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In this study, I investigate the beliefs of privileged adolescents about their obligations to those contending with hunger and poverty as well as the impact of 'trolley problems' upon these adolescents' beliefs. To consider the attitudes of the young adults in this study, I draw upon their student writing from a course on social issues as well as survey and interview data collected at the start and conclusion of this course. I found that, for the privileged adolescents in this study, their consideration of a particular trolley problem actually decreased their sense of responsibility for countries and individuals contending with hunger and poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on academic teams which promote cross-curricular applications in middle school that improve learning outcomes in the U.S. The middle school concept was conceived more than 40 years ago to more appropriately focus on the developmental needs of young adolescents, both cognitive and affective. Several reasons which explain the inefficient use of team meeting time are discussed. The paper also discribes the middle school team project which was part of a larger district initiative.

The article discusses various papers published within the issue, including one by Timothy and Cynthia Shanahan on teaching disciplinary literacy to adolescents, and another one by Elizabeth Birr Moje and colleagues on the complex world of adolescent literacy.

Canada, a country of considerable wealth and resources, has one of the highest standards of living in the world. This country is politically organized as a democracy that is supportive of political and civil freedoms, yet inequalities among certain populations prevail. In general, Aboriginal people experience poorer economic, social, and environmental conditions than those of non-Aboriginal people (Canadian Population Health Initiative, 2005) and lower involvement in political and civil activity. This report also illustrates the inferior health status among Aboriginal people. Within the school system, an educational policy can serve to address an inequality. Hence, the purpose of the paper is to apply the tools outlined by Deborah Stone in her book, Policy Parodox: The Art of Political Decision Making (2002), to demonstrate why I believe school policies should be developed to prevent obesity among Aboriginal youth, to understand the politics of implementing these policies and to analyze and critique the ideas from hypothesized political opponents. Addressing these injustices provides recognition of the racism in present-day educational policy decision-making processes, which can result in more significant progress toward an equal and just society which ensures the health of Aboriginal peoples and successive generations.p [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Within the area of youth studies, social capital theory (SCT) has been widely used to explain achievement disparities. Although this theory has gained popularity, few researchers have tested it outside of the US context. This paper tests one dimension of SCT: that social capital has a positive effect on young people''s academic achievement within three randomly drawn samples of 15-year-olds in Canada, Japan, and the United States. By doing this, I examine the theory''s utility for explaining disparities in youths’ academic achievement outside of the US context. This is particularly important because the theory has gained widespread acceptance in youth studies and amongst policy researchers, even though it has not been tested using a variety of data sets. If supported, all of the measures of social capital will have a positive influence on achievement levels in each of the three data sets. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article describes the processes used and the lessons learned from creating an after school drama club that taught urban middle school students about the role that young adolescents had during the Civil Rights movement in the southern part of the U.S. The paper tells the story of what the middle school students learned about young adolescent involvement in the civil rights movement. It also describes future lessons to be learned by teachers and students about themselves while working with some issues related to culture, class, and history.

Ethnic identity is central to many contemporary discussions of belonging and assimilation of migrant-origin youth. Studies typically focus on a single minority identity. Identity theory implies, however, that individuals may hold multiple ethnic identities, or none, and these may find expression to a greater or less extent depending on context. Using a nationally representative, longitudinal study of Dutch teenagers, we investigate the role of classroom ethnic composition in shaping multiple ethnic identity expression. Framing identity choices as a relational process, we show that the number of ethnic identities that children with a migrant-origin background choose is greater for those students who are exposed to a more ethnically diverse context, while less diverse classrooms foster ethnic identification with no or fewer minority groups. Classification of migrant-origin students with a single (minority) ethnicity may thus be an oversimplification of ethnic identity, even for those from a single country of origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novelty satisfaction has recently been associated with positive outcomes in physical education (PE) lessons. Grounded in self-determination theory, this study aimed to examine the relationships between need-supportive teaching behaviours in PE and students' satisfaction of basic psychological needs (BPNs), novelty satisfaction, and intention to be physically active. From a final sample of 1118 students (49.1% boys; 50.9% girls; mean age = 14.11 ± 1.50 years), the adolescents' perception of need-support from PE teachers, BPN satisfaction, novelty satisfaction, and intention to be physically active were measured through different validated questionnaires. Results from structural equation modelling showed that students' perceptions of autonomy, competence, and relatedness support from PE teachers positively predicted BPN and novelty satisfaction. Furthermore, BPN and novelty satisfaction positively predicted intention to be physically active. Our results seem to support the argument that need-supportive environments could be directly associated with novelty satisfaction. Likewise, novelty satisfaction seems to have an additional role in explaining intention to be physically active. These findings suggest the importance of designing need-supportive strategies in PE lessons to satisfy not only BPNs but also novelty, which can help to develop an active lifestyle among adolescents. Nevertheless, future research should also develop specific strategies aimed at supporting students' novelty in PE lessons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the importance of keeping adolescents' interests and needs foremost in mind when designing literacy instruction in the middle and high school level. The paper is revised to underscore the need to continue literacy instruction beyond the elementary grades. It also argues that adolescent literacy instruction must address issues of self-efficacy and student engagement with a variety of texts. Adolescent literacy instruction must also attend the demands of subject area classes, to struggling readers, to issues of critical literacy, and to participatory instructional approaches that engage adolescents in their own learning.

Examines the factors which encourage the participation of adolescents in school writing classes and influence their motivation to become skilled writers. Methodology; Results; Implications for education practice.

Voice is a key component of interpersonal meaning that denotes a writer's value judgement or personal feelings. An important aspect of voice in informational writing is epistemic stance, which indicates a writer's judgement of the information presented. This exploratory study examined adolescents' use of hedges and boosters to convey epistemic stance in their informational writing. Ninety‐three seventh‐grade and ninth‐grade students from one American public school were asked to write a science report on crocodilia for a peer audience. The writing corpus was coded for the presence of linguistic markers of hedges and boosters. Statistical analysis reveals that the students as a whole used significantly more boosters than hedges and that there was no significant difference between the two grade levels in the use of hedges or boosters. Moreover, the students drew heavily on everyday language resources to instantiate either hedges or boosters, and there was a lack of lexical diversity in their linguistic choices. These findings suggest that adolescent learners were able to infuse voice in their informational writing but needed to expand their linguistic repertoires for instantiating voice in order to develop advanced literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the role of teachers, parents, and friends in stimulating the development of societal interest among adolescents. It assesses the extent teachers can compensate for societal interest differences among adolescents that arise due to socioeconomic differences. The YeS panel study is used, with 587 students aged 13–18 assessed annually over a six-year period (2010–2015) and uses latent growth curve modeling (LGCM). Our findings indicate that awareness-raising by each of the three groups contributes to the development of societal interest among adolescents, with teachers being the most influential socializing agent. Teachers were more influential societal interest development among adolescents from less privileged homes, confirming our hypothesis that schools can compensate for societal interest differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The needs and group practices of adolescents have great impact on public spaces. Further understanding how and why they value certain environments is instrumental to better integrate their perspective in the design and management of our landscapes, as well as in raising environmental awareness and fostering sustainable attitudes and practices. We present the findings of a workshop on landscape preference carried out with a secondary school in the suburbs of Madrid. With participants between the ages of 11 and 16, photo-based Q methodology in combination with qualitative data allowed for the identification of groups sharing similar viewpoints, general trends, as well as exploring the structure and meaning behind consensus and disagreement photographs. Findings show overall positive valorisation towards green spaces, especially those where urban greenery is combined with recognizable architectural elements. Familiarity with the landscape type seems to encourage positive rankings, and preference towards well-known cultural sites manifests at older ages. Among the wide array of photo-elicitation techniques devoted to the assessment of landscape preference, photo-based Q methodology has seldom been used. However, this intuitive, effective, and inexpensive technique can be carried out in short and enjoyable sessions, showing great potential to be applied in geographical and environmental education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The importance of educating female adolescents has been recognized as critical to the development of any country. However, in low income countries like Zambia they often drop out of school due to poverty, early pregnancy and early marriages. Some studies indicate that economic support such as Social Cash Transfers (SCTs) can mitigate the effects of poverty on female adolescents by improving their school participation and helping postpone pregnancy and marriage. This study aimed to explore the role of economic support in influencing education and sexual decision making among female adolescents in a randomised controlled trial in Zambia.Methods: The study adopted a qualitative approach. It utilized purposive and convenient sampling. Data were collected from 6 schools using 18 in-depth interviews (IDIs) and 4 focus group discussions (FGDs) comprising 48 school-going female adolescents in grade 8 aged 14 to 17. All participants received economic support in form of SCTs and payment of school fees as part of the Research Initiative to Support the Empowerment of Girls (RISE), a Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis.Results: Findings suggested several benefits of the economic support for the female adolescents such as economic independence and empowerment; increased assertiveness and autonomy; reduced desire for sexual relationships with boys in exchange for cash and gifts; increased motivation for school; enhanced parental and community support for female adolescents' education and; reduced school dropouts. However, they also experienced jealousy from those who did not benefit from the economic support.Conclusion: Economic support played a significant role in influencing both educational and sexual decision making among female adolescents.Trial Registration: ISRCTN Registry: ISRCTN12727868 , (4 March 2016). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the individual and contextual effects of schools on the educational aspirations of a national sample of older adolescents. With individual student traits held constant, school-level contextual variables contributed little to the explanation of postsecondary school plans to graduate from college (R2 increase = .012). However, with individual-level student ethnicity, family background, and academic achievement held constant, a measure of classroom morale was positively and significantly associated with educational aspiration. This extends the well-documented link between class environment and learning to educational aspirations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical literacy has become a focus in school physical education and youth sports programs. Despite the global attention, physical literacy remains an elusive concept in regards to its definition, assessment, and interventions. In this article, we review the existing scholarship on physical literacy definitions, assessments, and interventions. We first present the historic evolution of physical literacy and the various definitions, followed by a synthesis of its underlying components. We next summarize the current physical literacy assessments along with a commentary on the challenges to accurately and feasibly assess the concept. Following this we describe the characteristics and efficacy of the existing physical literacy-related interventions in children and adolescents. The article concludes with an interpretive discussion of the findings to stimulate future efforts of research, practice, and policy for fostering physically literate individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines intersections between schooling, child marriage, and adolescent pregnancy in a longitudinal, mixed-methods study of Honduran girls. It explores (a) girls' enrollment and dropout of school patterns and how these relate to timing of marriage and/or childbirth, (b) the factors associated with dropout, early marriage, and/or early childbearing, and (c) reenrollment patterns after marriage/childbirth. We find that household income in early adolescence predicts school dropout, early union, and early childbearing. Most girls discontinued their studies due to lack of financial resources or no longer wanting to be a student rather than due to marriage or motherhood. Only a small percentage return to school. This study can inform the timing and nature of efforts to protect girls and increase their chances of successfully completing secondary school, delaying marriage, and preventing early pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first year of university is often considered challenging and difficult for students who are adjusting to different academic and social demands. In this context, teacher-student interactions can play a crucial role in fostering student motivation, engagement in learning, a sense of belonging to the university and academic persistence. Although the benefits of teacher-student interactions have been researched, to date few studies have examined in-depth the characteristics, role and value of these interactions from students' perspectives in the Australian higher education context. Through semi-structured interviews, this study investigated the experiences of 21 undergraduate students who reflected on their interactions with teaching staff (lecturers and tutors) in the first year, particularly the type and frequency of interactions they had with teachers and the influences these interactions had on their learning and engagement in the subject as well as the broader university. Overall, students reported that the majority of interactions were positive and helpful in influencing their engagement in learning. However, the benefits of their interactions with teachers were not perceived to extend beyond the classroom to help them develop a sense of belonging to the university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of 'competence' has gained traction in recent years because of its power in informing broader educational objectives, such as readiness for transition to later educational stages. The responsibility for developing competencies in learners is increasingly laid onto educational institutions via accountability arrangements. As a result, competency frameworks are value-laden and motivated by interrelated purposes including construct definition, the development of assessment criteria, and workplace readiness. The present article introduces a methodological approach for constructing a competency framework that accounts for these underpinning motivations. The present article first introduces three binary distinctions that developers can utilise in making structural decisions on a competency framework: binary vs continuum; atomistic vs holistic, and context-specific vs context-general. We argue that decisions made by developers in terms of the three binary distinctions influence their additional responsibilities in order to achieve a high degree of utility for practitioners using a competency framework. The decisions regarding framework purpose and its structural features inform the alignment between the intended constructs being targeted and a framework's use. The present article then focuses on a worked example in relation to one competency area that commonly resides within a competency framework – collaboration. We conclude that conceptual and structural alignment can help inform a competency framework's validation process, by enabling more specific usage claims to be articulated that can form the basis of empirical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning Management Systems (LMSs) have a strong effect on the teaching-learning process in higher education. However, specific research on the factors that affect students´ satisfaction and their perceptions of learning outcomes derived from Moodle use is still scarce. Therefore, this study uses the theoretical underpinnings of the Technology Acceptance Model and the Information Systems Success model to contribute to the existing literature in two respects, focusing on the Moodle usage context. First, it analyses the relative impact of pre-acceptance and other e-learning quality-related variables as predictors of students´ satisfaction. Second, it investigates whether communicativeness and students' satisfaction are both determining factors of students´ perceived learning outcomes. The proposed relationships were tested with a partial least squares (PLS) regression technique, using survey data from 151 undergraduate business students at University of Cantabria (Spain). The findings reveal that information quality is the most relevant predictor of students´ satisfaction, while satisfaction is the most relevant determining factor of perceived learning outcomes. Moreover, the effect of communicativeness on perceived learning outcomes could be very dependent on the educational context, e.g. blended versus virtual learning. These findings can help instructors to implement Moodle efficiently, and suggest the need to develop friendly courses with up-to-date and structured learning materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of international returnees is increasing in emerging economies. However, very little has been known about their career development in their home country. This study explored how Vietnamese returnees from Australia developed their career after returning to Vietnam. The study deployed a qualitative approach using in-depth interviews with 15 returnees of Australian universities. The findings revealed the returnees faced a range of barriers hindering their career progression amongst which 'the rigid working culture' was the most significant and 'stereotyped perceptions about Australian qualifications' was an emerging issue due to recent changes in economy and society in Vietnam. The findings revealed three main strategies that the returnees utilised to negotiate their employability including being 'navigator', being 'rebels, and being 'retreatist'. The findings also revealed that there was not a simple answer to whether Australian education outcomes were useful and applicable in Vietnam or not because the usefulness and application were determined by the extent to which the returnees could be able to use their overseas skills and knowledge. The study provided insights about constraints and opportunities in the home market and enrich the current literature about the returnee phenomenon. These insights would support international students to better support their plans for career development upon their return. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this empirical study was to explore the extent and the determinants of management accounting practices' (MAPs) adoption in UK universities. In this vein, the current study serves as a 'stock-take', first reference study for future studies investigating the effects and impact of HE funding changes on accounting systems and practices in universities. In order to contribute to understanding the determinants of MAPs' adoption in the UK HE sector, a theoretical framework consisting of contingency theory, institutional theory and particular organisational attributes was adopted. A questionnaire survey was distributed to all 125 UK universities, of which eventually fifty-nine fully completed questionnaires, which represents 47% of all UK universities, were collected. Almost all institutions have implemented MAPs relating to cost determination and financial control, and information for management planning and control. The regression analysis concludes in a final model, which includes only seven of the initial twenty-nine variables. Prospector strategy orientation, innovative culture, trialability, mimetic and normative institutional factors and type of university are determined as the predictors of enhanced MAPs in UK universities. The findings of the current study are useful for consideration when looking into adopting new management accounting practices at Higher Education institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the major learning style preferences and worldviews of members of the generation Y or contemporary 17- to 19-year-olds when they come to libraries' information literary classes. Positive outlook toward technology; Orientation toward images; Desire for customized experiences and choices; Thresholds for boredom; Unwillingness to memorize; Opportunities for active learning.

While multiple valid measures exist for assessing outcomes of environmental education (EE) programs, the field lacks a comprehensive and logistically feasible common instrument that can apply across diverse programs. We describe a participatory effort for identifying and developing crosscutting outcomes for Environmental Education in the twenty-first Century (EE21). Following extensive input and debate from a wide range of EE providers and researchers, we developed, tested and statistically validated crosscutting scales for measuring consensus-based outcomes for individual participants in youth EE programs using confirmatory factor analysis across six unique sites, including two single-day field trip locations, four multiday residential programs and one science museum in the United States. The results suggest that the scales are valid and reliable for measuring outcomes that many EE programs in the United States can aspire to influence in adolescent participants, ages 10–14. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents an analysis of the factors favouring participation among adolescents in compulsory secondary education in the city of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat (Catalonia, Spain). The sample was composed of 297 young people with an average age of 15. We investigated the adolescents' concept of participation, enquiring into what principles, behaviours and feelings they identified with it. Also, we questioned them on their purposes for participating and the consequences deriving from their practice. Finally, we enquired into the different spheres in which they thought they could participate. One outstanding finding was that respondents saw participation in much broader terms than simply voting in elections, instead associating it with feelings of belonging, expression and learning. For the adolescents participation brought personal benefits linked to self-esteem, but above all social benefits oriented towards community development. The different spheres in which they participated were mostly their families and schools. A regression analysis was carried out, calculating the predictive weight of all the variables relating to participation. Results indicated that adolescents with a broader concept of participation, i.e. those for whom participating brought a wider range of benefits, participated more. Also, higher levels of participation in the family and neighbourhood were related to greater participation at school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Reading Research Quarterly is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The main objective of this article is to analyse informal learning processes in the field of video games. As many teenagers are engaged in these kinds of practices, the big question is: How do teens learn to play video games? In most cases they do not learn to play video games at school or with their parents, and therefore it is necessary to map and analyse these informal learning strategies (ILS). The aims of this article are to identify the main ILS that teens apply as they acquire and improve their video game literacy, and to develop a series of categories for analysing and classifying these informal learning experiences. After briefly outlining the situation of ILS and teens' transmedia skills, in the context of a general reflection on information literacy (IL) and transmedia literacy (TL), the methodological aspects of research and fieldwork in eight countries is described. A taxonomy of ILS related to video game practices is also presented. The research team identified six modalities of ILS (learning by doing, problem solving, imitation, playing, evaluation and teaching) and expanded them with four main categories (subject, time, space and relationships) that contain a series of oppositions. This set of modalities, categories and oppositions should be considered as a first step in the construction of a set of analytical tools for describing and classifying ILS in the context of teens' video game experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When people are exposed to information that leads them to overestimate the actual amount of genetic difference between racial groups, it can augment their racial biases. However, there is apparently no research that explores if the reverse is possible. Does teaching adolescents scientifically accurate information about genetic variation within and between US census races reduce their racial biases? We randomized 8th and 9th grade students (n = 166) into separate classrooms to learn for an entire week either about the topics of (a) human genetic variation or (b) climate variation. In a cross‐over randomized trial with clustering, we demonstrate that when students learn about genetic variation within and between racial groups it significantly changes their perceptions of human genetic variation, thereby causing a significant decrease in their scores on instruments assessing cognitive forms of prejudice. We then replicate these findings in two computer‐based randomized controlled trials, one with adults (n = 176) and another with biology students (n = 721, 9th–12th graders). These results indicate that teaching about human variation in the domain of genetics has potentially powerful effects on social cognition during adolescence. In turn, we argue that learning about the social and quantitative complexities of human genetic variation research could prepare students to become informed participants in a society where human genetics is invoked as a rationale in sociopolitical debates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many adolescents in South Africa are exposed to multiple types of violence, socio‐economic disadvantage, and low‐quality education: all risk factors for educational outcomes including school delay (grade enrolment below that which is age‐appropriate). Supportive teacher–student relationships are known to be associated with improved academic outcomes in high‐income contexts. Aims: To investigate whether the academic and emotional support provided by teachers can protect against school delay for adolescents exposed to multiple types of violence and socio‐economic disadvantage in South Africa. Sample: High‐risk sample of 503 adolescents aged 10–18 exposed to multiple types of violence and socio‐economic disadvantage at home, in school, and in their communities. Methods: Multilevel aggregated structural equation modelling was applied to pre/post‐RCT data. This investigated whether associations between adolescent exposure to violence and school delay could be lessened by having teachers who were academically and/or emotionally supportive. Results: More frequent exposure to 'poly‐violence' and receiving more emotional support from teachers were independently associated with greater school delay. On the contrary, higher academic support from teachers was associated with lower school delay. Neither academic nor emotional teacher support was found to moderate the relationship between more frequent exposure to 'poly‐violence' and an increased risk of adolescent school delay. Conclusion: Adolescents' academic support from teachers is low in poorly resourced school contexts in South Africa. School‐based secondary prevention programmes assisting teachers with more training and academic support in deprived contexts have potential to reduce the impact of violence and socio‐economic disadvantage on adolescents' school delay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study contrasts personal bullying with ethnic-cultural bullying. A representative pluricultural sample from a Spanish adolescent population of Secondary Education took part in the study (N = 27369). The sample filled in the EBIPQ to measure personal bullying. Additionally, they filled in an adaptation of this questionnaire to measure the ethnic-cultural bullying: the EBIPQ-ECD. The EBIPQ-ECD validation showed optimal psychometric properties and a bidimensional structure: ethnic-cultural victimization and ethnic-cultural aggression. The same roles of participation in personal bullying —aggressor, victim, bully/victim, non-involved— were observed in ethnic-cultural bullying, but they did not coincide with each other in a considerable part. Therefore, we concluded that ethnic-cultural bullying is a different phenomenon from personal bullying, with the possibility of certain dynamism existing between both. To prevent and mitigate ethnic-cultural bullying, educational inferences are proposed. We also recommend the use of the EBIPQ-ECD as a tool to evaluate and detect ethnic-cultural aggressions and victimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article looks into the value of art education in helping out‐of‐school adolescents to reintegrate to the local community due to armed conflicts in Zamboanga City, Southern Philippines. Using focus group discussion, which was carried out with adolescents living in transitory sites, permanent shelters and informal settlements in the city, findings have revealed that participants in the programme gained knowledge, developed positive attitude and communication skills and practiced peace building behaviours that benefited them, their families and the community at large because of their involvement in the programme. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent educational reorganisation of further education has highlighted once again the issue of how we should educate our sixteen year olds for a career in art and design. Trends have alternated between vocational or general art education both being largely driven by industrial and economic need. The paper examines whether one or both approaches are most suitable for 16+ learners and evaluates some initial findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various topics within the issue including involving culture in afterschool programs, role of cultural backgrounds of adolescents in youth development, and developmental psychology.

Since 2006, Udaan—a school-based adolescent education program in Jharkhand, India—was the only at-scale state-run program in the country. To determine factors that contributed to Udaan's scale-up and longevity, this study drew information from programmatic reports and interviews with the Centre for Catalyzing Change staff. Key factors for Udaan's success included an enabling policy environment, a willing government that supported and operationalized the program, a knowledgeable and committed NGO partner, sustained funding, and a commitment to constant improvement through evaluation. Udaan provides an example of a well-designed, implemented, and evaluated school-based adolescent health program that has been operating at scale over a sustained period. Other programs in India and elsewhere can benefit from learning from Udaan's experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite evidence that socioeconomic inequalities impact health, studies on adolescents are limited and often show contradictory results depending on the measures employed to evaluate socioeconomic position. Little research has focused on the differential impact of each indicator on adolescent health, and few measures have been developed that provide a global evaluation. In this research, the relationship between classic socioeconomic indicators (education and occupation) and others that have been proposed more recently (family affluence scale and subjective family wealth) is analysed. A composite global score of socioeconomic position is also presented, based on the principal objective dimensions: parental education, parental occupation and family material wealth. Data were collected in Spain, in 2014, within the framework of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study, from a representative national sample of 8739 adolescents aged between 11 and 16 (mean = 13.72, SD = 1.71). The results contribute to resolving methodological difficulties associated with the evaluation of adolescent socioeconomic position, showing the unidimensionality of a global measure of objective wealth and demonstrating it to be a useful instrument for assessing the socioeconomic position in health inequalities research. The subjective perception of wealth presented a similar, and even higher, association with health than the objective measures. However, low correlations between perceived family wealth and the objective socioeconomic indicators (oscillating between.110 and.299) proved to measure a different construct, and thus was not included in the composite measure for assessing the adolescents’ objective socioeconomic position. Results highlighted the importance of including different indicators for measuring socioeconomic inequalities in adolescent health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), and despite attempts by governments and other agencies to address the issue, females remain significantly underrepresented. Research has shown that parents play a significant role in shaping the aspirations of children with regard to higher education. However, there is a paucity of research exploring the particular influence of parents on the aspirations of children towards STEM. Drawing on data from a four-year mixed-method longitudinal study conducted with students (N = 6,492) in Years 3 to 12 from the Australian state of New South Wales, we examine parent data (survey and focus groups) for those students who expressed an interest in pursuing STEM studies and careers. Students who expressed an interest in STEM were typically high achieving and just over 90% of their parents had aspirations for them to attend university--although this was proportionally higher for sons than for daughters. Even when parents created a supportive environment, there was little evidence indicating that girls were encouraged to pursue STEM. This analysis highlights the complexity and importance of parental influences on student aspirations. When exploring strategies aimed at encouraging students to consider pathways into STEM, we argue that educational institutions should consider ways of actively involving parents in order to counter stereotypical gendered views of STEM and to expand the range of possibilities considered by both girls and boys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Though many studies have found that teenagers overestimate their chances of college completion, the sources of this bias are still not well understood. Methods: This article compares individuals' college expectations as teenagers with their subsequent college outcomes using data from the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY97). I analyze how a rich set of youth characteristics correlate with the discrepancy between expectations and realizations. Results: Teenagers' expectations are highly predictive of future college completion, but they are also systematically positively biased (overly optimistic). I find that scholastic aptitude—as proxied by youths' AFQT scores—is highly negatively correlated with expectation bias. Once test scores are accounted for, family income, parental education, race/ethnicity, and sex have little or no effect on bias in teenagers' college expectations. Conclusions: The relationship between scholastic aptitude and college success may not be well understood by some youths, contributing to inflated expectations among those with lower test scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates whether schooling outcomes at age 15 are affected by the duration of maternity leave, i.e. the time mothers spend at home with their new‐born before returning to work. We exploit an unanticipated reform in Austria which extended the maximum duration of paid and job protected parental leave from 12 to 24 months for births as of 1 July, 1990. Using PISA data from the cohorts 1990 and 1987, we find no significant overall impact of the parental leave extension on standardised test scores. However, subgroup analyses reveal strong heterogeneity by maternal education and child gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined the effect of gender-based stereotype threat (ST) on the mathematics performance of high school students in Uganda, East Africa, as moderated by students' stereotype endorsement and/or their perceptions of stereotypic expectancies by others. Participants were 190 ninth grade students (age 14-15, senior 2, in Uganda) from all-female and coed boarding schools. Only perceived stereotypic expectancies by others significantly moderated ST effects on performance. A reminder of cross-gender comparisons led both young women and young men to underperform if they assumed that the researchers expected their own gender to do worse than the other gender. Importantly, students' perceptions of the stereotypic expectancies of authority figures (i.e. researchers) mattered more for predicting their math performance than did students' own endorsement of stereotypes. Collectively, these findings support a basic assumption of ST theory- that knowledge of a cultural stereotype is a prerequisite to the ST experience. Therefore, studies conducted with younger samples and in diverse cultural contexts should establish participants' awareness of the stereotype in question. Also, regarding gender and math stereotypes, it should not be assumed that males will always be immune from stereotype-based performance deficits on quantitative tasks when tested in different cultures. Finally, results suggest that conveying an expectation that young men and young women have equal ability and potential might be important to preventing ST among younger age groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Journal of Educational Psychology is the property of International Journal of Educational Psychology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Nonacademic skills related to college and career readiness (CCR) have become more prevalent in the literature as proposed conceptual models and frameworks, yet little empirical research exists in their support. We employed latent variable modeling to empirically test a previously proposed six-domain framework of CCR for adolescents with and without disabilities. Results support four specific factors of CCR: Academic Engagement, Critical Learning Processes, MindSet, and Transition Knowledge. Using a bifactor model, we confirmed one general factor (CCR) and one specific factor (Transition Knowledge), established measurement invariance on the basis of disability, and found latent mean differences between these groups; students without disabilities had greater overall CCR and transition knowledge. Findings support the use of a CCR measurement model with two potential factor scores in future research and practice and may inform efforts to measure CCR nonacademic skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this pre-study, we investigate the effects of the font type and the contrast between the colour of the text and the colour of the background on the reading speed of readers A) with different age groups and B) with a different need for languagebased learning support using state-of-the art eye-tracking technology. We determine no significant difference between participants who were or were not receiving learning support (special support with a specialist teacher) due to languagebased reading disabilities when reading the font type Open Dyslexic. This suggests that this font increases the reading speed of participants who receive learning support for language-based learning disabilities. Our comparison of the reading speed for different passages of text displayed in different colour combinations indicates that a contrast of light text on a dark background may improve reading ability and reading performance. Both of these findings have significant implications for foreign-language teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to identify caregivers' needs in helping youth with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) succeed in school. Sixteen caregivers raising a youth with FASD participated in telephone interviews that included the question: 'What do caregivers need to help youth be successful in school?'. Participants then sorted responses to these questions into piles they believed to be a conceptual fit with one another, and the data was analyzed using multi-dimensional scaling and cluster analysis. Five concepts emerged: (1) Working to meet the needs of the individual, (2) educational accommodations, (3) FASD-literate schools, (4) resources, and (5) therapeutic supports. These concepts were compared and contrasted with the existing literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined prospective associations between poverty, gender, and school dropout in a large community sample of South African adolescents (baseline:n = 3515, follow-up:n = 3401, 57% female, age range at baseline: 10–17 years, mean age at baseline = 13.45). School dropout was defined as being enrolled in school at baseline assessment but no longer enrolled in school at follow-up assessment. Poverty was measured at baseline assessment using an index of access to the eight highest socially perceived necessities for South African children and adolescents. Demographic characteristics including child gender and age, province, and urban versus rural location were recorded at baseline assessment and controlled for in the analysis. As predicted, higher poverty scores (AOR = 2.01,p < .001) were associated with increased odds of school dropout 1 year later. Gender was not a significant predictor of school dropout (AOR = 1.56,p = .07) but did interact with poverty (AOR = 0.66,p = .04) in predicting school dropout. However, our initial hypothesis that the impact of poverty on school dropout would be stronger for girls than boys was not supported. Instead, results indicated that while girls were at elevated risk of school dropout at low and mean levels of poverty, at high levels of poverty this gender difference was no longer evident. Findings suggest that vulnerable boys should not be neglected in policies to improve retention in education in contexts of extreme poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Young adolescents are highly engaged in literacy practices involving the use of digital technologies, both inside and outside of school. This study examines how the out-of-school use of digital technologies creates spaces in which young adolescents construct and negotiate positive learner identities. Through vignettes of four young adolescents, this research uses the conceptual framework of 'figured worlds' (Holland, Lachicotte, Skinner and Cain, 1998), to develop an understanding of the construction of learner identities through out-of-school use of digital technologies. The discussions of the participants reveal 'figured worlds' of friendship, homework and soccer that transcend the traditional boundaries of the real and the virtual, revealing a connected and dynamic concept of space. Within these worlds, the young adolescents move in and out of learner and teacher roles when necessary to learn or advance their skills, and in doing this, are developing self-understandings and conveying these understandings as performances within a figured world. This study argues that the learner identities are constructed and negotiated by the young adolescents are strong, positive and to varying extents self-crafted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background There is some evidence that vocabulary intervention is effective for children, although further research is needed to confirm the impact of intervention within contexts of social disadvantage. Very little is known about the effectiveness of interventions to increase adolescent knowledge of cross-curriculum words. Aims To evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention programme designed to develop adolescents' knowledge of cross-curriculum words. Methods & Procedures Participants were 35 adolescents aged between 12 and 14 years who were at risk of educational underachievement with low scores on a range of assessments. Participants received a 10-week intervention programme in small groups, targeting 10 cross-curriculum words (e.g., 'summarize'). This was evaluated using a bespoke outcome measure (the Word Knowledge Profile). The study involved an AABA design, with a repeated baseline, delayed intervention cohort and blind assessment. Intervention included both semantic and phonological information about the target words and involved the adolescents using the words in multiple contexts. Outcomes & Results Results were promising and participants' knowledge of the targeted words significantly increased following intervention. Progress was demonstrated on the Word Knowledge Profile on the item requiring participants to define the word (for the summer intervention group only). This increase in depth of knowledge was seen on taught words but not on matched non-taught words. Conclusions & Implications Cross-curriculum words are not consistently understood by adolescents at risk of low educational attainment within a low socio-economic context. A 10-week intervention programme resulted in some increases to the depth of knowledge of targeted cross-curriculum words. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]