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"The Successful Middle School" builds upon many decades of commitment to the middle school concept. The fifth edition of AMLE's landmark position paper amplifies the importance of responding both to young adolescents' developmental needs and to their social identities. The edition's release amidst a global pandemic and increasing protests against racial injustice reminds us that responding to the full diversity of student experience is not optional. It is critical to helping young adolescents--and indeed the world--to thrive, now and in the future. [This article was published originally in the November 2020 issue of "Bridge in the Middle," the annual journal of the European League for Middle Level Education. It is published here in "Current Issues in Middle Level Education" in collaboration with the authors, the Association for Middle Level Education, and the European League for Middle Level Education.]

There is a wise proverb that insists it takes a whole village to raise a child to adulthood. In light of the expanding convolution of contemporary values, it is especially important to attentively nurture the inherent desire in each developing human person to seek good and avoid evil, especially during the critical years of adolescent formation. The special focus of this paper will be to present a vision document from the United States, called "Renewing The Vision", which provides a comprehensive framework for developmentally appropriate activities, programming, and spiritual formation that support and nurture the development of ethical values in the adolescent. This holistic approach also integrates the resources of the community in a common effort for intergenerational mentoring of the young. Further, by utilizing eight components of this dynamic vision, adolescents can be drawn into active participation in building their moral value system to insure their lifelong commitment to personal integrity and moral social action within the fabric of society. Ideally, adolescents will develop sound moral reasoning to be able to face the ethical realities and personal choices the 21st century demands, and be empowered to embrace the worthy adventure of living a moral, ethical Life! (Contains 32 footnotes.)

Adolescence is a critical period for social emotional development. The need to focus on social emotional competencies is exacerbated by the COVID 19 pandemic. This systematic review paper provides a collective account of mindfulness interventions conducted exclusively with adolescent students in an educational setting (mean age 11 to 18) with the sole focus on social emotional and behavioral competencies primarily as outlined by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (Safe and sound: an educational leader's guide to evidence-based social and emotional learning programs, Author, Chicago, IL, 2003, 2011). Mindfulness literature in the past 15 years, i.e., Jan 2008-Feb 2023 was reviewed. Additionally, the type of intervention implemented, dosage, delivery, measures used, and targets of intervention were examined. All the articles were also assessed for their methodological quality using the EPHPP quality assessment tool for quantitative studies (Effective Public Health Practice Project in Quality assessment tool for quantitative studies, Effective Public Health Practice Project, Hamilton, ON, 1998. https://merst.ca/ephpp/).With less than one third of the 30 included studies rated as strong, there appears to be moderate evidence for the effectiveness of MBIs on adolescent social emotional competencies. Overall, there appears to be mixed evidence for the effectiveness of MBIs on adolescents' self-awareness, social awareness, social skills, with relatively more consistent evidence that MBIs positively impact their self-management (e.g., emotional regulation). We classify broader characteristics of the MBIs that could help explain some of the differences in effectiveness into three categories: intervention implementation related (e.g., dosage), method related (e.g., psychometric properties), and participant related (e.g., age and gender). Future work on MBIs in schools needs to consider the quality of and factors known to impact effective implementation and resultant social emotional outcomes.

A large body of research has established a relation between maternal education and children's neurocognitive functions, such as executive function and language. However, most studies have focused on early childhood and relatively few studies have examined associations with changes in maternal education over time. Consequently, it remains unclear if early maternal education is longitudinally related to neurocognitive functions in children, adolescents, and young adults. In addition, the associations between changes in maternal education across development and more broadly defined neurocognitive outcomes remain relatively untested. The current study leveraged a large multicohort sample to examine the longitudinal relations between perinatal maternal education and changes in maternal education during development with children's, adolescents', and young adults' neurocognitive functions (N = 2,688; M[subscript age] = 10.32 years; SD[subscript age] = 4.26; range = 3-20 years). Moreover, we examined the differential effects of perinatal maternal education and changes in maternal education across development on executive function and language performance. Perinatal maternal education was positively associated with children's later overall neurocognitive function. This longitudinal relation was stronger for language than executive function. In addition, increases in maternal education were related to improved language performance but were not associated with executive functioning performance. Our findings support perinatal maternal education as an important predictor of neurocognitive outcomes later in development. Moreover, our results suggest that examining how maternal education changes across development can provide important insights that can help inform policies and interventions designed to foster neurocognitive development. [This paper was written on behalf of program collaborators for Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes.]

This paper seeks to explore how rural Latinx students' STEM identity development can be fostered by utilizing their cultural capital. By both a community cultural wealth and science identity model, this paper reviews previous literature to conceptualize how and why rural Latinx youth are continuously underrepresented within STEM education and future career pathways. When forming STEM identities and aspirations for the future, Latinx students draw from six forms of capital- "aspirational," "linguistic," "familial," "social," "navigational," and "resistant." Throughout this paper, we discuss each of these six forms of capital wealth and the value rural Latinx students can bring into STEM educational spaces. Supporting rural Latinx students' STEM identity development is a vital key to the disruption of systemic inequalities that perpetuate societal and institutional spaces. Conclusions drawn from the literature showcase how cultural wealth sustains the development of Latinx students' STEM identities. Future considerations need to focus on the STEM disparities that still exist for this population of students, specifically those in rural communities.

This study describes the learning and development experiences of teacher education students after taking an introductory course on adolescent psychology. The instructor adopted the developmental instruction model (DIM) (Knefelkamp, 1998) in this study and facilitated students learn through experiential learning. Fifteen students (aged between 20 and 28, with an average of 23.25) submitted a report and a research paper during the course and were invited for an in-depth interview after the course ended. Each student provided three sets of data (a brief paper, a research report, and an interview), and the instructor and research assistant recorded observation/reflection notes which were all analyzed with phenomenological qualitative method. Six themes emerge: (1) improved self-understanding including review of characteristics of their adolescence and how their adolescence makes who they are; (2) better understanding of modern youngsters including characteristics of adolescents in Taiwan and other countries and the challenges they encounter; (3) understanding of impacts of environmental factors (family, campus life, society and culture) on teenagers such as how changes in environment affect them; (4) acquisition of counseling techniques for adolescents; (5) experiencing the effectiveness of experiential learning; and (6) recognition of the practicality of DIM. The findings of this study served as the foundation for teacher education students to go deeper into the world of adolescent psychology, and for designing and selection of pedagogical methods for psychology courses. Findings supported that this course could enhance teacher education students' understanding of themselves and adolescents. It also could solidify their teaching and counseling skills for youngsters.

The mysterious and unspoken secrets of life can be a source of fascination for young people. The bildungsroman quest for identity is often coupled with a protagonist's attempts to decode a range of secrets. Jamaica Kincaid's work of fiction, "Annie John" (1985), illustrates this journey. In this novel, the female protagonist's maturity and character development become possible only through her persistent efforts to decode the secrets of life. This paper discusses how, in a series of adventures, those secrets are embedded into Annie's story and how her coming-of-age mystery is ultimately resolved.

This paper analyzes the dataset collected from students participating in the Boy With A Ball (BWAB) program, a faith-based community outreach group, through the Hemingway Measure of Adult Connectedness©, a questionnaire measuring the social connectedness of adolescents. This paper first approaches the data in the conventional method provided by the Hemingway website. Then it identifies which questions are strong determiners in deciding whether a student has completed the BWAB program or not. With the goal of utilizing the logistic regression, the set of questions to those only identified as significant in other methods is reduced. These methods include linear regression, decision tree, and random forest. The results are explained from a psychological perspective of social adolescent development.

The contemporary #MeToo moment has led to renewed concern about issues of masculinity and gender justice. This moment provides a strong warrant for critically analyzing different programmes for boys and men in relation to their capacity for gender transformation. This paper presents three such programmes located in Victoria (Australia) as case studies (1) an Activist Programme, (2) a Sports Programme, and (3) a Rites Programme. The paper highlights some of the possibilities and contentions for each programme in relation to their capacities for gender transformation through comparative analysis. The paper draws attention to the complexity and diversity of 'promising approaches' for effectively engaging boys and men in respectful masculinities.

In recent years, there has been a flurry of media and public policy attention paid to adolescent literacy. The attention has taken shape in the form of federal policies, research, recommendations from private entities, and position statements from professional organizations. The work pressing upon educators now is to engage substantively with these various incarnations and positions on adolescent literacy; to understand where and how issues about adolescent literacy surface, and how policies deal with these issues. First in this task is deciding what counts as policy and what we should read and interpret analytically. Through analyses of how issues are framed, we can better understand the social contexts of our work--what is possible and not possible discursively. And this puts us in a more agentive position for engaging in and transforming dialogues about adolescents, adults, and literacy.

This volume is the first in a set of two to be published as the National Society for the Study of Education (NSSE) yearbook for 2008. Planning for the volumes began more than five years ago, when the Society's Board of Directors expressed an interest in taking steps to encourage a more expansive, robust, and inclusive dialogue about education in democratic societies. Many of the Society's previous yearbooks have been remarkably accessible to lay audiences, but focused on particular specialties or topics within the field of professional education. The Board wondered whether it would be possible to prepare a set of books that would appeal to a broad cross-section of readers, ranging from school teachers to school board members, from parents to policymakers, from journalists to jurists. These ruminations eventually resolved into an exploration of the foundational reasons for education and its essential importance in democratic nations. Hence the main title for both volumes, "Why Do We Educate?" This first volume carries the subtitle "Renewing the Conversation", while the second volume is subtitled "Voices from the Conversation". Volume I is an invitation to all who are interested in education to enter the dialogue about its purposes and its processes. It is intended to serve as a kind of handbook for those who enter the conversation, or who have been part of it for some time. The essays in this volume are designed to open pathways of inquiry into the foundational purposes of education in democratic societies. They are designed to assist, to provoke, and to advance the vitally important discourse about education. (Contains 365 notes.)

This paper proposes a new conceptual approach to the development and utilization of youth-led environmental assessments to inform the planning of youth-enabling environments. Interdisciplinary research has established the influential effects of the physical environment on children and adolescents' well-being and development, yet there is a gap in our understanding of how to create everyday environments for youth that speak to their needs and interests and provide opportunities for them to flourish. Engaging youth through participatory action research to both develop and conduct environmental assessments can have positive implications for youth empowerment and well-being while also altering research and planning practices to effectively integrate youth voice. The proposed approach integrates elements from affordance theory, the Capability Approach, and positive youth development within a youth participatory action research framework to create a process that encourages capability formation, fosters positive development, and improves our understanding of what constitutes a youth-enabling environment.

This paper aims to offer a new perspective on role modelling by examining adolescents' own efforts to lead a morally virtuous life. While traditional approaches to moral education emphasize the importance of teachers as role models, this study proposes a shift in focus towards adolescents' own role models. Drawing on the philosophical concept of moral self-cultivation and psychological insights on identity development and social cognitive learning, it is argued that adolescents have the ability to cultivate their moral character by emulating others. However, empirical evidence suggests that adolescents often do not perceive teachers as their role models. Consequently, moral educational theories are advised to demand less of teachers as role models. Teachers could invest more time in understanding students' personal role models and encourage them to compare these role models with their own behavior. By acknowledging and addressing students' role models, teachers can facilitate the moral self-cultivation of adolescents.

This paper considers the Twilight novels alongside the Vampire Academy books, as young adult readers regularly invoke these series as touchstones of the contemporary adolescent Gothic genre. The abiding appeal of these vampire novels is related to the ways they reflect the experiences of young adults with the rapacity and greed displayed in our time, especially in our recent financial crises. This paper examines the limitations of Stephenie Meyer's resolution to the conflicts attending growing up among vampires through a comparative analysis of her novels and those of Richelle Mead. The theories of psychologist Melanie Klein about infant development are used to show that these two series represent different responses to the greed of our times. Klein's insights distinguish Meyer's Bella Swan and Mead's Rose Hathaway with respect to their psychic integration and in the way each models a process for readers of dealing with a society structured by vampiric rapacity. Bella learns to control herself in the stage Klein calls persecutory anxiety, but without the larger-scale integration that betokens maturity. She displays an acceptance of the fundamental nature of her world, with no attempt to revise or improve it beyond gaining peace for her own household. Rose achieves a better balance on the personal level, and she works to effect change in the fabric of her society. Her actions convey a message of hope to readers with respect to the struggles they must undergo in their own world. The contrasting way of dealing with societal greed that is exemplified by these books is especially important to young adults who are in the process of developing their personal identity, providing them with assistance with the anxiety attending their changing attitudes to financial responsibilities.

Immigrants currently account for close to 14% of the United States' population with one in four children growing up in an immigrant household. Yet, little is known about how immigrant parents and their adolescents dialogue about race and ethnicity within the evolving sociopolitical environment. Traditionally, the adolescents' role in racial-ethnic socialization (RES) has been conceptualized as receivers of messages around race and ethnicity from their parents. However, differential rates at which adolescents and parents acculturate to the mainstream society could lead the adolescent to possess a more contemporary understanding of the social and racial landscape in the United States, thereby becoming the "deliverer" of messages on racial socialization rather being just a "receiver." To inform our understanding of the potential process of how adolescents might be positioned to socialize their parents on race/ethnicity, this paper integrates key aspects of RES, racial-ethnic identity, and critical consciousness among Latinx and Asian immigrant adolescents to inform a conceptual model of adolescent-directed RES. The current conceptual model highlights several important avenues for future research to empirically assess individual and familial factors associated with adolescent-directed RES.

Purpose: This paper aims to identify challenges in a first attempt at teaching the Youth Lens in a secondary English classroom in South Korea. Design/methodology/approach: This paper includes the author's observations of a senior English class in an international school in South Korea. Findings: The author advocates that intersections of time, geography and culture have a significant influence that cannot be ignored when teaching about adolescence. Additionally, when bringing a Youth Lens into the classroom teachers need to be prepared to fully embrace its embedded questions of power between youth and adults. Originality/value: This paper extends existing academic conversation on a Youth Lens to include both an international setting and instances in which the teacher is not of the majority demographic in the classroom.

The Experience Sampling Method (ESM; Larson & Csikszentmihalyi, 1983) is a means to investigate the subjective experiences of individuals as they go about their daily lives. Students from 2 Adolescent Psychology courses used the ESM in a required "beeper project." Student research teams investigated a typical week in the life of an adolescent by paging research participants at random times and asking them to complete an experience sampling form each time. Students analyzed the data and wrote a paper on a week in the life of an adolescent. Evaluations of the project demonstrate that students found it to be an enjoyable, useful, interesting, and helpful course project.

Adolescence is the period between childhood and adulthood and the most important stage of a human being. Adolescence is a period of stress and storm. Students cannot adjust with their new-fangled role in life. They can have Emotional, Mental, Behavioural, and Adjustment problems known as "disorders". Behavioural patterns that appear in adolescents include consuming alcohol, smoking, using other substances, sexual behaviour, violence, etc. An individual experiences fulfilment when the psychological and physiological requirements are fulfilled. If an individual fails in satisfying the needs, it makes him/her disappointed and depressed. Behavioural disorders of adolescent students are depression, stress, anxiety, risky sexual behaviours, aggressive behaviour, violence, and disobedience. Adolescents find it difficult to adjust with family and society. With regard to somatic variation and problems, he/she is confused with the role of adolescence. The academic performance of the adolescent students at school are greatly affected by these problems. The fact that the behavioural and adjustment problems can be reduced by Yoga is the main aim of this paper. As a solution to their problems, the techniques of Yogasana, Pranayama, and Meditation are given to the Adolescent students to control the mind. The reason for this paper is to give an insight of Yoga and how Yoga helps the adolescents to lesser their stress and stay calm. It benefits the young people not only in school, home, and the community, but throughout their life. The result of Yoga intervention gives positive effects on both physical and mental health of the adolescent students.

The GO-GIRL Program is a unique project, characterized by its ability to bring together pivotal elements within a youth-intervention program and foster collaboration between university and local communities in large and moderate-size urban areas through service learning. Designed to bolster the social-skill development, educational outcomes, and possible career interests of poor middle-school girls of color in math and science, the GO-GIRL Program targets those early adolescent girls at a critical point in their development and provides an intervention in the context of a supportive mentoring relationship. This commentary reflects on papers addressing GO-GIRL programs undertaken in Philadelphia, Chicago, and Bloomington, Illinois. Each paper describes the implementation of GO-GIRL in its local context and focuses on data related to the mentors' reflections about the program and its impact on them. This commentary highlights the impact of three intervention programs for mentors and mentees; key insights about the power of relationships in learning; and the value of those interventions in fostering knowledge and career interests in math and science for African American girls in poor communities.

The developmental shifts encountered by boys during adolescence can have long-term implications for mental health. This paper describes a holistic approach to wellbeing and development (the On Queenslea Drive, or OQD, program), which draws upon a traditional Rites of Passage framework to support the development of boys during this period. This approach draws upon a boy's entire community to help him reflect and learn the skills needed to empower him to take his next steps in life. To provide a preliminary evaluation of this approach, 12 staff members involved in implementing the program in one school reflected upon their experiences and their perspectives on its impact on boys' development. Data were collected via regular journal entries and a survey. Results indicated that the program was perceived to have a positive impact in several areas, including relationships with parents, relationships with peers, and relationships and understanding of young women in the community. The program was also seen to increase independence through teaching the boys essential life skills. Boys' social and emotional vocabulary was noted also to grow while they were engaged in the program. Implications for enhancing the efficacy of the program long-term, and extending it to other context are considered.

After-school programs have been demonstrated or theorized to be associated with a wide variety of positive youth outcomes and have become a more widely-accepted aspect of the greater educational system. One of the most commonly-cited vehicles for these positive outcomes is relationships developed within the after-school program. This paper investigated youth perception of after-school program relationships through a phenomenological case study. Analysis of interview, observation, and artifact data indicated the potential for the individual positionalities with which youth approach involvement in after-school program relationships to dramatically impact youth outcomes. Consequentially, these individual positionalities need to be considered when developing conceptualizations and real-world policy concerning relationships in after-school programs.

Reviews three existing sequential models of mate selection: Kerckhoff and Davis' Filter Model, Murstein's Stimulus-Value-Role Model, and Lewis's Premarital Dyadic Formation Model. Challenges the validity of these models and discusses implications for future research. (JAC)

Contends that adolescents experience a "minority psychology" that motivates much of their behavior and that the extent to which this minority psychology will or will not lead to pathological thought and behavior can be influenced by the equanimity and rationality maintained by meaningful adults. (Author)

Contends that the apparent psychosocial inadequacies of contemporary adolescents stem from the widespread adult attitude of relegating them to the status of minors. Recommends that the dynamic principles of adult-adolescent relationships as well as child-rearing techniques in general, draw heavily from the provisions of Maslovian psychology. (JAC)

This document, from the Council for Exceptional Children, Division of Emotional and Behavioral Health (DEBH), provides clear and compelling support for the abolishment of solitary confinement with incarcerated youth and young adults in juvenile and adult correctional facilities. This is the first position statement from DEBH on the topic, and the information includes (a) a definition of solitary confinement, (b) discussion of its use, (c) an explanation of the impacts of solitary confinement on youth, (d) identification of systemic issues that perpetuate the use of solitary confinement, (e) an examination of U.S. laws concerning the use of solitary confinement, (f) a declaration of principles, and (g) recommendations for policy and practice.

Background: Concerns have been raised over teachers' mental health literacy in low-income countries and lower- and middle-income countries wherein pediatric mental health resources are limited. This study aims to investigate adolescent depression literacy among teachers in Eswatini and to explore the role of urbanicity. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey in 59 public high schools in Eswatini in 2019-2020. Data were collected by a paper-and-pencil questionnaire; depression literacy was assessed by the 17-item Adolescent Depression Knowledge Questionnaire. Results: Teachers' adolescent depression literacy item-level correct rates fell between 27 and 80%. Although the multivariate response models indicated that teaching in urban areas was slightly associated with having higher depression literacy in general (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.46; 95% confidence interval = 1.00-2.12), such urban-rural differences did not manifest homogeneously across all items: urban teaching was significantly linked with reduced correct responses toward certain items concerning depression etiology and treatment, including "depression runs in some families," "major stress as a necessary cause," and "a curable illness" (aOR = 0.57 [approximately] 0.68). Conclusion: Urban-rural differences in teachers' depression literacy were manifested at both scale- and item-levels. A critical need exists for urban/rural areas-tailored intervention on teachers' literacy toward mental disorders in the resource-limited regions to better improve health and developmental outcomes of students.

Adolescents with intellectual disability experience psychological and social challenges in their transition to adulthood. Knowledge about the diagnosis and insight into own strengths and difficulties can help them manage the limitations and barriers they face, but suitable interventions with this purpose are scarce. The present paper presents a psychoeducational group intervention, The Super Control Project, for adolescents (15-17 years old) with mild intellectual disability (n = 23) and their parents. In a pre-post design, adolescent outcome data was obtained through teacher and parent questionnaires, and interviews with the adolescents. Parents and adolescents also evaluated the interventions' usefulness. Results indicated positive impact on participants' understanding of the diagnosis, managing of everyday challenges, and social networking. The intervention seemed to fit the participants' needs and abilities. The study encourages further implementation and rigorous evaluation.

Equipping students with ASD for a good life after high school is the overarching goal of secondary special education services and supports. In this paper, we review important elements of effective transition education for adolescents with ASD. First,we review recent findings related to the post-school employment, education, and independent living outcomes of young adults with ASD. Next, we describe a framework for addressing three important aspects of secondary schooling: rigor, relevance, and relationships. At present, an emphasis on promoting rigor, relevance, and relationships offers a promising approach for addressing the multifaceted needs of youth and young adults with ASD. Rigor, relevance, and relationships should not be viewed as distinct or competing priorities, but as essential, inseparable elements of comprehensive transition education for students with ASD. We conclude with research and policy recommendations for improving the impact of transition service delivery for students with ASD. [This paper was published in "Remedial and Special Education," (EJ1021027).]

"Emerging Voices" is a choral series published by Oxford University Press. The aim is to cater for adolescent male voices at various stages of change. Part ranges conform to the 'cambiata' system developed by Irvin Cooper. The paper asks whether a unique, characteristic timbral quality exists in voices at the mid-point of change and can be heard as distinctively different from unchanged 'treble' and newly emerged baritone timbre. The first 12 pieces in the series have been recorded by choirs ranging from beginner school groups to a prestigious national youth choir. During the recording process, samples of individual parts were taken to analyse and evaluate the vocal timbres that 'emerged'. A distinct midvoice timbre was only found in choirs where boys possessed significant choral experience gained as trebles. Such voices were more adaptable to different choir dispositions, able to manoeuver between a low alto part and a high tenor part. The paper concludes that Cooper's ideal of 'fitting the song to the voice, not the voice to the song' is only fully realised in solo singing instruction but where boys lacked significant choral experience, placement in cambiata parts that matched speaking voice pitches could result in pleasing choral tone through skilled blending of midvoice stages.

Studies of parental supervision often fail to consider the broader ecology in which youth are developing. In this paper, moderation and mediation analysis were utilized to examine parental supervision along with the ecological asset of supportive relationships, which have been identified as especially powerful assets, in a sample of 289 adolescents from the United States. These factors are considered in relation to positive indicators that have specifically been associated with youth thriving: self-control and future aspiration. Results of a mediation analysis suggest that family support mediates the relationship between parental supervision and both indicators. Therefore, parents should ensure they are demonstrating support during attempts to supervise youth. In addition, supportive relationships with adults at school further promote the development of an important internal characteristic: self-control. Including aspects of the broader ecology in studies of youth development is essential to uncovering the role external assets play in promoting positive outcomes for adolescents.

Orphans and children left without parental care remain a pressing challenge for many countries. This paper deals with the topical subject which needs thorough consideration: peculiarities of psychological development of orphans and children left without parental care and training orphanage inmates for social interaction. The 7-months study was conducted on 15-16-year-old orphans at Elabuga, the Republic of Tatarstan, and Russian Federation. Data were collected with a designed questionnaire based on the Temperament and Character Inventory for personality traits devised by Robert Cloninger. 20 apparently healthy orphans and children left without parental care were selected using simple random sampling technique and allocated into two groups. Within the experiment the two groups of orphan children had separate Physical education classes in subgroups.

In this brief essay, I comment on the constellation of papers published in the current issue. I argue that it represents the new beginning of the new era for the journal, driven by several considerations. Among these, three are key. First, the collection of articles in this issue is explicitly concerned with the multivariate and multidisciplinary nature of development and developmental science. Second, they explicate this point by providing an overview of several cross-disciplinary methodological approaches and the ways they can be used to study development. Finally, a common thread among the papers appearing in this issue is to attempt to relate and integrate research, practice, and policy in child and adolescent development.

Background: More and more children are experiencing what have been termed adverse childhood experiences. An individual's response to these stressful events determines whether or not they are considered traumatic -- whereby the experience is so overwhelming that it engulfs their coping mechanisms leading to lasting negative effects on wellbeing. Notably, childhood trauma is now recognised as a global health epidemic. Physical education (PE) is a unique context whereby participation is public, and the body plays a central role. Our work with care-experienced young people (who are likely to have experienced trauma) tells us that the depth of vulnerability felt by students who have been exposed to trauma is unlikely to be fully be recognised by PE teachers. Purpose: This paper therefore seeks to enhance practitioners' understanding of how trauma manifests and the impact it can have on children and young people's engagements in PE. It is driven by two key questions. First, why is it important for physical educators to have an awareness and understanding of trauma? Second, what principles might underpin trauma-aware pedagogies for PE? Discussion: We note how childhood trauma has been found to consistently impact neurological, physiological and psychological development. Understanding the impact of trauma, and the responses it might evoke, is beneficial for those working with/for children and young people so as to help them comprehend the underlying reasons "why" some children and young people have difficulties with learning, building relationships and managing behaviour. In an effort to help mitigate the impact of trauma and prevent re-traumatisation, drawing on our collective experiences of working with care-experienced youth and practitioners in PE, physical activity and sport-related contexts, we suggest that the following five evidence-informed principles might be helpful when seeking to enact trauma-aware practice: (1) ensuring safety and wellbeing, (2) establishing routines and structures, (3) developing and sustaining positive relationships that foster a sense of belonging, (4) facilitating and responding to youth voice and, (5) promoting strengths and self-belief. Conclusion: The principles we identify all point to the need for creating safe environments, shaped by consistency, positive connections and opportunities for interaction and engagement. It is not our intention, however, to suggest that there is only one way to enact a trauma-aware pedagogy, rather that an understanding of trauma may enable physical educators to ask when, and for whom, it might be best to draw on particular models in the teaching of PE, through which these principles can be applied.

Child marriage is the practice of marrying an individual below 18 years. The drivers of this practice include poverty, gender inequality, cultural and religious norms among others. While Ghana is one of many countries worldwide in which child marriage is practised, the literature on cultural underpinnings and implications of the practice in Ghana is sparse. This paper aims to discuss how constructions of adolescence, gender and sexuality in Ghana affect the practice of child marriage. It further examines the implications of child marriage for married girls and argues for research into the causes and mental health implications of the practice.

Four longitudinal models are used to present a short review of research into adolescent psychosocial development. This review reveals adolescent development to proceed in a regular manner. This process of regular development suggests that it might be possible to uncover rules of intra-individual development. The aim of this paper is to propose a framework of such rules. The framework starts from three propositions of life-span psychology: (1) development has a direction; (2) development is multidirectional; (3) there is plasticity: within-person variability in development. The first proposition leads to the distinction between normative endpoints and transient states. The second proposition unfolds in the distinction between equifinality and multifinality and the notions of developmental neighbourhood effects, developmental continua and frequency of change. The third proposition shows changes in the prevalence of normative endpoints. Application of the framework to research into adolescent psychosocial development shows it to be useful to describe intra-individual development in a systematic manner.

The COVID-19 era unleashed a separate medical crisis in the United States: adolescent mental health struggles led to a spike in teen suicides. Adolescence, the period of development long associated with the search for one's identity--a struggle that requires engagement with one's peers for a healthy resolution--was complicated by the lockdowns and extended periods of isolation. The social convulsions associated with this past year exposed an unfortunate vulnerability of this generation: deep down, they long for what their predecessors had--embodied, meaningful connections with their peers. Using the existential theories of French Jesuit Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, this paper examines how the contextual elements of this pandemic have contributed to an evolutionary process vis-à-vis the current crisis of adolescent identity, and then explores how we might consider deliberate learning opportunities for to help students understand themselves and the impact of what has just happened to the global community.