This qualitative study discovers teenage boys whose connections to Judaism and Jewish life offered them resilience and contextual opportunities for identity development. Those who have active, positive Jewish identities describe adaptations that are more independent of adolescent peer norms and freer, in terms of masculine pressures, than less…

The purpose of this study was to introduce a motivational property of the group, friendship group engagement vs. disaffection, and to examine different composition models for combining individual reports into an indicator of a group-level property. Data were collected from 312 ninth grade students and their teachers. Self-reported friendship group…

Background: Adolescent peer group self-identification refers to adolescents' affiliation with reputation-based peer groups such as "Goths" or "Jocks." These groups tend to vary on normative characteristics, including the group members' attitudes and behaviors. This article examined whether adolescents' baseline peer group…

Two simulation studies examined the effect of peer group rejection on 7 and 9 year old children's outgroup prejudice. In Study 1, children (n = 88) pretended that they were accepted or rejected by their assigned group, prior to competing with a lower status outgroup. Results indicated that rejected versus accepted children showed increased…

From June 2004 through January of 2005, the Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta hosted the traveling exhibit, "The Genomic Revolution," described as the most comprehensive presentation on the complex subject of genomics. Originally created by the American Museum of Natural History, this exhibit presented cutting edge…

The observation of leadership development has focused primarily on adult populations. Few studies have investigated leadership development in adolescents. Parenting style effects on the development of adolescent socialization have been widely studied. These studies have consistently found direct relationships between parenting behaviors and…

This multi-method, longitudinal study examines the role of teacher attunement (teacher accuracy in identifying the peer group memberships of individual students) in children's peer experiences in early elementary classrooms (1st-3rd grades). Social cognitive mapping (SCM) procedures assessed and compared students' and teachers'…

Classmates' academic skill level (peer effects) is emerging as an important predictor of individual student achievement, particularly in the early grades. However, less is known about the influence of peer effects with regard to classmates' self-regulation skills and whether they are associated with students' academic gains. Examining this is the…

The general purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which and ways in which SEALS (Select Entry Accelerated Learning) program effects differ for early adolescent boys and girls. The first aim was to examine differential effects of SEALS by gender, for students' perceptions of the social-affective context of school. The second aim…

Bullying in schools has been identified as a serious and complex worldwide problem associated with negative short- and long-term effects on children's psychosocial adjustment (Smith 1999; Ttofi and Farrington, "Aggressive Behav" 34(4):352-368, 2008). Entering kindergarten is a crucial developmental step in many children's lives mainly because it…

Bullying involves a powerful person intentionally harming a less powerful person repeatedly. With advances in technology, students are finding new methods of bullying, including sending harassing emails, instant messages, text messages, and personal pictures to others. Although school bullying has been studied since the 1970s, relatively little is…

Applying a person-centered approach, the primary aim of this study was to examine what profiles of schoolwork engagement and burnout (i.e., exhaustion, cynicism, inadequacy) can be identified in high school (N = 979) and among the same participants in young adulthood (ages ranging from 17 to 25). We also examined gender differences, group…

While bullying is not a new topic, much focus has been placed on this troublesome, social phenomenon during the past few years. Bullying exists between children, neighbors, spouses, employers, co-workers, and various other relationships, and takes different forms including verbal, physical, and psychological abuse. Researchers and students at…

For more than 35 years, the first-year experience movement has been working to improve the first-year experience for freshmen and decrease first-year and subsequent dropout rates. The purpose of this study is to examine student perceptions of the role of peer advising in the first-year experience. Through emphasis on support, involvement, and…

This research was designed to answer the question, "What are the characteristics of adult to student structured mentoring programs occurring in Christian high schools?" In the process of answering this question, the following two sub-questions were also answered: "What role does the mentor and mentee play in an adult to student structured…