Showing papers by "Reed W. Larson published in 2006"
TL;DR: Youth reported all of these positive developmental experiences to occur significantly more often in youth programs than during school classes, and sports and arts programs stood out as providing more experiences related to development of initiative, although sports were also related to high stress.
Abstract: This study inventoried the types of developmental and negative experiences that youth encounter in different categories of extracurricular and community-based organized activities. A representative sample of 2,280 11th graders from 19 diverse high schools responded to a computer-administered protocol. Youth in faith-based activities reported higher rates of experiences related to identity, emotional regulation, and interpersonal development in comparison with other activities. Sports and arts programs stood out as providing more experiences related to development of initiative, although sports were also related to high stress. Service activities were associated with experiences related to development of teamwork, positive relationships, and social capital. Youth reported all of these positive developmental experiences to occur significantly more often in youth programs than during school classes.
559 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe positive youth development as a process in which young people's capacity for being motivated by challenge energizes their active engagement in development, and discuss ways in which caring adults, including mentors, can support this process of positive development.
Abstract: This article describes positive youth development as a process in which young people’s capacity for being motivated by challenge energizes their active engagement in development. The first part of the article discusses the conditions under which this motivation is activated and considers obstacles to its activation in daily life. The second part discusses ways in which caring adults, including mentors, can support this process of positive development. Several frameworks that provide models of how adults can provide needed structure and guidance while supporting youth’s development as agents of their own growth are discussed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
300 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors report on an in-depth study aimed at generating grounded theory about the change process through which youth who are initially disengaged become motivated by program activities.
Abstract: The question of how youth become engaged or motivated is vital to youth development programs, because engagement influences not only program retention but the likelihood of youth gaining the benefits that programs offer. This article reports on an in-depth study aimed at generating grounded theory about the change process through which youth who are initially disengaged become motivated by program activities. Youth in a civic activism program were interviewed over a 4-month period and qualitative analyses were used to derive a model of this change process. This process was found to proceed from the youth forming a personal connection to the program’s mission to becoming intrinsically motivated by work on program activities. The analyses suggested that peers and the adult leader played important roles in supporting motivational change at each stage. The model developed from the investigation draws on existing theories of motivation.
137 citations
TL;DR: This introduction to the volume examines the evolution of contemporary family mealtime practices and how they have changed, and it synthesizes theory and research from across disciplines regarding the opportunities that mealtimes provide for child and adolescent development.
Abstract: This introduction to the volume examines the evolution of contemporary family mealtime practices and how they have changed, and it synthesizes theory and research from across disciplines regarding the opportunities that mealtimes provide for child and adolescent development.
113 citations
TL;DR: This article conducted 75 interviews with 12 youth and their adult leader over three cycles of engagement with the real world and found that participants experienced a developmental process that entailed experiences of dissonance and challenge followed by active adaptive learning, and adult leaders played a critical role in supporting this developmental process through balancing to maintain an approximate fit between the challenges youth experienced and their abilities to respond to these challenges.
Abstract: To make the transition to adulthood, youth must learn to function in the complex and unpredictable “real world” of adult life. This is an intensive case study of an urban arts program that sought to provide youth with experiences that prepared them for the real world of arts careers. We conducted 75 interviews with 12 youth and their adult leader over three cycles of engagement with the real world. Analyses suggest that participants experienced a developmental process that entailed experiences of dissonance and challenge followed by active adaptive learning. The adult leaders played a critical role in supporting this developmental process through balancing to maintain an approximate fit between the challenges youth experienced and their abilities to respond to these challenges.
55 citations
Book•
01 Jan 2006
TL;DR: The impact of family mealtime on the psychological development of young people was examined in the 111th volume of the Jossey-Bass quarterly report series "New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development" as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: This issue examines the impact of family mealtime on the psychological development of young people. In the popular media, family mealtime is often presented as a vital institution for the socialization and development of young people, but also as one that is "going the way of the dinosaur." Although elements such as fast food and TV have become a part of many family mealtimes, evidence is beginning to suggest that mealtimes can also provide rich opportunities for children's and adolescents' development. While what happens at mealtimes varies greatly among families, an outline of the forms and functions of mealtimes is beginning to emerge from this research. In this issue, leading mealtime researchers from the fields of history, cultural anthropology, psycholinguistics, psychology, and nutrition critically review findings from each of their disciplines, giving primary focus on family mealtimes in the United States. The authors in this issue examine the history of family mealtimes, describe contemporary mealtime practices, elucidate the differing transactional processes that occur, and evaluate evidence on the outcomes associated with family mealtimes from children and adolescents. If you are a student, researcher, scholar, or professional interested in this topic, you will find this issue to be a valuable contribution to your existing knowledge of the subject. This is the 111th volume of the Jossey-Bass quarterly report series "New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development".
28 citations
TL;DR: Using examples from their research that weigh professional and personal judgments, the authors illustrate the complexity of these practice dilemmas and the considerations program staff included as they responded to these challenging situations.
Abstract: Being an effective and intentional youth practitioner involves more than planning. It includes being able to react intelligently to the many difficult situations that arise. Practitioners in out-of-school and after-school settings regularly confront complex dilemmas that emerge in their daily work. They face situations where competing objectives, values, and warrants come into conflict, situations that can pit the developmental needs of youth, ethical concerns, administrative requirements, and other considerations against each other. Using examples from their research that weigh professional and personal judgments, the authors illustrate the complexity of these practice dilemmas and the considerations program staff included as they responded to these challenging situations.
26 citations
01 Jan 2006
TL;DR: Larson, R., Hansen, D., and Walker, K. as mentioned in this paper evaluated out-of-school time program quality and found that extracurricular activities, after-school and community programs are contexts of development.
Abstract: Larson, R., Hansen, D., & Walker, K. (in press). Everybody’s gotta give: Adolescents’ development of initiative within a youth program. In J. Mahoney, R. Larson, & J. Eccles (Eds.), Organized activities as contexts of development: Extracurricular activities, after-school and community programs. Mahwah, NJ: The Evaluation Exchange Volume X, No. 1, Spring 2004 Issue Topic: Evaluating Out-of-School Time Program Quality
2 citations