Youth

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Citation Ebstyne King, P., & Tiret, F. (2022). La spiritualité comme boussole: Accompagner les jeunes vers l’épanouissement: In Les spiritualités dans le travail socio-éducatif (pp. 91–116). Érès. https://doi.org/10.3917/eres.verba.2022.01.0091 Abstract As our world and cultures change radically, many conventional civil, social and religious institutions that served to forge social bonds in the Western world are eroding. Digital platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram are poised to represent the authority figure, a role previously reserved for embodied organizations. Due to this development, young people grow up with networks where honesty, convictions, respect for privacy, responsibility and support are often lacking. Consequently,...

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Citation Lerner, R. M., Tirrell, J. M., Gansert, P. K., Lerner, J. V., King, P. E., Geldhof, G. J., … & Sim, A. T. (2021). Longitudinal research about, and program evaluations of, positive youth development in low-and middle-income countries: Methodological issues and options. Journal of Youth Development, 16(2-3), 100-123. Abstract The study of positive youth development (PYD) requires theory-based methodological considerations pertinent to measurement, research and program design, and data analysis. We outline the appropriate steps that researchers and program evaluators must enact to address these methodological foci in their respective attempts to describe, explain, and optimize the course of...

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Citation Tirrell, J. M., Hay, S. W., Gansert, P. K., Le, T. U., O’Neil, B. C., Vaughn, J. M., Bishara, L., Tan, E., Lerner, J. V., King, P. E., Dowling, E. M., Williams, K., Iraheta, G., Sim, A. T. R., & Lerner, R. M. (2021). Fostering youth strengths and positive development: Exploring the role of the “Big Three” features of effective youth development programs in El Salvador. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 45(6), 524-532. Abstract Programs effective in promoting positive youth development (PYD) involve curricular features termed the Big Three: Positive and sustained adult–youth relationships; life-skill-building activities; and youth contribution...

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Citation King, P. E., Hardy, S. A., & Noe, S. (2021). Developmental perspectives on adolescent religious and spiritual development. Adolescent Research Review, 6(3), 253-264. Abstract Despite the prevalence of religiousness and spirituality among adolescents, little is known about the psychology of adolescent religious and spiritual development. The purpose of this article is to explain how scholars within the discipline of developmental psychology have begun to approach the topic. Specifically, the article details how developmental theory advances understanding of religious and spiritual development and overviews developmental methods that enable rigorous examination of the structure and function of adolescent religious and spiritual...

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Rodrigo Riveros discusses the importance of life stories in promoting brain development and meaning-making in adolescents.

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A college student reflects on the importance of finding a sense of purpose as the key to thriving in college.

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Dr. Meredith Hope discusses the role of religion in youth thriving and ways caring adults can help enable spirituality in adolescence.

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Citation King, P. E., Yoo, Y., Vaughn, J. M., Tirrell, J. M., Geldhof, G. J., Iraheta, G., Williams, K., Sim, A., Stephenson, P., Dowling, E., Lerner, R. M., & Lerner, J. V. (2021). Evaluating the measure of diverse adolescent spirituality in samples of Mexican and Salvadoran youth. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 13(2), 246–253. https://doi.org/10.1037/rel0000279 Abstract This study examines the psychometric properties and applicability of the Measure of Diverse Adolescent Spirituality (MDAS), including the factors of transcendence and fidelity, across 2 samples of adolescent youth from low- and middle-income countries (Mexico and El Salvador). Drawing on relational developmental systems metatheory, spirituality is...

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Citation Tirrell, J.M., Gansert, P.K., Dowling, E.M., Williams, K., Iraheta, G., Lerner, J.V., King, P.E., Sim, A., & Lerner, R.M. (2021) Interrogating ergodicity and specificity in youth development programs in El Salvador. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 73 (202103), 101243. Abstract Researchers and evaluators interested in positive youth development (PYD) programs seek to understand what works for what youth in what ways. Typically, measurement and analysis are framed by ergodic theorems, which assume homogeneity of individuals and stationarity in individuals’ developmental pathways. However, such commonality (homogeneity and stationarity) does not characterize all developmental…

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Citation King, P. E., Yoo, Y., & Vaughn, J. M., Tirrell, J. M., Geldhof, G. J., & Dowling, E. M. (2021). Under construction: The Measure of Diverse Adolescent Spirituality (MDAS) and refined findings from Mexican and Salvadoran youth. In K. Harris, A. Ai, & P. Wink (Eds.), Assessing Spirituality and Religion in a Diverse World. New York: Springer Press. Abstract This volume addresses an important problem in social scientific research on global religions and spirituality: How to evaluate the role of diverse religious and spiritual (R/S) beliefs and practices within the rapid evolution of spiritual globalization and diversification trends. The...

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Move from surviving to thriving by using the six tips in this post. Explore the links for deeper understanding.

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Student researchers share 3 research-based techniques to increase relaxation, support positive behaviors, and create a structured routine for kids.