Based on the responses of 5,946 adolescents (mean age = 14.77), the relationships among family influence, adolescents' volunteering intention, and volunteering behavior in a Chinese context were examined. A 9-item Chinese Family Influence on Adolescent Volunteerism Scale (C-FIAV) was used to measure nine kinds of influence of the family (such as family support) which could be subsumed under two underlying domains (positive family influence and extrinsic family influence). Results showed that family support, family belief, and family modeling were positively associated with both intention and behavior. Family reward and coercion were negatively associated with both intention and behavior. Family belief in volunteerism was the most critical factor. Grade and gender differences were found only in the associations between family influence and volunteering intention. Path models showed that positive and extrinsic family influence had an effect on volunteering behavior directly or via the mediation of volunteering intention. Implications and limitations are discussed.

To provide better instruction for the "Digital Native," it is important to understand the information processing behavior of adolescents using Internet programs and the potential impact of that behavior on learning. This study asks whether the use of general or specific learning goals in a hypertext environment affects learning performance. It also examines whether general versus specific learning goals have a different effect on adolescents with different cognitive styles (field dependent/field). One hundred eighty college freshmen were classified as field dependent or field independent and randomly assigned to one of two treatments: "specific preset learning goal" and "general preset learning goal." Participants provided with either specific or general learning goals navigated identical hypertext instructional programs and then completed an achievement test. Results indicate that field-dependent adolescents perform significantly better when they have specific rather than general learning goals. This study suggests that providing appropriate direction or guidance may mitigate the drawbacks of a field-dependent learning style of adolescents in a hypertext environment. Other related issues are also discussed.

This study examined the contribution of general normative beliefs about aggression and specific normative beliefs about retaliatory aggression in predicting physical, verbal, and indirect aggressive behaviors. Two hundred and forty-nine Grade 4 and Grade 5 boys completed the Normative Beliefs about Aggression Scale (NOBAGS) and provided self-reports on the frequency of their physical, verbal, and indirect aggressive behaviors. A series of hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that general normative beliefs about aggression contributed significantly in predicting all three types of aggressive behaviors. When general normative beliefs about aggression were controlled for, specific normative beliefs about retaliatory aggression against males but not specific normative beliefs about retaliatory aggression against females, contributed significantly to predict physical, verbal, and indirect aggressive behaviors. Implications for intervention programs are discussed.

Early parenting experiences and child outcomes of adolescent mothers depend greatly on the mother's intellect, personal adaptability, and cognitive readiness. A plethora of research indicates that parenting adolescent females experience higher rates of depression and stress, attain fewer years of formal education, lack employment skills, live in higher rates of poverty, and tend to their children's needs inconsistently and less effectively compared to older mothers; these issues are indicative of poor child outcomes. A high percentage of adolescent girls engage in disorganized attachment relationships with their children. This paper focuses on disorganized attachment in infants of adolescent mothers, and includes factors that may assist adolescents and their infants to achieve more positive outcomes.

The experiences of five Chinese immigrant adolescents who became participatory action researchers (PAR) (Fine et al,, 2002) through a school-based internship program in the United States are analyzed and presented. Evaluation of the project was conducted using content analysis of student researchers' journal entries. Discovery Oriented Approach analysis (Mahrer & Boulet, 1999; Mahrer 1988) was implemented and revealed the following main domains: Learning and Growth, Program Evaluation, Adjustment and Coping, Identity Development and Social Role, Pride, Social Support, Empathy, and Group Process. Implications for conducting PAR with ethnic minority populations are discussed in the context of the participants' experiences with cultural adjustment.

The rapid advancement of Internet and computer technology has not only influenced the way we live, but also the way we learn. Due to the implementation of e-learning in urban junior high schools in Taiwan, it has become essential to find out how external and internal factors affect junior high school students' online learning behavior, which consequently affects their learning outcome. The present study aims to propose a conceptual structural equation model to investigate the relationships among e-Learning system quality (eLSQ), technology readiness (TR), learning behavior (LB), and learning outcome (LO), and to demonstrate the direct and indirect effect of eLSQ and TR on LO from the perspectives of LB. Data collected from 10 urban junior high schools in Taiwan (N = 376) were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results reveal that both eLSQ and TR have a direct and significant impact on LB. However, eLSQ and TR influence LO indirectly through LB. In addition, LB has a direct and positive significant influence on LO. Managerial implications are proposed and research limitations are discussed.

Drawing from contemporary social cognitive theories of achievement motivation, the relationship of personal theories of achievement (ego and task theory) with perceived ability and reported satisfaction with school and sport was examined. The cross-domain generality of these relationships in these contexts, in the case of a representative sample of adolescents between 11 and 15 years of age (N = 967, M age = 13.5, SD = 1.80; 492 girls and 475 boys) from the Valencian Community (Spain) also was examined. According to previous research in the United States (Duda & Nicholls, 1992), the findings of this study indicate a cross-domain consistency with regard to how adolescents tend to define success and their views of how achievement activities operate across sport and the classroom. However, little cross-domain generality was found for perceptions of ability and reported satisfaction. In the sport and classroom domains, a task theory was related to greater satisfaction, while an ego theory was related to greater reported boredom and low interest in the activity.

This study investigated links between parent characteristics and daughters' attachment styles for 90 female undergraduates and their married biological parents. Parents with a secure attachment pattern were rated as more accepting, less controlling, more competent, and more consistent in showing love and affection to their daughter in contrast to parents with an insecure attachment pattern. Significant positive associations were found between mothers' fearful attachment scores and the fearful, preoccupied, and dismissive attachment scores of daughters. Daughters of matched secure parents were more likely to report a secure attachment style, while daughters of matched insecure parents were more likely to report an insecure attachment style.

Time perspective refers to thoughts and attitudes toward the past, the present, and the future and may underlie adolescents' decisions and behaviors about school and work. To develop a greater understanding of the topic we used focus group methodology to examine how adolescents conceptualized the past, the present, and the future. Nineteen adolescents aged 13 to 17 participated in six focus groups. Results from qualitative analyses suggested several patterns in adolescents' conceptualizations of the past, the present, and the future including absolute and fluid definitions, relations among temporal dimensions, and affective qualities. Further, responses were similar between genders, and included unsolicited mention of the relationship between socioeconomic status and time perspective. Findings are discussed in light of extant literature and directions are proposed for research on adolescent time perspective.

The theoretical concept of self-socialization suggests that an individual is able to reflect on the self, formulate a vision of a future self, set goals, and take actions that create or alter the developmental trajectory. This case study of a parachute child illustrates how a person constructs her life from a very young age, drawing on a profound capacity for personal agency to overcome obstacles, identify resources, and internalize values to build a life structure. A model of the psychosocial process of self-socialization emerges from this case. Following the disruption of a well-defined trajectory, self-socialization is observed as a sequence of actions, reflection, correction, and new actions. Self-socialization is possible when a strong sense of self-efficacy is applied to attaining internalized values and goals.

Research shows that students can articulate a definition of caring and identify specific behaviors of caring teachers. Some of this research also indicates that White students perceive caring differently from African American students. The purpose of this study was to examine what students from different cultural backgrounds and different grade levels identify as the practices teachers use to create a caring classroom. Sixth- and ninth-grade students from an ethnically diverse urban middle and high school completed a qualitative questionnaire on their teachers' classroom practices. Results indicate, although there were little differences in the categories and themes that emerged across ethnic groups and grade levels, when analyzing how the response percentages for each category were distributed within ethnic group and across grade levels, several differences were apparent.

In this experiment the effect of spirituality and campus ministry involvement on academic accomplishment was studied. It was hypothesized that students who scored higher on the Index ofCore Spiritual Experiences, hereafter known as the INSPIRIT, taken from Measures of Religiosity (Hill, 1999), and who were more involved in campus ministry activities, would have higher grade point averages. A total of 247 Marist College sophomores and juniors were administered a questionnaire that contained the INSPIRIT and a list of campus ministry activities. The students were asked to fill out both sections and provide other information such as GPA, graduation year, and gender. Based on the replies, the researchers scored the INSPIRIT and rated the students involvement in campus ministry activities. The information was then entered into the computer and a correlation study was performed.

This study investigated the associations among first sexual intercourse and body image, future educational plans, depressed moods, as well as the influence of parental education and income. These associations were tested by gender and ethnicity and adjusted for variables likely to affect the findings, such as perceived social support, sexual abuse, and age. Tenth graders from Lower Secondary Schools in Oslo enrolled in 2000 and 2001 were invited to participate in this cross-sectional in-school study (participation rate: 88%). Out of the 7,343 participants, only those 15 or 16 years of age were included in the analyses (N = 7,187). Data on both parents' level of education and income were obtained from official registries. Body image was independently associated with sexual intercourse for adolescent girls. Those with high scores on body image concerns were more likely to have experienced first intercourse. For both male and female adolescents, future education plans including higher education were negatively associated with first sexual intercourse. Depressed mood and sexual abuse had positive associations with reported first sexual intercourse. Independent associations between sexual debut and parental education and income were also found. Adolescents of fathers with higher education were less likely to report having had first sexual intercourse. A similar relationship was observed between mothers' levels of education and their sons. It was found that first sexual intercourse among 15- and 16-year-olds is associated with higher scores on body image concerns for adolescent girls. Social support and parental higher education seem to decrease the likelihood of having had first sexual intercourse in this age group. In future research, body image and various aspects of social support need to be better understood in relation to adolescent sexuality in various social and cultural contexts.

While empowerment has become a popular concept in working with adolescents, few attempts have been made to explore the possibilities for empowering school personnel to create an environment in which young people can make maximum use of the opportunity to learn and grow. Based on the field experiences of 15 Hong Kong school social workers, this article examines how practitioners use various strategies to interact with school personnel to generate empowering practices in the school setting: namely, (1) exerting influence on school personnel in daily conversations and interactions; (2) creating an environment conducive to the teacher-student relationship; (3) achieving consensus with school personnel through lobbying and negotiation; and (4) collaborating with school personnel to organize life education and positive youth development programs. The findings provide valuable reference materials to guide other practitioners in applying the empowerment approach in actual practice. It also helps fill the gap in existing literature on empowerment and school social work.

Among young people with emotional and behavioral problems (EBP), mutual aid is likely to be valuable in their rehabilitation and deserving of social work support. The benefits of mutual aid stem from the possibility that it prolongs the effective contribution of social work service. Given its potential benefits, it is imperative to clarify the ways in which social work service maximizes these benefits. Such clarification is necessary both to verify untested theories about social work inputs to mutual aid and because the research literature on mutual aid among young people is particularly lacking. Based on data from three focus groups involving social workers in Hong Kong, this study seeks to demonstrate the relevance of theoretically based group work strategies in the mutual aid and rehabilitation of EBP youth. These strategies include identifying commonalities and setting prioritiese, balancing support with demand, optimizing input between social workers and members, and connecting members with relevant others in the community. The research and service implications of the findings of this study for promoting efficient social work input that contributes to the long-term development of young people are discussed.