Developmental theories and previous research suggest that individuals do not develop separately from their environments. Yet, limited information is known about how ecological influences specifically shape early adolescents' development. To address this, the current study examined environmental influences on early adolescents' future orientation…

Guided by self-determination theory and the bioecological model, this latent class analysis explores the patterns and predictors of supportive relationships in a national sample of early adolescents (N = 6,469). A six-class solution emerged: youth with (1) emotional, informational, and academic support from various adults and peers across home,…

Introduction: Societal stressors place a tremendous burden on individuals who identify with a sexual minority identity. While minority stress experienced by racial/ethnic minority groups has been linked to accelerated aging, this link has yet to be examined among sexual minority youth. This study explores whether sexual minority youth who indicate…

This study tested an empirical model of the relationship between "Personal Positive Youth Development" (PPYD) and two contextual factors: "Positive Parenting" (PP), and "Perception of the Climate and Functioning of the School" (PcfS). The hypothesis tested was that a positive relationship with parents and a positive…

Background: School climate plays a vital role in adolescent development. However, most prior studies have relied on cross-sectional designs and have overlooked the relationship between psychological flexibility and the disciplinary structure of school climate. Guided by authoritative school climate theory, this study explores the longitudinal…

The article explores developmental tensions in Finnish adolescents' accounts of their different worlds. By understanding tensions experienced by students, educators can develop their pedagogical practices to address those tensions. Building on cultural-historical activity theory, we analysed 12 interviews of 8th graders, focusing on their…

The objective of this study is to explore the inclusiveness of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) adolescents in junior high school from the perspective of LGBTQ adolescents in Sweden. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 GBTQ adolescents aged 16 to 19. The study was approved by the Swedish Ethical Review…

Although school climate plays an important role in the development of adolescent prosocial behaviors and problem behaviors, little is known about the mechanisms underlying school climate's impact on such behaviors, particularly in Chinese adolescents. This study used a multi-informant approach to investigate the mediating role of social-emotional…

Youths' affinity for snack foods is well-documented; in various contexts, they sell chips, candy, and other goods. Adults may frame such sales as either entrepreneurial or deviant, which can contribute to positive youth development (on one hand) or cycles of disengagement and criminalization (on the other). Drawing on ethnographic and interview…

Like many youth development programs, most youth mentoring programs do not have prescribed practices that target specific outcomes. Because the construct of mentoring represents a broad range of potential activities, researchers face a conundrum when making generalizable causal inferences about the effects of this and similar services. On the one…

Contemporary research on mental health and well-being highlights the importance of understanding the complexities of adolescent life. Adolescence is a critical developmental stage, marked by various challenges and opportunities that shape mental health outcomes. Our study aims to explore both positive and negative experiences related to school,…

The article reveals the problem of the development of personal agency of adolescents in a socially enriched environment of additional education. It deals with the theoretical aspects of the problem. Attention is drawn to significant characteristics of personal agency, such as multileveledness, reflexivity, motivation, initiative and realization…

The unintended academic and social consequences for students experiencing the transition from elementary to middle school have been well documented. A mixed method study was conducted to examine the perceptions and attitudes of 6th grade students, parents, and teachers from four middle schools in a large suburban school district in Southeastern…

Hallways, cafeterias, buses, bathrooms, locker rooms, and other spaces in and around school property serve as venues for positive and negative social processes. Middle school educators can gain important insights into the adolescent world by exploring student perspectives of these spaces vital to middle school social experiences. Often unseen or…

This paper addresses a validation study focusing on the process of adapting the EPOCH measure of adolescent well-being (Kern et al. in Psychol Assess 28(5):586-597. https://doi-org.bibliotheek.ehb.be/10.1037/pas0000201, 2016) to the school context and translating it into German--resulting in the EPOCH-School model (EPOCH-S) with the corresponding measure EPOCH-G-S…