Younger adolescents demonstrate a greater vulnerability to negative life events than do older adolescents and adults. The authors examined whether this heightened vulnerability includes a greater likelihood for participating in problem behaviors associated with poor academic outcomes and receiving lower grades. The study was conducted using data…

This study examines the developmental trajectories of ability and trait emotional intelligence (EI) in the Portuguese secondary school. Within a three-wave longitudinal design, 395 students (M[subscript age] = 15.4; SD = 0.74) completed both the Emotional Skills and Competence Questionnaire (ESCQ) and the Vocabulary of Emotions Test (VET). Results…

As a nation built from the migration of peoples from every continent in the world, modern Australia developed a unique culture based on an egalitarian ethos. Recent research, however, suggests that social inequality is increasing and, in particular, social mobility is in decline. In this paper, I examine one aspect of social inequality that has…

Recent research studies have indicated that self-efficacy and hope explain a significant, independent portion of the variability in academic performance (D. H. Adelabu, 2008). Despite this recognition, there is an absence of research outlining the developmental trajectories of the aforementioned constructs over time. The author used latent growth…

Student engagement is an important contributor to school success, yet high school students routinely describe themselves as disengaged. Identifying factors that alter (increase) engagement is a key aspect of improving support for student achievement. This study investigated students' perceptions of autonomy, teacher connection, and academic…

This study examined the effects of a training programme on students' acquisition of life skills, life satisfaction, life orientation and expectations about academic achievement. Participants were allocated to either an intervention group ("n"?=?41) that took part in a life skills programme, or a control group ("n"?=?43).…

It is well established that there is an academic achievement gap between students from high and low socioeconomic family backgrounds. However, how being brought up and living in different socioeconomic backgrounds impacts adolescent development, particularly their creative capabilities and creativity-related personality traits, is not well…

Motivation to learn foreign languages is a significant determinant of successful language acquisition. The subject has been widely researched in the past, and since the early 1990s a great deal of empirical research related to the classroom environment has been proposed to expand theory into everyday classroom practice. I present an empirical,…

Following the seminal writing of James Coleman (1988), a number of scholars have suggested that inequality in child and adolescent development reflects differences in social capital among families from different backgrounds (e.g., Sampson, Morenoff, & Earls, 1999; Crosnoe, 2004; Kao, 2004). By "social capital," Coleman referred to…

Objective: This article describes the development and initial validation of the 90-item Chinese Positive Youth Development Scale (CPYDS), which contains items related to 15 aspects of positive youth development. Method: Adolescents with well adjustment ( N = 162) and poor adjustment (N = 160) responded to the CPYDS. Results: The findings showed…

High school students completed achievement, psychosocial competence, behavior problems, and internalized stress. Results showed that the level of parent authoritativeness in adolescents' peer network benefits adolescents above and beyond the positive impact of parenting in their home. (ET)

Examined the relationship between stressful life events, internalized symptoms of stress, and academic achievement in urban Hispanic high school students. Found direct effects of stressful life events and perceived competence on school grades and internalized symptoms. Multiplicative interactions for perceived competence were not significant…

Discusses studies about the role of athletics in high school students' lives. Examines the criteria for social status for both male and female students. Explores the types of activities students want to be remembered for, the current basis for popularity, and the importance of the dual role of student athletes. (Author/JS)

Using a developmental perspective, this study contrasted learning and nonlearning disabled adolescents on three variables: Erikson's stages of psychosocial development; self-concept; and delinquent behavior. The results indicated that the learning disabled subjects, due to years of failing, were unable to develop a sense of industry and…

A three-year study was conducted to evaluate the implementation of the Transitional School Model in the Des Moines, Iowa, Independent Community School District. The model was designed to provide early adolescents in grades 6-8 with a more comprehensive bridge between elementary school and high school by emphasizing students' physical, emotional,…