The aim of this study was to identify subgroups of early and mid-adolescents with different drinking trajectories. In addition, we examined whether gender, parental, and peer factors predicted adolescents' membership of these drinking trajectories. We used longitudinal data of 428 families (fathers, mothers, mid-adolescents, and their younger…

Background: Sociometric studies have shown that some aggressive boys are popular, perceived as popular or cool, dominant, and central in the peer group (Estell, Cairns, Farmer, & Cairns, 2002; Milich & Landau, 1984; Prinstein & Cillessen, 2003; Rodkin, Farmer, Pearl, & Van Acker, 2006). This is not predicted by social information…

School, parental and peer group effects have been identified as being influential in shaping the decision of students to participate in post-compulsory education, but the analysis of each effect separately is rare. Using a random effects logistic regression approach, estimates of the importance of school, parental and peer group effects on student…

This article is a story in three acts. Act I is the initial article submitted to "Qualitative Inquiry" describing an unscripted sociodrama that occurred in a weekly psychodrama group two days after September 11, 2001 (initial submission titled, "9/11 in New Zealand: A point of leverage"). Act II presents the reviewer's response…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of a child self efficacy scale for learning, peer interactions, and resisting pressure to use drugs, to use in an elementary school drug prevention education program based on social cognitive theory. A diverse cohort of 392 4th and 5th grade students completed the 20-item…

Peer assessment is an arrangement for learners to consider and specify the level, value, or quality of a product or performance of other equal-status learners. Products to be assessed can include writing, oral presentations, portfolios, test performance, or other skilled behaviors. Peer assessment can be summative or formative. A formative view is…

Previous studies have investigated social images in health-risk behaviors, suggesting that these images are important factors in adolescents' health-related decisions. In this study, 548 secondary school students (aged 14-21 years, M = 16.5 years, SD = 1.3) in Szeged, Hungary, were tested to determine how social attitudes influence the development…

The relations of future expectations (general and academic) to academic outcomes were examined in a sample of 129 African American high-achieving adolescents (majority female participants, n = 92). This study was interested in the multidimensional nature of future expectations. Results from the study confirm the hypothesis that academic future…

The relative reinforcing value of toys was assessed in the absence of, and immediately following, participant observation of a peer manipulating one of the materials toys. Preference assessments were used to identify preference hierarchies. Reinforcer assessments were conducted with the most high-preferred preference item, a low-preference the…

This study examined the educational trajectories of academically resilient first-generation Latinas in college. More specifically, the study focused on the factors that led them to become academically successful. The researcher of this study conducted a narrative inquiry analysis of the K-16 educational trajectories of five academically resilient…

Recent research has suggested that bullying behaviour may be understood as a group process, where those involved act in ways predicted by social identity theory (Ojala & Nesdale, 2004). One relevant phenomenon is the black sheep effect, whereby individuals evaluate deviant members of their in-group more negatively than that of an out-group. To…

As World War II spread across Europe, many leaders in work with troubled children and youth moved to North America. Deeply committed to democratic ideals, they pioneered new methods for building restorative relationships and positive group cultures. Their vision gave rise to a reclaiming youth movement that is transforming education and youth…

Objective: The authors investigated the use and perceived use of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) among nonathlete college students. Participants: The authors surveyed a sample of 485 nonathlete college students at a major metropolitan university. Methods: They administered a survey on use and perceived use of AAS to the students. Results:…

This study explores the link between peer problems in school and contextual variations in negative mood and state self-esteem over a 5-day period. Fifth-grade children completed measures of mood and state self-esteem while they were at home in the morning and while they were at school each day, allowing for an examination of whether psychological…

The ethnic identity development of Arab Muslim children is discussed with an aim to understand and promote healthy development of the next generation of them growing up in the United States. Since local context plays a powerful role in identity development, the study has focused on the role of two central influences namely, schools and peer groups.