Early Adolescent Development Research Articles

The relationship between home-based parental involvement, parental educational expectation and academic performance of middle school students in mainland China: A mediation analysis of cognitive ability

As China continues to develop rapidly, Chinese parents are increasingly focused on their children’s education. Previous research investigates the relationship between parental involvement and children’s academic performance, in which home-based involvement and parental educational expectations play an increasingly important role in secondary school. The secondary school years coincide with key changes in early adolescent development and are period of rapid cognitive development. As documented by previous research, individual cognitive ability is among the strongest contributors to academic performance. However, research on the relationship between these three variables—parental involvement, academic performance and individual cognitive ability—is rare. Therefore, we run an OLS regression and conduct mediation analysis using baseline data from the China Education Panel Survey to examine the association of home-based parental involvement and parental educational expectations with academic performance and the mediation effect of cognitive ability. Our results show that educational expectations, tutoring, and homework supervision have the largest impact on student academic performance, while other forms of parental involvement are less influential. Using mediation analysis, we find the effect of parental involvement on academic performance is in part attributable to parental involvement’s impact on student cognitive ability. Our findings can guide parents to make appropriate choices concerning their children’s education and ultimately raise levels of human capital in Chinese society.

To what extent is mindfulness training effective in enhancing self-esteem, self-regulation and psychological well-being of school going early adolescents?

Background: Recent research has shifted the focus from treatments to the preventive measures in young age. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of mindfulness training on self-esteem, self-regulation, mindfulness and psychological wellbeing of school-going adolescents. Methods: This is a matched controlled, pretest-posttest experimental study using school going 100 “early adolescents” (50 in experimental, and 50 in control group), in the age range 10-14 years. Adolescent Self-Regulatory Inventory, Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, Ryff’s Psychological Well-being scale, and Child Adolescent Mindfulness Measure were used for assessments. The experimental group received weekly mindfulness training for ten sessions. Within and between group comparisons were done before and after the intervention using independent samples t test and paired t test. Results: Mindfulness training was effective in bringing statistically significant improvement in all domains of self-regulation, psychological well-being, self-esteem and mindfulness. Moreover, the experimental group showed significant improvement in all domains compared to the control group from baseline scores to the post intervention assessment (p<0.01). Conclusion: Mindfulness training is effective in fostering mindfulness and overall psychological development in early adolescence, including self-esteem, self-regulation, and psychological wellbeing. Mindfulness training should be considered at school levels because of its preventive and cost-effective nature, helping students become empathizing and socially mature adults.

The High Tide Raises All Ships: Middle Grades Teachers’ Perspectives on School Belonging in Early Adolescence

ABSTRACTMiddle grades students have developmental needs that are unique from those of younger children and those in late adolescence. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how middle grades teachers create a sense of belonging with their students and the ways in which their knowledge of early adolescent development influences that process. Self-determination Theory, Stage-Environment Fit Theory, and the Model of Academic Engagement provided a framework for a qualitative investigation that involved interviews with five middle grades teachers. Participants emphasized four themes including the importance of an increased emphasis on community building activities, a need for modeling positive attitudes, the ability to encourage positive peer relationships, and making course content relevant to students’ lives. Implications for teachers of young adolescents are discussed.

Caregiving Disruptions Affect Growth and Pubertal Development in Early Adolescence in Institutionalized and Fostered Romanian Children: A Randomized Clinical Trial

To determine the effects of foster care vs institutional care, as well as disruptions in the caregiving environment on physical development through early adolescence. This was a randomized controlled trial of 114 institutionalized, though otherwise healthy, children from 6 orphanages and 51 never institutionalized control children living in birth families (family care group) in Bucharest, Romania. Children were followed from baseline (21 months, range 5-31) through age 12 years for caregiving disruptions and growth trajectories and through age 14 years for pubertal development. Children randomized to the foster care group showed greater rates of growth in height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) through age 12 years than institutionalized group. Tanner development was delayed in institutionalized group boys compared with foster care group and family care group boys at 12 but not 14 years. There were no differences in Tanner development and age of menarche among foster care group, institutionalized group, and family care group girls at ages 12 and 14 years. More disruptions in caregiving between 30 months and 12 years moderated decreases in growth rates of height in foster care group and weight in foster care group and institutionalized group across age. institutionalized group boys with ≥2 disruptions showed lower Tanner scores at age 12 vs institutionalized group and foster care group boys with <2 disruptions. foster care group girls with ≥2 disruptions had higher Tanner scores at age 14 vs foster care group girls with <2 disruptions. Age of menarche was not affected by caregiving disruptions. For children who experienced early institutionalization, stable placement within family care is essential to ensuring the best outcomes for physical developmental. clinicaltrials.gov: NCT00747396.

Early Adolescents’ Adjustment at School: A Fresh Look at Grade and Gender Differences

This study examined group differences by grade (fifth graders in elementary school and sixth graders in middle school) and gender in academic (behavioral and emotional engagement, academic self-concept, and worry) and socio-emotional adjustment (self-esteem, social satisfaction, social self-concept, and worry). Self-report data were collected from 1,003 students in the fall and spring of the school year (51.2% female, 36.7% Black, 47.2% White, 7.5% Hispanic, 5.7% Asian, 3% Other). Grade differences were null or favored fifth graders for academic adjustment. Grade differences were null or favored sixth graders for socio-emotional adjustment. Gender differences were null or favored girls for academic and socio-emotional adjustment; however, girls reported more worry in both domains. Change over time generally disfavored girls leading to the emergence of, or increases in, gender gaps by spring. The discussion considers early adolescent development and the need for continued attention to middle school reform regarding academic adjustment and gender differences.

Supporting positive development in early adolescence: A school-based intervention in Turkey

ABSTRACTWe present a youth development intervention program and its evaluation. Deriving from the theories of agentic self and positive youth development, we adopted a holistic perspective that focused on social agency with growth mindset and self-efficacy conceptualized as its motivators. The intervention consisted of 14 weekly sessions with 508 sixth graders in four public schools in Turkey (Mage = 11.8, 49% female). A comparable group with 417 sixth graders in five public schools served as the control group (Mage = 11.7, 47% female). All students came from families of low to middle socioeconomic status. The evaluation had an experimental design with pretest, posttest (4 months after pretest), and follow-up (11 months after posttest) assessments. Findings indicated beneficial effects of the intervention on mindset, self-efficacy, and some indicators of social agency, some of which were sustained through the follow-up. In concordance with previous research on early adolescents, a general decline in positive adaptation was observed in the control group between pre- and posttests.

Longitudinal motor performance development in early adolescence and its relationship to adult success: An 8-year prospective study of highly talented soccer players.

Several talent identification and development (TID) programs in soccer have implemented diagnostics to measure players’ motor performance. Yet, there is a lack of research investigating the relationship between motor development in adolescence and future, adult performance. This longitudinal study analyzed the three-year development of highly talented young soccer players’ speed abilities and technical skills and examined the relevance of this development to their adult success. The current research sample consisted of N = 1,134 players born between 1993 and 1995 who were selected for the German Soccer Association’s TID program and participated in nationwide motor diagnostics (sprinting, agility, dribbling, ball control, shooting) four times between the Under 12 (U12) and Under 15 (U15) age class. Relative age (RA) was assessed for all players, and a total motor score was calculated based on performances in the individual tests. In order to investigate players’ future success, participants were divided into two groups according to their adult performance level (APL) in the 2014/2015 season: Elite (1st-5th German division; N = 145, 12.8%) and non-elite players (lower divisions; N = 989, 87.2%). Using multilevel regression analyses each motor performance was predicted by Time, Time2 (level-1 predictors), APL, and RA (level-2 covariates) with simultaneous consideration for interaction effects between the respective variables. Time and Time2 were significant predictors for each test performance. A predictive value for RA was confirmed for sprinting and the total motor score. A significant relationship between APL and the motor score as well as between APL and agility, dribbling, ball control, and shooting emerged. Interaction effects distinctly failed to reach significance. The study found a non-linear improvement in players’ performance for all considered motor performance factors over a three-year period from early to middle adolescence. While their predictive value for future success was confirmed by a significant relationship between APL and most of the considered factors, there was no significant interaction between APL and Time. These findings indicate that future elite players had already been better at the beginning of the TID program and maintained this high level throughout their promotion from U12 to U15.

Total and Attuned Multiple Autonomy Support and the Social Development of Early Adolescents

The effects of Multiple Autonomy Support (MAS), meaning the autonomy support provided by two or more sources, is an overlooked topic in social development literature. The aim of this study is to understand how two types of MAS, Total Multiple Autonomy Support (TMAS) and Multiple Autonomy Support Attunement (MASA), are related to early adolescents’ social development indicators (prosocial behavior, self-regulation, antisocial behavior, alcohol use, and 1-year substance use intention). TMAS pertains to the general amount of autonomy support perceived by a MAS recipient, irrespectively of each provider’s contribution to that score. MASA refers to the interindividual patterns of perceived coordination among MAS providers, based on each provider’s autonomy scores. The participants were 818 early adolescent Portuguese (M = 12.15; SD = .81; 54.2% girls) surveyed in a cross-sectional exploratory study about MAS provided by parents, teachers, and mentors. Descriptive analyses revealed levels of low (n = 81; 10.00%), moderate (n = 432; 52.82%), and high (n = 302; 36.91%) TMAS. A k-cluster analysis revealed four MASA groups: low attuned MAS (n = 128; 15.65), misattuned MAS/low attuned parent autonomy support (n = 225; 27.51%), misattuned MAS/low attuned teacher autonomy support (n = 177; 21.64%), and high attuned MAS (n = 288; 32.21%). Ordinal regressions show that, after controlling for age, a pattern of high attuned MAS predicts better prospects of prosocial behavior and self-regulation, as opposed to high levels of TMAS. In addition, MASA involving low teacher autonomy support predicts the worst results on the selected indicators of social development.

Adolescents’ and mothers’ temperament types and their roles in early adolescents’ socioemotional functioning

The present study examined adolescents’ and mothers’ temperament types and their roles in the socioemotional functioning of early adolescents. A total of 869 sixth-grade students and 668 mothers participated in the study. The students rated their temperament and socioemotional functioning and the mothers rated their own temperament. Latent profile analyses identified four temperament types among the adolescents (resilient, reserved, average, and mixed) and three types among the mothers (resilient, average, and mixed). The results showed that the adolescents with resilient or reserved temperaments reported significantly fewer conduct problems and emotional symptoms, less hyperactivity, and higher prosociality than adolescents with a mixed temperament type. The most adaptive adolescent–mother temperament matches were between a resilient or reserved adolescent and a resilient or average mother; these adolescents reported the highest levels of socioemotional functioning. Mothers with mixed or average temperaments were related to fewer conduct problems and emotional symptoms and less hyperactivity among adolescents with a mixed temperament, while mothers with a resilient temperament type were beneficial for prosocial behavior among adolescents with a mixed temperament. These findings increase understanding of the role of temperament and the interplay between adolescents’ and mothers’ temperaments in the development of early adolescents’ socioemotional adjustment.

Prospective association between early adiposity rebound and adolescent development in girls

Objective: To determine possible relations between early adiposity rebound and adolescent development. Methods: Prospective children cohort from 2 kindergartens selected through clustering convenience sampling method in Anhui Province was established since Sep. 2010. Participants were classified as Cohort 1 (2010), Cohort 2 (2011) and Cohort 3 (2012) according to the recruiting year. Till Sep. 2015, a toal of 802 girls were included in this study, and received follow-up till primary school. During kindergarten period, physical examination was carried out every 3 months, 8 times in total. In primary school, physical examination was carried out annually; till Sep.2015, the cohort 1, 2, 3 took physical examination for 12, 11, 10 times, respectively. Information on household economic status and child physical activity was acquired through parents questionnaire survey, and breast development were assessed through visual inspection and palpation. Adiposity rebound was determined according to Rolland-Cachera's method for each girl. Differences between early adiposity rebound and normal adiposity rebound groups were compared by using t test and χ(2) test. Multivariate regression analysis was applied to explore the association between early adiposity rebound and breast development. Results: The average age of participants was (8.90±0.87) years old and the BMI was (17.48±2.70) kg/m(2). The average age at adiposity rebound was (6.16±0.90) years old and the BMI was (15.33±1.82) kg/m(2). Premature breast development was found significantly higher in girls in early adiposity rebound group (27.8%, 54/802) than it in normal adiposity rebound group (13.7%) (P<0.001). After current adiposity, age, household economic status, childhood physical activity adjusted, the OR of premature beast development in early adiposity rebound group was 2.41(95%CI: 1.41-4.12). Conclusion: Early adiposity rebound increases the risk of premature puberty in girls.

Trauma and Early Adolescent Development: Case Examples from a Trauma-Informed Public Health Middle School Program

Trauma and Early Adolescent Development: Case Examples from a Trauma-Informed Public Health Middle School Program

Detailing neuroanatomical development in late childhood and early adolescence using NODDI.

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies have provided much evidence of white and subcortical gray matter changes during late childhood and early adolescence that suggest increasing myelination, axon density, and/or fiber coherence. Neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) can be used to further characterize development in white and subcortical grey matter regions in the brain by improving specificity of the MRI signal compared to conventional DTI. We used measures from NODDI and DTI to examine white and subcortical gray matter development in a group of 27 healthy participants aged 8–13 years. Neurite density index (NDI) was strongly correlated with age in nearly all regions, and was more strongly associated with age than fractional anisotropy (FA). No significant correlations were observed between orientation dispersion index (ODI) and age. This suggests that white matter and subcortical gray matter changes during late childhood and adolescence are dominated by changes in neurite density (i.e., axon density and myelination), rather than increasing coherence of axons. Within brain regions, FA was correlated with both ODI and NDI while mean diffusivity was only related to neurite density, providing further information about the structural variation across individuals. Data-driven clustering of the NODDI parameters showed that microstructural profiles varied along layers of white matter, but that that much of the white and subcortical gray matter matured in a similar manner. Clustering highlighted isolated brain regions with decreasing NDI values that were not apparent in region-of-interest analysis. Overall, these results help to more specifically understand patterns of white and gray matter development during late childhood and early adolescence.

Early adolescent language development following intrathecal chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

Purpose: Central nervous system (CNS) prophylaxis in the treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is routinely achieved through intrathecal chemotherapy (ITC). The presence of high level language deficits in older children who received CNS-directed ITC for ALL in early childhood is yet to be elucidated, with previous research suggesting that high level language deficits may appear later in ALL survivors’ development at an age when these skills typically emerge.Method: A test battery covering foundational language skills and higher-order language skills was administered to five participants (aged 10–15 years) with a history of ITC for ALL. Conversion of each child’s language performance scores to z scores allowed for clinical interpretation of data across the language areas tested.Result: Foundational language skills were, in general, of no clinical concern. Three of the five children presented with clinically impaired language skills in areas including resolving ambiguity, making inferences and composing novel sentences. Performance variation between the participants and within the individual participants was noted.Conclusion: Given the importance of early adolescent language abilities to academic and social development in late primary and secondary schooling, these preliminary findings suggest further research into emerging adolescent language abilities following ITC for ALL is warranted.

Purpose and Character Development in Early Adolescence.

Character development in adolescence is of growing interest among psychology researchers and educators, yet there is little consensus about how character should be defined and studied among developmental scientists. In particular, there is no fully developed framework for investigating the developmental relationships among different character strengths. This study examines the developmental relations between purpose and three other key character strengths that emerge during early adolescence: gratitude, compassion, and grit. We analyzed survey (n = 1005, 50.1% female, 24.1% Caucasian, 43.6% African American, 18.9% Hispanic, 11.9% Asian American) and interview (n = 98) data from a longitudinal study of character development among middle school students from the United States. Data were collected over the course of 2 years, with surveys conducted four times at 6-month intervals and interviews conducted twice at 12-month intervals. Data analyses showed small but significant correlations between purpose and each of the other three character strengths under investigation. Interview data revealed patterns in ways that adolescents acted on their purposeful aspirations; and interview analyses identified qualitative differences in expressions of gratitude and compassion between adolescents who were fully purposeful and those who were not. The findings suggest that character development can be better understood by investigating the multidirectional developmental relationships among different character strengths.

Parent Educational Involvement in Middle School: Longitudinal Influences on Student Outcomes.

The present study examined influences of 6th grade student-reported parent educational involvement on early adolescent peer group affiliations at 7th and 8th grade. In addition, student gender and ethnicity were explored as possible moderators. Drawn from a large effectiveness trial, participants in this study were 5,802 early adolescents across twenty middle schools in the Northwest region of the United States. Findings suggested that specifically parent's educational involvement in 6th grade predicted increases in positive peer affiliation, when controlling for a general score of parent monitoring practices. The relation between parent educational involvement and peer affiliation varied by student ethnicity but not by gender. Findings suggest the social benefits of parent's engagement with the school context on early adolescent development.

Teenage pregnancy in South Africa: Setting a new research agenda

ABSTRACTThe advent of democracy in South Africa in 1994 was coincidentally accompanied by an avalanche of research on the nation-wide risk factors of teenage pregnancy. Today, such research remains, yet the quantitative investigation of factors beyond the individual level has been limited. This study documents the statistical associations found in previous research between teenage pregnancy and key independent variables, namely: age, educational level, socio-economic status and forced sex/gender based violence, as well as a few household and community variables. It goes on to explain the fundamental shortcomings of this approach and proposes an alternative quantitative approach to examining the phenomenon of teenage pregnancy through an adaptation of Bronfenbrenner's ecology theory and Blum et al.'s multilevel and life course framework for early adolescent health and development, and from the perspective of social determinants of health. This will extend the extant knowledge of teenage pregnancy determinants and open up avenues of programme interventions and policy changes to help reduce teenage pregnancy in South Africa.

Scholarly Teaching Through Action Research: A Narrative of One Professor's Process

This article shares a first-hand account of an action research project conducted in a college-level early adolescent development course to better understand written and verbal reflection as learning tools, improve the author’s teaching effectiveness, and foster reflective habits in pre-service teachers. The article includes a brief overview of related literature and a description of several reflective activities and assignments used in the course before presenting and discussing the project’s results based on Ferrance’s (2000) 6-step action research process.

Traditional Masculinity During the Middle School Transition: Associations with Depressive Symptoms and Academic Engagement.

Culturally prescribed social scripts for traditional masculinity that emphasize social dominance are frequently linked to diminished well-being for men across a variety of psychological domains. However, few studies have examined the role of traditional masculinity scripts in the lives of early adolescent boys and girls, despite their relevance during this period and their potential developmental implications. To address this need, we examined the development of early adolescents' conformity to traditional masculinity across the middle school transition, as well as its links with depressive symptoms and academic engagement. Using a diverse sample of 280 adolescents (M age=11.13, SD=0.51; 54.3% Female; 44% Latina/o) assessed at the beginning (fall 2014) and end (spring 2015) of their first year of middle school, we found an increase in conformity to traditional masculinity scripts among boys, but not among girls. For boys and girls alike, conformity to traditional masculinity predicted greater depressive symptoms and decreased academic engagement. Depressive symptoms also mediated the association between traditional masculinity and academic engagement for boys and girls. This study is among the first to study conformity to traditional masculinity from a developmental lens. The findings suggest that traditional masculinity scripts are relevant for early adolescents (particularly boys) transitioning to middle school. However, for both boys and girls, conformity to these scripts can compromise psychological and academic well-being.

Associations of Perceived Sibling and Parent-Child Relationship Quality With Internalizing and Externalizing Problems: Comparing Indian and Dutch Early Adolescents

The aims of the present study were (a) to examine whether Dutch and Indian early adolescents differ concerning sibling and parent-child relationship quality and externalizing and internalizing problems, and (b) to compare the associations between sibling and parent-child relationship quality and externalizing and internalizing problems for Indian and Dutch early adolescents. Our sample consisted of 274 Dutch (mean age = 10.9 years) and 236 Indian early adolescents (mean age = 10.8 years). Questionnaires were administered in the final grades of 15 Dutch primary schools and six Indian English-language middle schools. Indian early adolescents reported more sibling warmth and parental negative interaction than Dutch early adolescents. However, associations between sibling and parent-child relationship quality and externalizing and internalizing problems were similar. Our study indicates that cross-cultural differences may exist in quality of sibling and parent-child relationships, but not in their impact on externalizing and internalizing problems. More cross-cultural research concerning family relationship quality and its impact on early adolescent psychosocial development is needed to confirm our findings.

Effects of Tennis Training on Personality Development in Children and Early Adolescents

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of a 12-week basic tennis training program on the personality development of early adolescents aged between 9 and 11 years. The research methodology consisted of a single group pre-test/post-test design implemented with a total of eight volunteer children (three boys and five girls). The Personality Inventory (PERI), a data collection tool used to quantify (openness to experience, sense of responsibility, extraversion, compatibility, emotional balance). The mean calculation for each personality trait is provided in the form of descriptive statistics while the Wilcoxon test was used to identify differences between the pre- and post-tests. In conclusion, the research team observes that by improving early adolescents’ openness to new experiences, tennis training facilitates the development of related characteristics, such as individuality, well-roundedness, ability to generate new ideas, creativity, flexibility, optimism, even temperament, low anxiety, attention to detail, discipline and ability to plan.