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The prevailing cultural narrative about middle school is that those years are extremely difficult, and the best students can hope for is to endure them until finding relief in high school. Nancy Deutsch argues that these years are, in fact, a time of great potential if schools can abandon their stereotypes about young adolescents and create school cultures that build on their energy and willingness to explore new things. Deutsch discusses some common stereotypes about middle school and research findings that reveal the truth about the potential of students in the middle grades.

This study takes a qualitative approach to determining the potential usefulness of a competency framework for mentor training. Participants were 37 college women mentoring middle school girls as pa...

Engagement in afterschool programs is a growing area of interest for both researchers and practitioners. Though there is an emerging body of research investigating this construct, we lack an unders...

The proposed study integrates quantitative and qualitative approaches to examine mentors with different relationship trajectories reflect on their relationships. Using quantitative and qualitative methods, mentor reports of relationship quality are plotted over time and different growth patterns identified: (1) progressive, (2) stable-high, (3) dip and recovery, (4) stable-low, and (5) regressive. Qualitative coding was used to identify patterns in mentors' descriptions of their relationship experiences-including both what mentors wrote about and how they wrote about it.

This case study examined the way an adolescent Black boy extended his kinship network as a part of navigating and demonstrating agency in mentoring relationships with nonparental adults. We purposively selected one participant, Bodos, from the sample of a larger mixed-method study involving youth, aged 12 to 18 years, in the southeastern United States. Drawing on narrative methodology, we used a holistic-content approach to analyze Bodos’ responses to semistructured interviews. Bodos used several narratives to describe his experiences. We offer three findings: (a) Fictive kinship is a positive feature of Black adaptive culture that can be leveraged by Black youth as a tool for creating a distinct relational dynamic with their mentors, (b) adolescent Black boys possess skills and knowledge that both preexist and emerge within positive mentoring relationships, and (c) youth agency and expectations manifest in mentoring relationships to inform and influence those adults’ significance. This case study furthers the field’s understanding of how cultural practices can positively influence relational development and create a unique relational context and experience.

This study applies the theory of positive youth development (Lerner et al., 2010) and the youth systems framework (Varga & Zaff, 2018) to the examination of supportive peer and adult relationships across multiple contexts in which youth develop. Results of egocentric social network analysis indicated that high school-aged youth nominated significantly more adults than middle school-aged youth. Peers and adults both acted as important sources of support, although often the types of support they offer differ. Outdegree centrality of peers was a significant predictor of character. The size of a participant's youth system, measured as the number of contexts accessed, along with average closeness in adult relationships, was a significant predictor of contribution. Thematic analysis of interview data identified four themes, aligned with the five actions of developmental relationships, as contributing factors to youth-adult closeness and youth perceptions of support (Pekel et al., 2018). Implications for youth-adult relationships are discussed.

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.

Though student engagement is hypothesized to be a factor in explaining student level differences in afterschool programs, the measurement of student engagement in this context is inconsistent, and findings from the small number of studies about how engagement impacts developmental and academic outcomes are mixed. In this study, we tested the factor structure of Wang and colleagues' school engagement scale with a sample of middle school students (N = 197) who attended an afterschool program in an urban setting. Results suggest that a bifactor model of engagement best fits the data, meaning that engagement consists of four specific factors (affective, behavioral, cognitive, social) and a global factor. We then used structural equation modeling to examine the relationship between engagement, academic outcomes, and positive youth development (PYD). Results also showed positive associations with student mathematics achievement and PYD, but no significant associations were found between engagement and English achievement. This study provides a theoretically aligned way to measure engagement and evidence to support engagement as a key factor in predicting youth outcomes in an out-of-school context.

A critical mechanism through which mentors are thought to influence developmental outcomes is the mentee-mentor relationship. Attachment theories suggest that a mentee’s perceptions of other relationships in her life may impact the quality of the mentor-mentee relationship. This study tests this hypothesis. Data were drawn from a sample of 205 early adolescent girls who received a college-aged mentor through the Young Women Leaders Program for one academic year. In this exploratory study, we examine the association between mentees’ relationship characteristics (i.e., perceptions of, feelings about maternal and peer relationships) and mentoring relationship satisfaction. Results of multiple linear regressions revealed that less maternal quality communication and trust was associated with lower quality mentoring relationships (β = .258, p < .05). Higher levels of maternal alienation were associated with higher quality mentoring relationships (β = .241, p < .05). Results can inform mentor training to support strong mentoring relationships with girls experiencing a variety of attachment-related challenges with their mothers.

The present study takes a strength-based approach to understand how young people’s individual needs shape their relationships with significant non-parental adults across adolescence. The analyses drew from qualitative interviews with 27 youth across five time-points (3 years). Three types of youth needs were identified and labeled using metaphors that refer to other prominent relationships in youth lives: coach-like adults were providing help toward a specific achievement or skill development, friend-like adults were providing positive youth-focused companionship, and parent-like adults were nurturing a budding sense of self amid a plethora of life challenges. Each of these sets of youth needs was further examined through thematic analysis and case studies. Implications for future research and models of effective youth mentorship are discussed.

Aims The aim of this study was to examine how relational ties among all participants in a group mentoring program related to connections within assigned mentor-mentee dyads. Methods College student female mentors (n = 54) and middle school-aged female mentees ( n = 65) in eight mentoring groups completed social network surveys on multiple occasions, rating all groupmates on connection and effort to reach out. Results Hierarchical linear models (participants nested in groups) revealed mentors who were rated as being highly connected to multiple mentees had stronger connections within their dyad. For mentees, high ratings on efforts to reach out to others related to the stronger dyadic connection. Mentees reported lower dyadic connection in groups with more segregation by role. Conclusion Results suggest group dynamics matter for one-on-one mentoring relationships, but how they matter differs by role. Implications for the use of social network analysis to assess complex settings are discussed.

Group mentoring programs offer multiple routes for influencing development, through both one-on-one relationships and relational processes in the group context. Less explored is how the gro...

Through the provision of different types of social support, significant nonparental youth–adult relationships can facilitate youth’s positive development across adolescence. However, despite the po...

Maternal relationship characteristics have been found to impact academic and behavioral outcomes for youth. However, less is known about how and through what mechanisms these characteristics impact outcomes for mentored youth. In this study, we examined if mentoring relationship quality mediated the relations between maternal relationship characteristics and academic and behavioral outcomes targeted by mentoring programs. Data were drawn from 205 participants who participated in a mentoring program that pairs adolescent girls with college women mentors for 1 year of mentoring. Mentoring relationship quality was the hypothesized mechanism of change and was included in the analysis as a mediator. Results revealed that maternal relationship characteristics (i.e., maternal quality communication/trust and maternal alienation) were directly related to academic and behavioral outcomes of mentoring. The relationship between maternal relationship characteristics and behavioral outcomes was mediated by mentoring relationship quality. Results suggested that girls with stronger maternal quality communication and trust as well as girls who felt more alienated from their mothers may benefit more from mentoring. Results can be used to inform mentor training to include a focus on relationship development with girls experiencing a variety of relational difficulties with their mothers to help improve targeted mentoring outcomes.

Having or developing a sense of purpose is an important component of positive adolescent development. However, there is limited empirical understanding of how youth purpose develops and what aspects of youth’s ecologies best support purpose development during adolescence. This chapter seeks to provide insight into how significant adults, both parents and non-parental adults, serve as ecological assets that may support purpose development for youth during adolescence. We begin by discussing how developmental and ecological theories can inform the broader literature on youth purpose. We then present findings from a study examining the development, characteristics, and influence of youth–adult relationships across multiple contexts and over key transition points across adolescence, focusing on the ways in which relationships with parents and other significant adults can play a key role in cultivating and nurturing purpose development during adolescence. We close by discussing implications for understanding effective ways of supporting purpose development during adolescence and the benefits of mixed methods research for those aims.

African Americans are perceived to be least likely of all racial and ethnic groups to prepare for the end of life. However, verbal plans for the end of life are of particular importance to this population and may help understand why they are less likely to possess a formal end-of-life care planning document. The purpose of this study was to determine the number of formal and/or informal end-of-life care plans that existed among a convenience sample of African American older adults with dementia. For this descriptive study, data were collected from African American family caregivers (N = 65) of older adults with dementia. Descriptive statistics were conducted. Caregivers in this sample reported high rates of formal and/or informal end-of-life plans for their care recipients. Agency forms (power of attorney, health-care surrogate, or guardianship forms) had been obtained by 74% of the care recipients, while 63% of them possessed a formal end-of-life care planning document. All combined, 88% of the caregivers possessed at least 1 document or verbal information concerning end-of-life care for their care recipient or at least there was an assigned surrogate. Although limited, these findings reflect more end-of-life planning in this population than previous studies reported and could improve the quality of end-of-life outcomes in this population by giving health-care providers increased understanding of African American end-of-life planning preferences. This may, in turn, help the providers to inform and educate these care recipients and their family caregivers.

Interpersonal relationships during adolescence can be powerful avenues for personal development. As school is a universal context for youth, positive teacher-student relationships (TSRs) are one potential source for such developmentally promotive relationships. Unfortunately, research has shown a decline in the quality of teacher-student interactions as students progress through PK-12, which suggests a missed developmental opportunity. More research is needed to identify factors that contribute to positive TSRs, especially during adolescence. Utilizing qualitative methods, this study explores adolescent perceptions of TSRs in order to identify and understand key interactions and characteristics of high-quality, positive TSRs. We identified two overarching themes that emerged from our qualitative analysis: teacher noticing and teacher investment. Within these themes, we also examined the role of “free” and “same-level” conversations in promoting positive TSRs. Our findings contribute to research aimed at understanding specific processes that occur within positive youth-adult relationships. Specifically, we find promise in key teacher-student interactions that fulfill adolescents’ developmental needs including autonomy, competence and connection. Our findings emphasize the importance of the student perspective and that capitalizing on positive TSRs during adolescence can be a powerful way to promote positive youth development.

Mentoring continues to be a popular intervention for promoting positive youth development. However, the underlying mechanisms associated with sustainable and successful relationships remain largely unknown. Our study aimed to expand on previous literature by examining characteristics that have previously been linked to mentoring outcomes (e.g., authenticity, empathy), from a process-focused lens. We utilized post program satisfaction scores and interviews to examine the presence of each characteristic in a large sample of dyads (n = 144) as well as dyads' levels of agreement or disagreement about aspects of the relationships. We found that high satisfaction dyads demonstrated greater congruity and detail in their descriptions of their relationships, whereas low satisfaction dyads were highly divergent and inconsistent in their descriptions. In addition, misattunement, a negative relational aspect, was the most powerful distinguisher between high and low satisfaction dyads, which provides support for mentors receiving attunement training in order to reduce instances of misattunement. Findings from this study highlight the importance of examining and assessing mentoring relationships from both the mentor and protégé perspectives, as a single perspective may not present a full picture of the relationship.

(1) Determine the association between adolescent moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and screen time with their nominated friends’ behaviors and (2) explore potential mechanisms of friends’ social influences on MVPA and screen time. Participants consisted of 152 adolescents (mean age: 14.5 years, 53 % female, 50 % high school, 80 % Caucasian). MVPA was measured with an Actigraph GT3X+ accelerometer. Demographic and psychosocial variables were assessed via questionnaires. Participants nominated up to 5 friends who completed MVPA and screen time questionnaires. A subset of adolescents (n = 108) participated in focus groups that examined potential mechanism of friends’ influence on MVPA and screen time. Multiple regression analysis examined the association of demographic, psychological, and nominated friend variables with participants’ MVPA and screen time. NVivo 10.0 was used to analyze qualitative data. Greater levels of friends’ MVPA was associated with greater levels of MVPA in both males (p

Group mentoring is an increasingly popular intervention, but is still under-studied. This article reports findings from a qualitative study of the Young Women Leaders Program (YWLP), a combined group and one-on-one mentoring program for early adolescent girls. Protégés ( n = 113) were interviewed post-program about changes they made as a result of the program and mechanisms of those changes. Girls reported making changes in four major domains as a result of YWLP: (a) Academics (e.g., study habits), (b) Relational Development (e.g., trusting people), (c) Self-Regulation (e.g., thinking before acting), and (d) Self-Understanding (e.g., being yourself). Relational development and self-understanding were the most frequently reported types of change. Protégés reported mentors as contributing to changes in academics more often than the mentoring group. They reported the mentoring group as the change mechanism more often than mentors for relational development. Protégés reported the mentors and mentoring groups about equally as the mechanisms of change for self-regulation and self-understanding. The findings support prior research on group mentoring and suggest that social and relational skills are a developmental domain in which group-based mentoring programs for early adolescent girls may be particularly effective at intervening.

We are interested in understanding the individual and environmental attributes that contribute to a youth’s sense of connection. Specifically, we explore the ways in which close relationships with nonparental adults (such as teachers, coaches, mentors) are 1 vector of connection through which PYD occurs. We focus on interview transcripts from 37 youth, ranging in age from 11 to 18 years. We look across their narratives of relationships with adults in their lives as well as analyze these narratives in conjunction with individual level characteristics derived from survey data. Several themes across these close relationships were identified as facilitating or impeding connection including: adult personality characteristics, shared interests, and length of time spent together. Role expectations and role boundaries were also defining features in the narratives of YARs. We suggest that context of YARs is an important factor in understanding the nature of the relationship and youth perceptions of adults, in general. Finally, we offer suggestions for conceptual clarity and the importance of using qualitative methods for understanding connection.

Results of a prior study of 205 middle school girls in the Young Women Leaders Program, a mentoring program that pairs middle school girls with college women, revealed that better quality maternal communication/trust as well as higher levels of maternal alienation were associated with stronger mentoring relationship quality for early adolescent girls. These results suggest that for early adolescent girls there is a distinction between foundational maternal relationship challenges and relationship challenges that are developmentally situated. Based on these results, the current study examines post-program interviews for a sub-sample of the five mentees with the highest and lowest scores for maternal communication/trust and maternal alienation as well as their mentors to gain an understanding of how relationship issues impact mentoring relationship development. Results indicate that for girls experiencing maternal communication and trust issues, first impressions and trust are very important to relationship development. Additionally, mentors of girls with communication and trust issues tended to have difficulty developing a relationship with their mentees’ families. For girls experiencing maternal alienation, mentors commonly served as a bridge between mentees and their mothers and helped mentees navigate difficult conversations with their mothers. Additionally, mentors in this group developed strong relationships with their mentees’ families. Findings contribute to the literature on mentoring relationship development and help to inform programs regarding training for mentors.

During adolescence, peer processes play a significant role in development. Whereas peer relations have been studied extensively in the school context, far less research has examined peer processes that occur within extracurricular and out-of-school time activities. This study used focus groups to explore the role of peer processes in shaping developmental processes and outcomes across four distinct types of out-of-school activities in Santiago, Chile. Across all extracurricular activities, three common features were identified: voluntary participation, symmetrical relationships, and a sense of belonging that establishes clear boundaries bewtween ingroup and outgroup. These themes were integrated into an overall model of peer processes that illustrates how voluntary participation and shared activity results in a peer collective identity based on shared interests. These peer processes resemble a developmental arc bridging collective and individual development, fostering socioemotional development, identity work, and positive relationships and trust within a set of symmetrical relationships. The results illustrate the ways in which peer processes may support development within out-of-school activities.

Adults play important roles in the lives of adolescents, serving as role models, sources of social support, and providers of social capital. Natural mentoring relationships (NMRs), relationships between adults and youth that rise to a level of significance for the youth, have a positive impact on youth outcomes in a number of academic, socioemotional, and health related areas. Yet despite the importance of NMRs to youth development, there is little research on how NMRs develop or what factors are associated with a relationship becoming an NMR. This study uses in-depth qualitative interviews with adolescents across five time points to explore the characteristics of youth-adult relationships that develop into NMRs, and the psychosocial processes and actions which transform a naturally occurring relationship into an NMR. Findings from our study suggest that by intentionally using time and space with youth as an opportunity to cultivate safe and authentic spaces and build trust, adults can encourage the development of NMRs with adolescents.

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine the relationship between attachment, supportive nonparental youth-adult relationships, and self-esteem during adolescence. First, in a quantitative path analysis, we found that perceived social support from nonparental adults partially mediated the relationship between adolescent attachment and self-esteem. In our follow-up mixed methods analysis, we analyzed youth reflections of support experienced in relationships with significant non-parental adults (VIPs). As compared to youth with positive attachment models, youth with negative attachment models reported fewer instances of emotional support but more instances of validation support. The youth with negative attachment models described (1) the importance of trust and (2) receiving emotional support specific to their needs. In instances of validation support, these youth described how their VIPs (1) provided them with honest and realistic feedback, (2) challenged their negative thinking and (3) created opportunities for them to recognize and showcase their strengths. Our findings underscore the importance of considering youths' individual attributes in the context of their ongoing relationships in order to gain a more nuanced understanding of the role and dynamics of supportive nonparental youth-adult relationships in youths' lives.

Evidence suggests that a close interpersonal bond is important for the success of youth-adult mentoring relationships. Mutuality has been suggested to be important for developing a close interpersonal bond (Rhodes, 2002, 2005), but mutuality remains an abstract construct, difficult to understand and cultivate. Using thematic analysis of mentor and mentee (n = 42) interviews, we investigate how mentoring pairs reflect on mutuality. Results suggest that mutuality is understood as a combination of 2 dimensions: shared relational excitement and experiential empathy. Shared relational excitement is felt when there is a genuine desire by both the mentor and the mentee to invest in the relationship. Experiential empathy is the process through which mentors connect with, advise, and normalize the experiences of their mentees by sharing their own relevant experiences. This work has implications for mentor training, program development, and future research on youth-adult relationships.

Black older adults with dementia worldwide are at risk of facing the end of life without advance care plans, leaving family caregivers struggling to make life-altering, health-related decisions on their behalf. The purpose of this study was to examine surrogate end-of-life decision making for Black older adults with dementia, including understanding of end-of-life terminology, health-related quality of life, and self-efficacy for surrogate decision making. A mixed methods approach was used for cross-sectional data collected from Black caregivers of Black older adults with dementia (N=65) in the United States. A subset of caregivers (n=18) completed qualitative interviews. Data were analyzed using content and thematic analyses, and statistical analyses of health-related quality of life and self-efficacy. Most caregivers reported the existence of a formal end-of-life plan for their care recipient. The term ‘end of life’ was interpreted as either “healthcare received prior to death”, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation, “funeral arrangements”, or both. Caregivers reported high levels of self-efficacy for themselves and high levels of health-related quality of life for their care recipients. However, neither measure was associated with the existence of a formal care recipient end-of-life plan. A relationship existed between the presence of formal end-of-life plans and care recipient’s age and number of comorbidities. Study findings support a foundation for effective communication focused on meaning patients and families attach to healthcare terminology. They provide a basis for education and empowerment of Blacks caring for older adults with dementia internationally, and education of healthcare providers caring for them.

The purpose of the current study was to examine understanding of end-of-life (EOL) decision-making terminology among family caregivers of African American older adults with dementia. This qualitative descriptive study was part of a larger mixed-methods study from which a subset of caregivers ( n = 18) completed interviews. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and content analyses guided by methods of qualitative analysis. Caregiver interpretation of EOL decision-making terminology varied between associations before and/or after death. EOL decision making was most often a family decision, based on past experiences, and included reliance on resources such as faith or spirituality and health care providers. Patients and families attach meaning to health care terms that should be aligned with health care providers' understanding of those terms. Results provide insight to improve EOL decision making in this population via tailored interventions for patients, families, and health care providers. [ Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 44 (2), 33–40.]

The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force guidelines recommend pregnant women be screened for depression and adequate systems be in place to treat this condition.This study examines a nurse-delivered telephone support intervention provided to low-income, pregnant women living in rural settings.This study had a complementary mixed-methods design, using secondary data. Peplau's theory of interpersonal relations was used as a framework to guide the study.The phases of Peplau's theory of interpersonal relations were evident in the interactions. Underserved women at high risk for depression appreciated this type of support, with the women at highest risk for depression utilizing more of the nursing support provided. On average, Mental Health Index-5 scores improved from 45 to 66.A nurse-delivered telephone support intervention, modeled around Peplau's theory of interpersonal relations, may be an effective way of providing support to underserved women and has the potential to treat or offset antepartum depression.

The field of after-school programming for youth has grown substantially in the past 25 years, theoretically, methodologically, and practically. With increasingly sophisticated developmental lenses (e.g., positive youth development) and methods (e.g., mixed methods, advanced growth modeling techniques), we are now at a point where the field is ready for more and better integration of research and practice. We present an overview of both what is known and what the field needs to address to optimize program opportunities to best serve all youth. We focus on three major areas: (a) understanding what after-school programs do; (b) how we study after-school programs, and; (c) what we do with the resulting evidence. We argue that researchers, practitioners and policy makers must hone conceptual models, constructs and measures, evaluation designs, and practical and theoretical questions about after school programming to provide information that is useful in determining not only whether particular programs are helping youth, but also how they are helping and how they could help more.

Healthy development necessitates that adolescents maintain connections with others while developing an autonomous identity. In the extant literature, however, autonomy and relatedness are often placed at odds, particularly in discussions of girls. We explore how autonomy and relatedness co-occur in girls’ interactions with peers and mentors in the context of an after-school mentoring program. Four mentoring groups were observed over the course of an academic year. We identified three forms of co-occurrence: (a) Coordination, (b) Competition, and (c) Neutrality. In addition, girls discussed autonomy-relatedness dilemmas from outside of the mentoring group to test out enacted autonomy and foster their group relationships. Findings suggest that mentoring groups serve as a safe space for girls to connect with others while making self-directed, independent decisions.

This study explored engagement in interpersonal relationships within the context of combined group and one-on-one mentoring. Using flow theory, we propose that “relational flow” requires an optimal balance between an individual's relational skills and the challenges inherent in relationship development. The Young Women Leaders Program (YWLP) is a relationally based after-school program for early adolescent girls that combines structured group time with one-on-one mentoring. Researchers explored relational engagement through interviews with seventh-grade participants and group observations. Results indicated that four relational processes occurred that made girls feel more comfortable: (1) giving advice and helping, (2) asking questions/reaching out, (3) sharing and opening up, and (4) spending time with/being there for them. These processes helped the adolescent girls feel closer to and more comfortable with both mentors and peers by reducing feelings of anxiety or self-consciousness, thus freeing them to experience relational flow. The group also provided a safe context for girls to stretch their relational skills and appeared to mitigate the relational challenges associated with a new one-on-one mentoring relationship. This study presents a conceptual model of relational engagement and suggests that this may be a critical component for girls in out-of-school programming. A group of girls and their mentors are sitting in a circle talking about “boy problems.” One girl, Ann, shares that she and her friend like the same boy and she is not sure what to do. A mentor suggests that both girls could find another guy. “It's not worth the friendship,” she says. Ann chimes in with “Unless he's really cute!” Another girl, Shantel, agrees with Ann. “Sometimes it is [worth the friendship].” The mentors laugh, saying, “Not in seventh grade! It is not worth losing your friendship over a boy.” But Ann seems stuck on the boy. When asked for a suggestion of something positive her peer could do, Ann says, “Have the guy choose.” A mentor asks what would be the pros of that idea. Shantel answers, “If he picks you, you feel good about yourself.” The mentor nods and adds, “So I guess the con is if he doesn't pick you, you don't feel good.” Ann and Shantel are in agreement that both would leave their friend for the guy. A third girl shakes her head, disagreeing with her peers, saying it's not worth the friendship.

This paper focused on the effects of a combined group and one-on-one mentoring program targeted specifically toward adolescent girls with a focus on increasing competence, connection, and autonomy (Ryan and Deci in Am Psychol 55(1):68–78, 2000). Participants were seventh-grade girls participating in the Young Women Leaders Program (YWLP) (n = 79) and a group of comparison girls not receiving intervention (n = 47). The sample was predominantly minority (72 % nonwhite) and the majority of participants received free or reduced price lunch (65 %). Results indicated no change in self-reported global self-esteem (one’s overall feeling of satisfaction with self) for girls participating in YWLP, whereas the comparison group declined in self-reported global self-esteem from pre- to posttest. Additionally, within the YWLP program group, girls receiving free/reduced lunch self-reported declines in school self-esteem (one’s overall feeling of satisfaction with school), whereas girls not receiving free/reduced lunch experienced no change. Implications for school-based programs, specifically mentoring programs targeted toward adolescent girls are discussed.

We used mixed methods to examine the association between setting-level factors and observed implementation of a social and emotional learning intervention (Responsive Classroom® approach; RC). In study 1 (N = 33 3rd grade teachers after the first year of RC implementation), we identified relevant setting-level factors and uncovered the mechanisms through which they related to implementation. In study 2 (N = 50 4th grade teachers after the second year of RC implementation), we validated our most salient Study 1 finding across multiple informants. Findings suggested that teachers perceived setting-level factors, particularly principal buy-in to the intervention and individualized coaching, as influential to their degree of implementation. Further, we found that intervention coaches' perspectives of principal buy-in were more related to implementation than principals' or teachers' perspectives. Findings extend the application of setting theory to the field of implementation science and suggest that interventionists may want to consider particular accounts of school setting factors before determining the likelihood of schools achieving high levels of implementation.

The negotiation of complex social settings and the creation of an integrated identity are major tasks of adolescence. Institutions such as after-school programs can influence social-emotional development through organizational and interpersonal practices, and prosocial growth can be encouraged through the alignment of supportive structures with developmental needs. This qualitative study explores the developmental and environmental fit of an urban after-school program for its participants. Using participant-observation and interviews, we explore how youths’ experiences in this setting are congruent with the developmental needs of pre-, early, and midadolescence. We find that program activities and relationships shift as youth mature to provide levels of support congruent with youths’ changing social-emotional and self-representation needs. These shifts provide contexts aligned with contemporary theories of adolescent development.

To optimize the effectiveness of youth mentoring it is important to begin to identify specific preexisting characteristics of mentors that lead to positive experiences for adolescent mentees. College women mentors, aged 18 to 22 years, were paired with middle school girls, aged 11 to 14 years, for weekly one-on-one and group mentoring in an 8-month, school-based youth mentoring program. For the sampled 142 mentor-mentee dyads participating in the program, mentor's reported academic self-worth, parent relationship, and not being too autonomous were important preexisting characteristics related to mentee satisfaction. Mentor's initial level of depression was negatively correlated with mentee's self-reported improvement in competence, while mentor anxiety was positively correlated. Finally, the relationship between mentor's autonomy (negative) and ethnocultural empathy (positive) and mentee outcomes were stronger for cross-race versus same-race pairs. Implications for mentoring programs that use college students as youth mentors are discussed.

The current study explores the potential of one-on-one mentoring facilitated within a structured group format for developing connection and sustaining mentor-mentee relationships with early adolescent girls. Results from a mixed-methods study using survey and observational data reveal that college student mentors and their seventh grade mentees report moderate-to-high satisfaction with the group experience, with no mean differences between groups. Yet there were significant differences between groups in the group members’ (mentees) satisfaction with their one-on-one mentoring relationships. Although all groups demonstrated high levels of some positive social processes related to connectedness (e.g., fun), groups in which mentees’ reported higher levels of satisfaction with their one-on-one relationships engaged in more higher level positive social processes (e.g., caretaking). Groups in which mentee’s reported lower satisfaction with their one-on-one relationships demonstrated more negative social processes (e.g., disengagement). Implications for after-school settings are discussed.