Sokolowski (2000) summarized the phenomenological attitude by saying, "We look at what we normally look through" (p. 50). Through interviews and document analysis, this study looked at the lives of six students and their decision to return to their education to earn a high school diploma. The purpose of this study was to illuminate how…

Investigates the personal concerns and causes of difficulties perceived by Hong Kong adolescent students (N=2,103). Results reveal that academic achievement was perceived as the most pressing concern, while problems at home and maladjusted behavior were seen as lesser concerns. Discusses implications for psychologists working with adolescents in…

State laws pertaining to truants, runaways, and other "status offenders"--as distinguished from delinquents who have committed crimes--are discussed. Characteristics of these youths and their families are noted. Shortcomings of existing programs for them and the need for educational alternatives are pointed out. (PP)

Presents a script for a 1-act play about a 17-year-old girl whose mother neglects her and her alcoholic absentee father. Relates how the protagonist, Tara, becomes pregnant by a classmate who she barely knows, and plans to leave home to raise her child alone after graduating high school. (PA)

Although it is important to recognize that all children can learn, teachers cannot ignore the family-related problems students bring to class. Helping students to become whole people socially and emotionally contributes to their academic development. (SK)

Runaway behavior is presented from the point of view of 26 teenagers in a rural New England shelter. Reasons for running include seeking freedom from abusive treatment, and a search for connection. Running was found to be a "last resort" behavior. Many youths expressed the desire for reconciliation. (Author/EMK)

A study was undertaken to examine the high risk/high need youth population of West Virginia. Workers from 55 county school boards, 27 area offices of health centers, private and public psychiatric hospitals with adolescent units, juvenile probation offices, and state juvenile correctional facilities were asked to nominate certain youths as high…

Reviews the literature on drug abuse in Nigeria, extracting some of the psychosocial variables involved. Family problems, social factors, and medical practices are discussed. Psychosocial variables implicated are not different from those observed in other cultures. (JAC)

Tests the utility of four standardized instruments used in assessing 105 families that sought services in a juvenile corrections setting for their teenage children. Results demonstrate that parents and adolescents can complete standardized assessment instruments and that the information provided can help in understanding distressed families. (RJM)

Information from nine New Zealand secondary schools about suspension for disruptive behavior in 1980 and 1981 showed that boys and girls were suspended with similar frequency, though for different reasons. Further study showed that suspended pupils were in poor health, came from multiply disadvantaged families, and had serious reading problems.…

The Oregon Parenthood Education Curriculum Model is based on the use of practical reasoning to solve the problems of the family. Students are taught to examine the underlying issues and implications for themselves and society in the problem-solving process. (SK)

This review of the literature on the relationship between domestic violence and adolescent aggression focuses on the added risks to the normative stresses of adolescence when the adolescent's family is characterized by conflict, the role of the family in the child's development of social competence, and warning signs of children affected by…

This document is one of eight in a series of guides designed to help teach and counsel troubled youth. It differs from the others in the series in that it was written specifically for children who are struggling with serious family problems such as substance abuse, sexual abuse, domestic violence, and mental illness. The first of the 20 lessons in…

Three groups of adolescents (n=82) who received treatment for emotional disturbances as children were compared on four predictive indicators: organic problems, family problems, conduct disorders, and academic problems. Using childhood treatment data, significant differences were found between the aggressive group and one or both of the comparison…

This report proposes a restructuring of the statutory framework for dealing with PINS (persons in need of supervision) defined as children under 16 whom the court has determined to be incorrigible, ungovernable or habitually disobedient and beyond the lawful control of parents or other lawful authority. The proposal, as described in the…