High-achieving Adolescents Research Articles

Longitudinal relationships among perceived teacher support, intrinsic motivation for math, and math learning outcomes: focusing on gender differences among high-achieving adolescents

Longitudinal relationships among perceived teacher support, intrinsic motivation for math, and math learning outcomes: focusing on gender differences among high-achieving adolescents

Neurocognitive Profiles in Adolescents With Postural Tachycardia Syndrome and Perceived Brain Fog: A Preliminary Report

BackgroundPostural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is associated with complaints of cognitive and emotional difficulties that may contribute to severe functional disability. For high-achieving adolescents, these symptoms can result in decreased participation in school and extracurricular activities. There are very limited data comparing subjective symptom reports to neurocognitive profiles in adolescents presenting with POTS, “brain fog,” and cognitive difficulties. MethodsA review of medical records and neuropsychological data was conducted for six adolescents diagnosed with POTS at a pediatric neurology clinic. All patients had frequent symptoms of orthostatic intolerance for more than three months. There was heart rate increase of ≥40 beats per minute (bpm) within 10 minutes of active standing or head-up tilt test in five patients and 36 bpm in one patient, who was diagnosed with probable POTS. All were referred for neuropsychological evaluations due to reported debilitating cognitive problems and an inability to function in a regular academic setting. Patients underwent a six-hour neuropsychological evaluation utilizing standardized measures of cognitive and emotional functioning. Clinically reported symptoms included fatigue, poor concentration, and memory impairment as well as “brain fog.” ResultsSubjective complaints differed from patients’ performance on standardized neuropsychological measures. Patients performed in the average to superior range across measures of general intelligence, verbal and working memory, processing speed, and sustained attention. ConclusionsFurther research is needed to elucidate the basis for perceived “brain fog” and cognitive impairment in POTS, such as better understanding of patient and parental perceptions of initial medical symptoms and diagnosis as well as symptom amplification due to biopsychosocial processes.

Improving Adolescent Self-Rated Health Using a Multiple Health Behavior Change eHealth Intervention

ABSTRACT Background Literature shows adolescence is a critical time for forming health habits and eHealth can be an effective platform for encouraging health habits. Purpose This study seeks to understand the impact of eHealth intervention that encourages tracking multiple health behaviors on habit participation and self-rated health. Methods Using a web-based portal, we provided incentives to a small group of high-achieving adolescents (n = 85). The group was encouraged to log health behaviors grounded in four pillars of health: physical activity, nutrition, sleep, and stress management. Surveys were distributed four times to track behaviors and self-rated health. Results Surveys showed significant increases in nutrition, sleep, mindfulness, and self-rated health. Self-rated health consistently increased independent of the other behaviors. Discussion Results suggest interventions such as the one described herein can engage adolescents to participate in recommended health behaviors. Further, comprehensive, positive interventions can influence adolescents’ concept of self-rated health despite small increases in health behaviors. This research further demonstrates eHealth tools can be an effective way to engage adolescents in preventive health behaviors. Translation to Health Education Practice This study guides future research by designing a multi-behavior health framework for adolescents and using eHealth as a platform for delivery.

Personality, Behavioral strengths and difficulties and performance of adolescents with high achievements in science, literature, art and sports

Individual variation in personality is related to differences in behavioral difficulties and achievement in unselected samples, and in samples selected for high achievement in various domains. This is the first study to explore and compare the connections between self-report measures of personality (Big Five and Dark Triad), behavioral strengths and difficulties, and school achievement in four tracks of high-achieving adolescents (N = 1179) selected based on their exceptional performance in: Science, Arts, Sports and Literature. Personality was more strongly related to behavioral strengths and difficulties than to achievement in all tracks. As such, personality traits may be indirectly linked with achievement via behavioral strengths and difficulties. For example, narcissism correlated negatively with behavioral difficulties but did not significantly correlate with achievement. However, achievement was correlated negatively with behavioral difficulties. Network analyses indicated that teacher-awarded grades, but not anonymous exam grades, were weakly connected with personality. Specifically, teachers awarded higher grades to students with more ‘desirable’ personality traits such as high agreeableness. Results also showed track differences in the networks of personality, behavior and achievement. These findings are discussed in the context of personality as a resilience factor against behavioural difficulties and as a contributor to school achievement in gifted adolescents.

The role of academic status norms in friendship selection and influence processes related to academic achievement.

This study examined the role of academic status norms in friendship selection and influence processes related to academic achievement across the 2nd year of secondary school (SNARE project; N = 1,549 students from 70 classes; Mage = 13.69 years). Academic status norms were operationalized as the class-level correlation between academic achievement and 4 types of peer status: popularity, acceptance, unpopularity, and rejection. Longitudinal social network analyses indicated that the unpopularity and popularity norm play a role in friendship selection processes (but not influence processes) related to academic achievement. In line with our hypotheses, the unpopularity norm in the classroom strengthened similarity-based friendship selection among low-achieving adolescents and predicted greater avoidance of academically similar friends among high-achieving adolescents. Also, the popularity norm strengthened friendship selection among similar peers, both among low and high achievers. Acceptance and rejection norms did not play a role in friendship processes. In sum, the average achievement of popular and unpopular peers shapes friendship preferences in the classroom, which may have important implications for adolescent academic development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Relationship Between Salivary Cortisol, Self-Assessed Stress Levels, and Body Mass Index in High Achieving High School Adolescents

Studies of stress and cortisol levels in adults indicate that keeping normal levels of cortisol is beneficial to subjects. The hormone cortisol has many functions including proper glucose metabolism, regulation of blood pressure, immune function, and inflammatory response. When cortisol levels spike, as with stress, there can be a negative effect on the individual. Due to the hectic pace of modern life, the body’s stress response does not always have time to return to normal, leading to cortisol levels remaining too high. This can lead to suppressed thyroid function, blood sugar imbalances, higher blood pressure, lowered immunity, and increased abdominal fat. Stress plays a prominent role in the lives of millions of people all across the globe. This problem is not one that affects solely the adult population but also a multitude of adolescents and children. Oftentimes, stress can have both a physical and psychological effect on an individual. Many persons report an effect on food consumption when under stressful situations, causing one to either eat more or less than normal. In turn, these eating patterns can potentially influence the Body Mass Index (BMI) of an individual. While increased stress can lead to a higher or lower than normal cortisol level and BMI in adults, the role in adolescents is not entirely clear. This study investigated whether there is a relationship between stress and BMI in high-achieving adolescents, aged 14 to 18. The Perceived Stress Scale survey paired with additional questions that helped determine variables believed to impact stress levels were administered to determine overall stress levels in each subject. To determine cortisol levels, a competitive enzyme immunoassay was used. This study indicates that there are no significant correlations between perceived stress levels, salivary cortisol levels, and BMI in this group of individuals. However, a distinct difference in self-assessed stress levels was apparent between males and females. Somewhat unexpectedly, a negative relationship was found between BMI and salivary cortisol levels and perceived stress and salivary cortisol levels.

Think Positive? Examining the Impact of Optimism on Academic Achievement in Early Adolescents.

Although optimism's beneficial role for various life areas is well documented, previous findings regarding its significance for students' achievement at school are inconclusive. This study examined the relation between optimism and academic achievement in early adolescents. It investigated the functional form of this relation, addressed whether the initial achievement level moderates this association, and compared this with effects on self-esteem. We used a large German sample (N = 6,010; 53.2% females; baseline Mage = 14.1) with two measurement points over a period of 5 months (middle and end of 7th grade). Estimating LOESS curves and latent change-regression models revealed three main findings. (a) Optimism showed a nonlinear association with subsequent changes in academic achievement: Optimism promoted academic achievement, but this positive association reached a plateau in above-average optimism ranges and a minimum value in below-average ranges of optimism. (b) The achievement level at t1 moderated this relation so that high optimism exerted a more positive effect for high-achieving adolescents. (c) By contrast, optimism had an overall positive effect on self-esteem. The results therefore broaden the evidence on benefits of optimism by linking optimism to academic success in early adolescents but indicate only small and nonlinear associations.

Algebra performance and motivation differences for students with learning disabilities and students of varying achievement levels

Prior research has documented differences in both performance and motivation between students with learning disabilities (LD) and non-learning disabled (non-LD) students. However, few studies have conducted a finer grained analysis comparing students with LD with nondisabled students of varying achievement levels. The present study examines differences between LD, low-achieving, average-achieving, and high-achieving adolescents on algebra performance and readiness, motivational constructs (competence expectancy, interest, and goal orientation in mathematics), and the discrepancy between students' competence and their perceptions of their own competence. Results indicate that while students with LD may demonstrate lower algebra readiness and algebra achievement and more inaccurate judgments of their own competence compared with the whole non-LD sample, critical differences in performance and motivation were most evident between high-achieving and low-achieving students, not students with learning disabilities.

Parent–child relations and psychological adjustment among high-achieving Chinese and European American adolescents

Chinese American students are often perceived as problem-free high achievers. Recent research, however, suggests that high-achieving Chinese American students can experience elevated levels of stress, especially comparing to their peers from other ethnic groups. In this paper, we examine how family dynamics may influence psychological adjustment among a group of high-achieving adolescents. Drawing on survey data collected on 295 Chinese American and 192 European American 9th graders attending a highly selective magnet school, our findings show that Chinese American adolescents reported significantly lower levels of psychological adjustment (d = −.31), and significantly less family cohesion (d = −.34) and more conflict (d = .56) than their European American peers. Further, the ethnic differences on adjustment disappeared after controlling for perceptions of family cohesion and conflict, indicating that such perceptions may be a key factor in understanding the high academic achievement/low psychological adjustment paradoxical pattern of development among Chinese American adolescents.

Faith in intuition is associated with decreased latent inhibition in a sample of high-achieving adolescents.

Decreased latent inhibition (LI), reflecting an inability to screen from awareness stimuli previously experienced as irrelevant, has been associated with psychosis. Recent research has suggested, however, that low LI is associated with increased creative achievement in high-functioning individuals (S. H. Carson, J. B. Peterson, & D. M. Higgins, 2003). This study examined the relationship between LI and individual differences in the tendency to rely on intuition to make decisions. Participants scoring higher on a Faith in Intuition factor consisting of items relating to affect tended to have decreased LI. LI was not related to a rational thinking style or to a factor consisting of items relating to a holistic type of intuition. Furthermore, those high in faith in intuition benefitted more from a preexposure condition in which participants received the relevant stimuli in the first phase of the task than did those scoring medium and low in faith in intuition. An explanation is offered for the link between faith in intuition and LI, building on past theory and research on the biological basis of LI and associations with openness to experience and creativity.

Associations of Future Expectations, Negative Friends, and Academic Achievement in High-Achieving African American Adolescents

The relations of future expectations (general and academic) to academic outcomes were examined in a sample of 129 African American high-achieving adolescents (majority female participants, n = 92). This study was interested in the multidimensional nature of future expectations. Results from the study confirm the hypothesis that academic future expectations accounted for more variance in the relation to academic outcomes than general future expectations. In addition, the results suggest that the association of academic future expectations to grade point average lessens in the presence of negative friends. Suggestions for future research are offered.

The Relation of High-Achieving Adolescents' Social Perceptions and Motivation to Teachers' Nominations for Advanced Programs

The discrepancies between test-based and teacher-based criteria of high achievement are well-documented for students of all ages. This study seeks to determine whether certain high school students who score high on tests of academic achievement are more likely than others to be nominated for advanced academic programs by their teachers. Using Gagné's Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent as a guide, this study focused on three categories of correlates: social perceptions, individual motivation, and demographic background. Analysis of data from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 revealed separate correlational patterns for nomination to advanced English programs and nomination to advanced math programs. High-achieving English students were more likely to be nominated by teachers for advanced work in the subject if they had high intrinsic motivation to read, if they were female, and if they were not Black. To contrast, high-achieving mathematics students were more likely to be nominated by teachers for advanced work in this subject if they had high math self-efficacy, if they were female, and if their friends did not place high importance on social relationships. Moreover, high-achieving male math students were more likely to be nominated if they had high levels of intrinsic motivation in math and if their friends valued academic goals. These results speak to the importance of considering the context of a particular subject area when deciding on who is eligible for enrollment in advanced programs. They also show a potential bias against poorly motivated male students in subjects that are traditionally male dominated.

To Be or Not to Be (Challenged), That Is the Question: Task and Ego Orientations Among High-Ability, High-Achieving Adolescents

The relevance and significance of goal-orientation theories to high-ability, high-achieving adolescents were studied. A questionnaire was administered to 158 adolescents who attended summer residential programs for the gifted. The author used confirmatory factor analysis to assess the discriminant validity of goal constructs and structural equation modeling to test the major hypothesis that task and ego orientations influence the learner's task choice and persistence. The results of the study showed that this group of adolescents, despite having achieved high levels of success in school, were not free from ego concerns, including fear of failure and of not living up to the high expectations of peers and teachers. The results also indicated that ego orientations may be more detrimental to achievement motivation for girls than for boys.

Self-Concept – Performance Congruence: An Exploration of Patterns among High-Achieving Adolescents

Self-concept to performance congruence among academically able adolescents (54 females, 49 males) in both math and English was explored. Although analyses revealed similar congruence patterns for females and males in both subject-matter areas, the overall majority of these able learners fell outside the congruent range. These findings suggest that, regardless of gender or content area, able adolescents may be at risk for unrealistic self-concept perceptions relative to their actual performance.

Racial identity, academic achievement, and the psychological well-being of economically disadvantaged adolescents.

The relation between racial identity and personal psychological functioning was examined within the framework of the "racelessness" construct proposed by Fordham and Ogbu (S. Fordham, 1988; S. Fordham & J. U. Ogbu, 1986). These researchers have proposed that academically successful African American students achieve their success by adopting behaviors and attitudes that distance them from their culture of origin, resulting in increased feelings of depression, anxiety, and identity confusion. Studies 1 and 2 describe the development of the Racelessness Scale (RS) designed to test these assumptions. Study 2 also investigated Race X Achievement level differences in students' responses to the RS. In Study 3, correlations between the RS and measures of depression, self-efficacy, anxiety, alienation, and collective self-esteem were assessed. The pattern of results in Study 2 suggest that the behaviors and attitudes described by Fordham and Ogbu are common to high-achieving adolescents and not specific to African Americans. However, racial differences in the pattern of associations between the RS and measures of depression suggest that racelessness may have important psychological consequences for African American adolescents.

Gender, creativity, depression, and attributional style in adolescents with high academic ability.

The present study examined the relationship among gender, creativity, depression, and attributional style among high-achieving adolescents. One hundred twenty-eight eighth- and ninth-grade high-achieving students completed the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT), the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), and the Children's Attribution Style Questionnaire--Revised (KASTAN-R CASQ). The results indicate that there were gender differences only on the verbal component of the TTCT, with females scoring significantly higher. For both sexes, there was a significant relationship between figural creativity and a depressogenic attributional style. However, for females, high verbal creativity was associated with low levels of depression and a positive attributional style.

Changing Peer Stereotypes of High-Achieving Adolescents

It is important for principals to under stand the impact of peer pressure on academic achievement, says this writer. She looks at how peer pres sure can influence academic achieve ment, and suggests ways in which principals can mitigate the negative effects of such pressure.