop an agenda for research, products, and services in early adolescent education. This document compiles the papers from that conference. Following an introduction by OERI and a list of…

Using a journal format, this book invites teens to examine their lives and relationships with family, friends, classmates, and new acquaintances. The book focuses on physical, emotional, and sexual boundaries to relationships and uses stories of other teens to illustrate how personal space and feelings can be either respected or violated in…

Studied the relationship between academic motivation and occupational aspiration in 560 Nigerian secondary school students. Data from the Academic Motivation Questionnaire and the Employment Aspiration Questionnaire suggested that academic motivation and occupational aspiration seemed to complement each other. Both motivation and aspiration were…

Compared economically dependent college students (N=20) with independent nonstudents (N=20) to assess the impact of prolonged student status. Results of a test battery showed prolonged student status appeared to (1) foster emotional dependence; (2) negatively affect achievement of identity but not self-esteem; and (3) retard vocational identity…

A number of interacting factors are discussed which significantly influence the development and expression of adolescent sexuality, including: (1) biological development; (2) societal trends; (3) psychological aspects; (4) familial patterns; and (5) historical and political influences. Adolescent cognitive development and psychoanalytic theories…

Using William Blake's work, discusses the element of the ideal in the development of contemporary adolescents. Discusses a model of constructive change in which explicit future outcomes are used as a starting point to construct new skills needed for change. Describes a monitoring system to measure progress. (RC)

Continuous progress education is designed to relate to the special interests, needs, and abilities of each individual learner. A curriculum responsive to the needs of early adolescents would include the elements of content organization, learning activities, time allocations, student assessment, staff and materials development, and budget. (JN)

Discusses factors that hinder and facilitate the implementation of a youth participation strategy in the United States and evaluates four demonstration projects carried out to this end. (Author/GC)

Three studies assessed the relationship between expressive writing (poetry writing and journal keeping) and ego identity development among high school and college students. Poetry writers were more likely to be in the identity achiever status. No differences were found between students keeping personal journals and those who had not. (Author/GDC)

The author presents ways in which media, especially television, effects social processes in early adolescence (ages 10 to 15). Research is reported which substantiates social characteristics which may emerge as a direct result of media influence. (Editor/KC)

The shaping of human motor development is demonstrated by the orderly sequence of events which occur throughout the individual's development process. Muscular strength and proficiency in gross motor skills improve with advancing chronological age throughout childhood and adolescence, with sex differences in performance tending to favor males. (JN)

The stereotyped, media-perpetuated view of early adolescence as a period of storm and stress is highly destructive. By defining all young adolescents as innately egotistical and rebellious, we risk a self-fulfilling prophecy and we limit their chances to develop as individuals and to assume responsibility. (Author/SJL)

Data from 45 men and 46 women explored early adolescence satisfaction, high school satisfaction and physical attractiveness, and social mobility and satisfaction. Subjects rated high on the use of denial reported higher levels of retrospective life satisfaction. (Author/NRB)