Draws on research with Brazilian street children to present methodological and ethical challenges inherent in research with street children; provides suggestions for overcoming these challenges. Issues of concern include the following: definition and sampling, and lack of clarity in these areas; measurement aspects, including surveys,…

This study explored influences on choice of major and career related decisions of seven gifted females from the end of high school through college. Parents were strong influences, along with extracurricular involvement for those whose career aspirations remained stable over time. Expectations regarding marriage and family also influenced career…

Maintains that professional portfolios can provide preservice teachers an opportunity for self-reflection and offer prospective employers an enhanced view of their skills, knowledge, and educational philosophy. Explains that portfolios should capture the teacher's growth over time and content-area knowledge. Discusses the necessary content and…

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…

The physical nature of adventure activities is closely intertwined with the cognitive and emotional growth of the participants. Immersion in the physical challenge and accompanying fun opens people to the learning opportunities. An example of a teacher's inability to scale a wall illustrates how proper debriefing can turn a "failure"…

The "Passages" program is a curriculum that integrates heart, spirit, and community with strong academics. The program inspires feelings of connectedness in teenagers by addressing their unspoken needs: the search for meaning and purpose, longing for silence and solitude, urge for transcendence, hunger for joy and delight, creative…

A workshop facilitator describes his personal journey, as well as the general process, of overcoming white male social conditioning, loneliness, and disconnection through group experiences with other white men. This process can be a foundation for understanding and addressing issues of oppression, racism, and inclusivity. (SAS)

Examines issues and concerns of returning adult women students who identify themselves as co-dependent (N=10). Concerns included self-esteem, perfectionism, identity and personal boundaries, student development, and support from campus services. Ways to support these students are discussed. (EMK)

Offers a trenchant critique of Jean Piaget and Lawrence Kohlberg, both of whom claimed to identify stages in moral development that are "universal, culturally invariant, and nonregressive." Explains some inadequacies in these theories, which have become so influential in education, and offers suggestions for further investigation. (MJP)

Many graduate students lack the capacity for self-authorship, the ability to develop one's own perspective. Data from a longitudinal study of sixteen students, begun in their first year of college, illustrates the difficulty of moving from embracing multiple perspectives to constructing self-authored perspectives. The stories of three graduate…

Describes outdoor education students' developmental needs for belongingness, acceptance, care and friendship, praise and recognition, responsibility, self-respect, creativity, achievement, and new experiences. Explains how upward, outward, forward, and downward models of personal growth can be linked to developmental needs to enhance and evaluate…

Uses three examples to illustrate how adventure education encourages the development of community: it is voluntary; it taps a human need to demonstrate competence and skill; and it provides opportunities for people to rally around a common need or goal, often in the service of others. Discusses similarities and differences of community- and…

A 4-day adventure ropes course with 20 Colombian adolescents who belonged to gangs that worked for drug traffickers produced noticeable changes in their attitudes and behavior. As a result, two of them left their barrio in search of a better life, and two began work as gardeners in a public park. (TD)

Used data from 134 female and 135 male, Caucasian, Protestant college students to develop a path model of psychosocial development. For both genders, identity encompassed both personal competence and social connection, and intimate relationships served as a bridge between the private and social selves. (SLD)

Case studies based on interviews with five gifted deaf adults found a common frustration with schooling, a reluctance to be double-labeled as gifted and deaf, recognition of the importance of a supportive home environment and positive socialization experiences, and identity with the deaf community as a critical factor in personal success. Results…