A Mixed-Methods Exploration of Intentional Self Regulation and Youth Beliefs about the Chances of Achieving Future Aspirations

Using a mixed methods approach, the connection between Intentional Self Regulation (ISR) and feelings about the chances of achieving future aspirations among 94 Scottish youth (56% female) was examined. Regression analyses demonstrated ISR, as measured by the SOC 9-item scale, was predictive of youths’ feelings about their chances of achieving future aspirations. Qualitative data collected from 26 interviews suggested the use of ISR skills among adolescents, even when those skills were not evident quantitatively. Results indicated the need to employ mixed methodologies when conducting research on ISR with young adolescents, and suggest the need for further testing and development of measures for both ISR and beliefs about the chances of achieving future aspirations. Potential programmatic implications for youth development and character education programs are also discussed

Using Cognitive Interviewing to Test Youth Survey and Interview Items in Evaluation: A Case Example

Background: Cognitive interviewing is a pretesting tool used by evaluators to increase item and response option validity. Cognitive interviewing techniques are used to assess the cognitive processes utilized by participants to respond to items. This approach is particularly appropriate for testing items with children and adolescents who have more limited cognitive capacities than adults, vary in their cognitive development, and have a unique perspective on their life experiences and context. Purpose: This paper presents a case example of cognitive interviewing with youth as part of a national program evaluation, and aims to expand the use of cognitive interviewing as a pretesting tool for both quantitative and qualitative items in evaluation studies involving youth. Setting: Youth participants were located in four regions of the United States: Northeast, Central, Southern, and Western. Interviewers were located at Montclair State University. Intervention: Not applicable. Research design: A cognitive interview measure was designed to include a subset of survey items, interview questions, and verbal probes, to evaluate if these items and questions would be understood as intended by both younger and older youth participants. An iterative design was used with cognitive interviewing testing rounds, analysis, and revisions. Data Collection and Analysis: The cognitive interview was administered by phone to 10 male youth, five from the 10-13-year-old age range and five from the 15-17-year-old age range. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, reviewed, and coded. Survey items and interview questions were revised based on feedback from the participants and consensus agreement among the evaluation team. Item revisions were included in further testing rounds with new participants. Findings: As a result of using cognitive interviewing to pretest survey and interview items with youth, response errors were identified. Participants did not understand some of the items and response options as intended, indicating problems with validity. These findings support the use of cognitive interviewing for testing and modifying survey items adapted for use with youth, as well as qualitative interview items. Additionally, the perspective of the youth participants was valuable for informing decisions to modify items and helping the evaluators learn the participants’ program culture and experiences. Based on the findings and limitations of the study, we give practice recommendations for future studies using cognitive interviewing with a youth sample. Keywords: cognitive interviewing; item validity; response error; verbal probes; pre-testing surveys; qualitative evaluation; interviewing children and adolescents; survey developmen

Intentional Self Regulation and Positive Youth Development: Implications for Youth Development Programs

Character education programs are mission-aligned with the positive youth development (PYD) perspective, which, in research with American youth suggests that intentional self-regulation (ISR) develops through mutually beneficial interactions between youth and their environment. Cross-cultural studies of Western youth suggest an adolescence-specific ISR process may exist. We begin to extend this work to assess the relationship between ISR and positive development in young Scottish adolescents (approximately 7th grade, N = 82; 50% male), a previously unexamined group. ISR was correlated with the Five Cs of PYD and OLS regression analyses demonstrated that ISR predicted two of the Five Cs: Character and Connection. We discuss implications for youth development programs of the findings that ISR and some indices of PYD were linked in a sample of Scottish youth

Pathways of adolescent college graduation expectations: Individual and maternal predictors

The present study examined college graduation expectations of adolescents and young adults. A model to predict college graduation expectations of 10th grade students was developed based on Eccles' (1983) expectancy-value model. Both individual predictors (gender, school grades, self-concept of ability) and maternal predictors (maternal education; parental divorce; maternal standards, expectations, and encouragement; adolescents' perceptions of maternal advice and involvement) were included. A separate model was developed to describe and predict pathways of college graduation expectations over time, at 10th grade, at 12th grade, and at age 21. Individual predictors (early adolescent expectations, gender, school grades, self-concept of ability) and maternal predictors (maternal education, parental divorce) were examined. Data from seven waves (6th grade through age 21) of the Michigan Study of Adolescent Life Transitions (MSALT) were utilized. For the prediction of 10th grade expectations, 1352 adolescents and 784 mothers participated in at least one wave; for the prediction of expectation pathways, 868 adolescents provided data. A structural equation modeling (SEM) technique was used for the prediction of 10th grade expectations; a hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) technique was used for the prediction of pathways of expectations. The results of the SEM analyses suggested that self-concept of ability was positively related to 10th grade college graduation expectations, school grades were negatively related to expectations, and males tended to have higher expectations than girls when all variables in the model were taken into account. Maternal standards, expectations, and encouragement as well as adolescents' perceptions of maternal advice and support were positively related to expectations. The results of the HLM analyses suggested that in general, adolescents have stable pathways of college graduation expectations as they enter young adulthood. Gender, 7th grade college expectations, school grades, self-concept of ability, and maternal education level were associated with intercepts (10th grade) of college graduation expectations. The relation of gender to expectation slopes approached significance. Boys' slopes were more positive than girls' slopes. The importance of examining interindividual differences in intraindividual change is discussed

“My Life Purpose is…” Assessment of Youth Purpose in Context

In the introduction to this special issue on youth purpose, the authors discuss the challenges in assessing purpose in adolescents; purpose is a concept that has more often been studied in adults but not in youth. First, theauthors discuss how purpose has been defined in the literature. The authors then situate purpose in the context of a host of related constructs, such as intentional self-regulation, future orientation, goal setting, and identity. Additionally, the authors discuss the importance of accurately measuring youth purpose, as well as in what contexts the assessment of purpose is useful, such as for positive youth development researchers, as well as practitioners and evaluators of youth development programs

Using Cognitive Interviewing to Test Youth Survey and Interview Items in Evaluation: A Case Example

Background: Cognitive interviewing is a pretesting tool used by evaluators to increase item and response option validity. Cognitive interviewing techniques are used to assess the cognitive processes utilized by participants to respond to items. This approach is particularly appropriate for testing items with children and adolescents who have more limited cognitive capacities than adults, vary in their cognitive development, and have a unique perspective on their life experiences and context. Purpose: This paper presents a case example of cognitive interviewing with youth as part of a national program evaluation, and aims to expand the use of cognitive interviewing as a pretesting tool for both quantitative and qualitative items in evaluation studies involving youth. Setting: Youth participants were located in four regions of the United States: Northeast, Central, Southern, and Western. Interviewers were located at Montclair State University. Intervention: Not applicable. Research design: A cognitive interview measure was designed to include a subset of survey items, interview questions, and verbal probes, to evaluate if these items and questions would be understood as intended by both younger and older youth participants. An iterative design was used with cognitive interviewing testing rounds, analysis, and revisions. Data Collection and Analysis: The cognitive interview was administered by phone to 10 male youth, five from the 10-13-year-old age range and five from the 15-17-year-old age range. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, reviewed, and coded. Survey items and interview questions were revised based on feedback from the participants and consensus agreement among the evaluation team. Item revisions were included in further testing rounds with new participants. Findings: As a result of using cognitive interviewing to pretest survey and interview items with youth, response errors were identified. Participants did not understand some of the items and response options as intended, indicating problems with validity. These findings support the use of cognitive interviewing for testing and modifying survey items adapted for use with youth, as well as qualitative interview items. Additionally, the perspective of the youth participants was valuable for informing decisions to modify items and helping the evaluators learn the participants’ program culture and experiences. Based on the findings and limitations of the study, we give practice recommendations for future studies using cognitive interviewing with a youth sample. Keywords: cognitive interviewing; item validity; response error; verbal probes; pre-testing surveys; qualitative evaluation; interviewing children and adolescents; survey developmen

Maternal Predictors of Early Adolescent Achievement-Related Outcomes: Adolescent Gender as Moderator

Investigated in the present study was the association between maternal parenting practices and school and developmental achievements among early adolescents. Guided by theories and previous research on gender differences, of special interest in the present study was whether and how adolescent gender would moderate the association between individual parenting practices (warmth, monitoring, psychological autonomy giving) and adolescent school and developmental achievements (school grades and psychosocial maturity). Fifty-eight early adolescents participated in the study; all adolescents were attending or had just completed eighth grade. Results indicated that monitoring made the largest individual contribution to school grades and psychosocial maturity and that gender moderated the association between two of the three parenting practices and adolescent psychosocial maturity. Specifically, the associations between warmth and psychological autonomy giving and psychosocial maturity were stronger for girls than for boys. The importance of examining individual parenting practices as well as explanations for the moderating effect of gender are discussed

Building a Career Outside Academia : A Guide for Doctoral Students in the Behavioral and Social Sciences

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