Showing papers in "Journal of Social Issues in 2008"

Effects of the Home Learning Environment and Preschool Center Experience upon Literacy and Numeracy Development in Early Primary School

Abstract: This study investigates the influence of aspects of home and preschool environments upon literacy and numeracy achievement at school entry and at the end of the 3rd year of school. Individuals with unexpected performance pathways (by forming demographically adjusted groups: overachieving, average, and underachieving) were identified in order to explore the effects of the home learning environment and preschool variables on child development. Multilevel models applied to hierarchical data allow the groups that differ with regard to expected performance to be created at the child and preschool center levels. These multilevel analyses indicate powerful effects for the home learning environment and important effects of specific preschool centers at school entry. Although reduced, such effects remain several years later.

School Engagement Trajectories and Their Differential Predictive Relations to Dropout

Abstract: Although most theories draw upon the construct of school engagement in their conceptualization of the dropout process, research addressing its hypothesized prospective relation with dropout remains scarce and does not account for the academic and social heterogeneity of students who leave school prematurely. This study explores the reality of different life-course pathways of school engagement and their predictive relations to dropout. Using an accelerated longitudinal design, we used growth mixture modeling to generate seven distinct trajectories of school engagement with 12- to 16-year-old students (N = 13,300). A vast majority of students were classified into three stable trajectories, distinguishing themselves at moderate to very high levels of school engagement. We refer to these as developmentally normative pathways in light of their frequent occurrence and stability. Although regrouping only one-tenth of participants, four other nonnormative (or unexpected pathways) accounted for the vast majority of dropouts. Dropout risk was closely linked with unstable pathways of school engagement. We conclude by debating the delicate investment balance between universal strategies and more selective and differentiated strategies to prevent dropout. We also discuss the need to better understand why, within normative trajectories, some students with high levels of school engagement drop out of school.

The Syndrome of Group-Focused Enmity: The Interrelation of Prejudices Tested with Multiple Cross-Sectional and Panel Data

Abstract: Different types of prejudice are usually treated as separate constructs. We propose that they constitute a syndrome of group-focused enmity (GFE), that is, they are related to each other and share a common core that is strongly predicted by a generalized ideology of inequality. Furthermore, GFE components are supposed to have similar predictors and outcomes. An empirical test is presented using structural equation modeling on the syndrome, its causes, consequences, and structural stability over time. The study relies on three German cross-sectional probability samples (each N= 2,700) and a related panel study (2002, 2003, and 2004). The idea of a GFE syndrome is strongly supported. Future research is discussed, as well as alternative approaches of a common prejudice factor.

Ethnic prejudice and discrimination in Europe.

Abstract: This article provides an introduction to research on European prejudice and discrimination. First, we list the distinctive characteristics of a European perspective and provide a short sketch of European immigration and ethnic groups. Europe has become a multicultural community. Nevertheless, public opinion and the continent's politics often do not reflect this empirical fact. Prejudice and discrimination directed at immigrants are a widespread phenomena across Europe. Several cross-European surveys support this conclusion, although theoretically driven surveys on prejudice and discrimination in Europe remain rare. Cross-European research studies classical and modern theories of prejudice and discrimination and attempts to uncover the psychological mechanisms that explain individual readiness to exclude ethnic groups. A brief sketch of recent European research is presented. This issue offers both important cross-national perspectives as well as needed comparisons with the more studied case of racial prejudice and discrimination in the United States.

Exploring the roles of extracurricular activity quantity and quality in the educational resilience of vulnerable adolescents: Variable- and pattern-centered approaches

Abstract: This longitudinal study examines how extracurricular activity involvement contributes to “educational resilience”—the unexpected educational attainments of adolescents who are otherwise vulnerable to curtailed school success due to personal- and social-level risks. Educationally vulnerable youth characterized by significant risks and an absence of assets were identified during early adolescence (approximately age 14) using measures of academic motivation, achievement, and mental health as well as family, school, and peer contexts. Using a mixture of variable- and pattern-centered analytic techniques, we investigate how both the total amount time that vulnerable youth spent in positive extracurricular activities and the specific pattern of their extracurricular activity involvement during late adolescence (approximately age 17) predict their subsequent enrollment in college during early adulthood (up through approximately age 21). Educational resilience was predicted uniquely by some, but not all, activity patterns. These results suggest that positive extracurricular activity settings afford vulnerable youth developmentally appropriate experiences that promote educational persistence and healthy development.

Relative deprivation and intergroup prejudice

Abstract: Using three diverse European surveys, we test the relationship between relative deprivation (RD) and anti-immigrant prejudice. We find that both group relative deprivation (GRD) and individual relative deprivation (IRD) are found primarily among working-class respondents who are politically alienated. We also find that GRD, but not IRD, serves as a proximal correlate of prejudice. IRD's effects on prejudice are largely mediated through GRD. In addition, GRD partially mediates the effects of such distal predictors of prejudice as education and family income. Finally, blaming the victim mediates in part the GRD link with prejudice. These results lead to a socially situated path model of RD's effects on prejudice with public policy implications.

The “Antidemocratic Personality” Revisited: A Cross‐National Investigation of Working‐Class Authoritarianism

Abstract: More than 60 years ago, psychologists identified a potential threat to democracy from within, namely the “antidemocratic personality” arising from the “authoritarian syndrome.” It was soon discovered that the problem of authoritarianism was especially acute among those who were low in education and income, and that it was associated with intolerance toward others. However, several important questions were left unresolved. We revisit fundamental theoretical and empirical questions concerning the existence and nature of “working-class authoritarianism,” focusing especially on four psychological aspects of authoritarianism, namely, conventionalism, moral absolutism, obedience to authority, and cynicism. In a cross-national investigation involving respondents from 19 democratic countries, we find that all four aspects of authoritarianism are indeed related to moral and ethnic intolerance. However, only obedience to authority and cynicism are especially prevalent among those who are low in socioeconomic status. Conventionalism and moral absolutism were significant predictors of economic conservatism, whereas obedience to authority and cynicism were not. We find no support for Lipset’s (1960) claim that working-class authoritarianism would be associated with economic liberalism. Instead, we find that authoritarianism is linked to right-wing orientation in general and that intolerance mediates this relationship. Implications for electoral politics and political psychology are discussed.

How Adolescents in 27 Countries Understand, Support, and Practice Human Rights

Abstract: An understanding of human rights among young people forms a foundation for future support and practice of rights. We have used data from 88,000 14-year-olds surveyed in the 1999 International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) Civic Education Study to examine country differences in students' knowledge pertaining to human rights compared with other forms of civic knowledge, and in students' attitudes toward promoting and practicing human rights. A hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) analysis examines student-level predictors (e.g., gender and school experiences) and country-level predictors (e.g., history of democracy) of rights-related knowledge and attitudes. Countries with governments that pay more attention to human rights in intergovernmental discourse (i.e., dialogue between nations and international governing bodies) have students who perform better on human rights knowledge items. Students' experiences of democracy at school and with international issues have a positive association with their knowledge of human rights. Significant gender differences also exist. Looking at rights-related attitudes, students with more knowledge of human rights, more frequent engagement with international topics, and more open class and school climates held stronger norms supporting social movement citizenship, had more positive attitudes toward immigrants' rights, and were more politically efficacious. Implications are drawn for psychologists and educators who wish to play a role in increasing adolescents' understanding, support, and practice of human rights.

Exceptions to High School Dropout Predictions in a Low‐Income Sample: Do Adults Make a Difference?

Abstract: Adult-child relationship factors were examined to determine whether they differentiated between individuals who follow expected versus unexpected educational pathways. Low-income participants (96 men, 83 women) in the United States were followed from birth through age 23. Individuals were identified who followed expected versus unexpected pathways to high school graduation or dropping out based on academic achievement and behavioral problems. Patterns of parental involvement in school were significantly different between expected dropouts and unexpected graduates in middle childhood. In contrast, expected graduates had higher levels of parent involvement in middle childhood, more supportive parent-child relationships in early adolescence, and higher levels of social competence with adults than unexpected dropouts.

More than Two Decades of Changing Ethnic Attitudes in the Netherlands

Abstract: This article uses data from three studies to examine changing reactions toward ethnic minority groups in the Netherlands (1979–2002). Using realistic conflict theory, Study 1 focuses on support for discrimination of immigrant groups in general. The findings indicate that this support is more widespread in times of high levels of immigration, when the unemployment level has recently risen strongly, and among cohorts that grew to maturity in times of large immigration waves or high unemployment rates. Studies 2 and 3 focus on changing feelings toward different ethnic out-groups in an ideological context (2001–2004) marked by a shift from multiculturalism toward assimilation. Study 2 showed that the shift toward assimilation negatively affected Dutch participants' feelings toward Islamic outgroups, but not to other minority groups. Study 3 used an experimental design, and the results showed that ethnic attitudes are more negative in an assimilation compared to a multicultural context. It is concluded that the structural and ideological social context is important for understanding people's changing reactions.

Postconflict Reconciliation: Intergroup Forgiveness and Implicit Biases in Northern Ireland

Abstract: Even after a conflict has formally ended, there is still a need for postconflict reconciliation and the building of mutual forgiveness and trust between communities. This article addresses psychological processes crucial to moving beyond a history of violent sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland. We investigated the predictors of intergroup forgiveness, in terms of intergroup emotions, infrahumanization, empathy, and intergroup contact. Intergroup trust and measures of implicit intergroup bias were also explored in this area of real intergroup conflict. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for postconflict reconciliation in Northern Ireland and other conflict areas.

Why do People Vote? A Psychological Analysis of the Causes of Voter Turnout

Abstract: A great deal of scholarship has explored why some democratic citizens vote while others do not. This article reviews that literature through a lens presuming that a person’s likelihood of turning out on election day is a multiplicative function of his or her ability to vote, her or her motivation to vote, and the difficulty of obtaining the needed information and carrying out the behavior of voting. We conclude that (a) turnout is made more difficult and less likely by onerous registration procedures; (b) turnout is more likely among some demographic groups because of greater motivation or ability or less difficulty; (c) the social setting in which a person lives and the psychological dispositions he or she possesses can affect turnout by shaping motivation, ability, or difficulty; (d) characteristics of a specific electoral contest can inspire or discourage turnout; and (e) canvassing and interviewing people about an election can increase turnout, but preelection polls and election-day outcome projections do not. Consequently, an individual citizen’s turnout behavior is a joint function of his or her social location, his or her psychological dispositions, the procedures involved in voting, and events that occur at the time of each election. One of the most fundamental questions challenging political psychologists is why citizens in a democratic country vote. Hundreds of articles, chapters, and books have been published on this issue during the last century. In this article, we offerareviewofthisliteraturetohighlightmanyofthefascinating(andsometimes surprising) findings that have emerged from this work, and to propose hypotheses and puzzles to be addressed by researchers in the future.

Studying Children's Perspectives on Self-Determination and Nurturance Rights: Issues and Challenges

Abstract: Over the past three decades there has been a growing interest in children's and adolescents' rights and the tendency to grant young people many of the rights traditionally reserved for adult members of society. Increased awareness of children's rights is clearly reflected in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC; United Nations, 1989), which recognizes children as worthy of citizenship and attempts to increase the commitment of nations worldwide to children's rights. If children's rights are to serve their intended function—to protect children from harm and promote their development and well-being—it is essential to examine how children understand and think about their rights. In this article we review the literature on children's and adults' thinking about children's rights and discuss conceptual and methodological considerations related to this body of research, including the importance of how we conceptualize the construct of children's rights, the types of questions researchers pose about young people's attitudes, knowledge and reasoning regarding children's rights, and the methods used to answer these questions. We address the implications of developmental research on young people's perspectives on children's rights.

Prejudice and Group-Related Behavior in Germany

Abstract: This article analyses the relationship of ethnic prejudice and discriminatory behavioral intentions in Germany. We utilize two representative surveys conducted in 2002 and 2004 (N= 2,722 and 1,383, respectively) as well as a longitudinal study with three annual measurement points (2002–2004; N= 825). Results show that prejudice is substantially correlated with the respondents' reports of their own discriminatory intentions (R= .33 to .49). Controlling for additional psychological variables, the cross-lagged, longitudinal analyses support the causal hypothesis that prejudice leads to discriminatory intentions. Additional influences on discriminatory intentions—intergroup threat and intergroup contact—are substantially mediated by ethnic prejudice. Thus, a practical implication of these results is that the reduction of intergroup threat and increment of intergroup contact may well lead to both reduced intergroup prejudice and to less discriminatory behavior.

Political Participation and Cumulative Disadvantage: The Impact of Economic and Social Hardship on Young Citizens

Abstract: In this article, we seek to provide the most comprehensive exploration to date of the effects of economic and social disadvantage on young citizens' voter turnout. We look at four overlapping domains of hardship—those rooted in (a) the family context, (b) the community context, (c) the school context, and (d) major events and life transitions. Our conceptual model of cumulative advantage/disadvantage identifies the different ways in which disadvantages can have cumulative effects on social outcomes generally and on civic participation in particular. Our framework also suggests how patterns of advantage and disadvantage may be mediated by social institutions. Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Survey, we show that disadvantages rooted in the family have major impact on all groups of young citizens and that family disadvantage interacts with school disadvantage for whites. We also show that the effects of early parenthood, being arrested, and dropping out of school have differential effects depending on race. We also show that community colleges function as civic leveling institutions—especially for African American youth.

When Predictions Fail: The Case of Unexpected Pathways Toward High School Dropout

Abstract: This study examines childhood variables that tend to deflect life-course trajectories away from finishing high school. We examined unexpectedly graduating in the presence of three empirical risk factors (having a mother that did not finish high school, being from a single-parent family in early childhood, and having repeated a grade in primary school) and unexpectedly not graduating in the absence these same factors (low risk). The comparison groups comprised individuals who expectedly did not graduate (first case) and expectedly graduated (second case). We found that having experienced all three factors practically guaranteed not finishing high school, thus defining a crystal clear target group for policy. Without screening, intervention, and follow-up, individuals facing such cumulative risk are most unlikely to graduate. We also found a group of males and females that did not finish high school despite not having these three risk factors. These missed estimates become nontrivial once they are translated into a population-level statistic of lost human capital investments. Specific family and individual factors helped explain the unexpected life course toward not finishing high school, especially for low-risk males and females. Our results suggest policies that support childhood screening for attention-related difficulties and helping parents better understand supervision during adolescence.

Black Immigrants in Portugal: Luso–Tropicalism and Prejudice

Abstract: This article analyzes the relationship between the luso–tropicalist representation of the history of Portuguese colonization and overt as well as covert expressions of anti-immigrant prejudice. The luso–tropicalist representation emphasizes the uniqueness of the Portuguese colonial relations based on Portuguese empathy and capacity to deal with people from different cultures. This representation was created during Salazar's dictatorial regime and is still assumed to be a dimension of Portuguese national identity. The empirical findings presented in this article show that this luso–tropicalist representation may explain the salience of the norm against prejudice in Portugal and may contribute to weaken the traditional association between national identity and overt prejudice. A second dimension of the association between luso–tropicalism and integration of Black immigrants in Portuguese society was examined, that is, the impact of luso–tropicalism on the attribution and covert evaluation of cultural differences between White Portuguese and Black immigrants. Results show that despite the luso–tropicalist representation, White Portuguese individuals express a covert negative evaluation of cultural differences attributed to Black immigrants. This means that the luso–tropicalist representation can protect against the expression of overt prejudice but not against its covert dimensions.

When Can We Expect the Unexpected? Predicting Educational Attainment When it Differs from Previous Expectations

Abstract: Individuals' expectations are strong predictors of their behaviors; educational expectations predict enrollment in postsecondary education Yet in many cases, a youth's previous educational expectations are not met or are exceeded This study examines correlates of educational expectations and unexpected educational attainment using longitudinal data from Monitoring the Future, a US national study Demographic characteristics, educational experiences in high school, and other risk and protective factors were related to expectations for educational attainment during high school Logistic regressions indicated that high school curriculum, average grades, educational aspirations, and parents' educational level were particularly strong indicators of youth not meeting their expectation to graduate from a 4-year college, or graduating from college despite expecting not to graduate by age 25/26 We discuss the implications of unexpected pathways in terms of discontinuity during transitions and consider the implications for improved educational and career counseling during high school

The Rights of Children, the Rights of Nations: Developmental Theory and the Politics of Children's Rights

Abstract: The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), U.N. General Assembly (1989) is a major breakthrough in defining children as fully human and working to ensure them the attendant benefits worldwide. While children's rights as equal human beings may seem obvious in the 21st century, the politics of establishing and ensuring such rights are contentious. The CRC is a brilliant negotiation of conceptions of the child and international relations, yet certain tensions in the children's rights process lead to a lack of clarity in a global situation that continues to leave millions of children at risk. Analyzing the CRC and related practices from a developmental perspective can help identify obstacles to the advancement of children's rights, especially those related to opportunities for rights-based thinking and the exercise of self-determination and societal-determination rights. In this article, I offer a qualitative analysis of children's rights in the context of what I refer to as the CRC activity-meaning system. I present a theoretical framework for considering this system of policy and practice as enacted in the CRC treaty and related monitoring, reporting, qualifying, and implementing documents. A discourse analysis of conceptions of the child and those responsible for ensuring their rights in seven representative documents (including the CRC Treaty, a report by the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child, minutes of a U.N. Security Council meeting, reports by a State-Party, and a report by a civil society group in that country) reveals tensions inherent in the CRC activity-meaning system.1 Emerging from this analysis is a tension between children's rights and nation's rights. Created in part via explicit and implicit assumptions about child development in the CRC as these posit responsibilities across actors in the broader CRC system, this tension challenges the implementation of children's rights and the development of children's rights-based understandings. I use this analysis to explain why future research and practice should address the development of children's rights-based understanding not only in terms of maturation or socialization but also as integral to salient conflicts in their every day lives.

Schooling, Sexuality, and Rights: An Investigation of Heterosexual Students' Social Cognition Regarding Sexual Orientation and the Rights of Gay and Lesbian Peers in School

Abstract: Within the United States, protecting the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students in school elicits much controversy and debate. On one side is the argument that all students should be able to receive an education free from discrimination, harassment, and harm. On the other side is the argument that by protecting LGBT students' rights, schools are infringing on the rights of others to their individual beliefs about homosexuality. To investigate these competing arguments, we surveyed high school-aged heterosexual adolescents (N = 1,076) regarding their beliefs and attitudes about sexual orientation and the rights of gay and lesbian peers. Results suggest that adolescents differentiate between their individual beliefs about homosexuality and the rights of others to be safe in school. Further, the results provide additional support for the idea that attitudes and beliefs about sexual orientation and the rights of gay and lesbian peers are multifaceted and draw from multiple domains of social knowledge. The implications of these findings will be discussed in relation to the rights of LGBT students and the obligations that schools have to create safe and supportive learning environments for all students regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Charting the Landscape of Children's Rights

Abstract: This issue of the Journal of Social Issues presents current theory, research, and methodological considerations pertaining to “Young People's Perspectives on the Rights of the Child.” The following brief introduction charts the landscape of children's rights by outlining the purpose and goals of the issue, provides a short historical overview on the topic, sets the context for the individual articles, and highlights the recurring themes making up this issue of JSI. The authors of the articles in this issue extend current knowledge and thinking on the topic of children rights and also set the foundation for future empirical work, practice, and policy pertaining to children's rights and rights-focused research.

Unexpected Pathways Through Education: Why Do Some Students Not Succeed in School and What Helps Others Beat the Odds?

Abstract: In this overview of Volume 64, Issue 1, of the Journal of Social Issues, we describe why it is important to consider the diversity of student pathways through time and in context and why it is important to focus particularly on youth who defy predictions. We describe the ways in which expectations are formed in statistical analysis and also in real-world education systems and how the structural rigidity inherent in such systems can lead to poor person-environment fit for young people in education or training and to misleading statistical analysis. Our intention is to move beyond analytic approaches that assume "one size fits all" while recognizing both that policy cannot provide fully individualized environments for everyone and that research cannot focus only on the unique characteristics of each individual. By focusing on individuals for whom our models typically do not apply, we highlight the value of research on complex but meaningful patterns of commonality among people, not in terms of the average person or effects, but in terms of coherent, distinct, and relatively homogenous subgroups of people experiencing systematic and consequential differences in their lives and lifepaths.

The Psychological and Institutional Determinants of Early Voting

Abstract: This article examines early voting, an institutional innovation whereby citizens can cast their ballots a time and location other than on election day and at the precinct place. Early voting has been proposed as way to expand the franchise, by making voting more convenient, and extend the franchise, by encouraging turnout among those segments of the population who are unable or unwilling to vote using traditional methods. The article draws on models of voter decision making that conceptualize voting as a choice reached under uncertainty. Voters vary by (a) their willingness to accept uncertainty, (b) their cognitive engagement with the campaign, and (c) their location in an institutional environment that makes early voting possible. We propose a multivariate model of early voting, contingent on a voter’s prior levels of political information, level of fixed political beliefs, and political information activity. These are also interacted with the institutional context (laws and procedures that allow early voting). At the descriptive level, we find most of the expected demographic and attitudinal patterns: early voters are older, better educated, and more cognitively engaged in the campaign and in politics. Because national surveys are ill equipped to capture nuanced campaign dynamics, many of the statistically significant relationships disappear in multivariate analyses. Regardless, revealing differences emerge between midterm and presidential election years that allow us to make important inferences about the demographic and participatory characteristics of early voters.

Everyday Racism as Predictor of Political Racism in Flemish Belgium

Abstract: Two aspects of research on racism in Flanders (Belgium) are discussed in this article based on results from large-scale surveys between 1991 and 2003. The first relates to the (negative) attitudes of the majority toward foreigners (everyday racism). The second relates to the vote for an extreme right-wing political party that emphasizes anti-immigrant viewpoints in its political program and propaganda (political racism). Our main research question is how both forms of racism are related. First, theories to explain political racism are reviewed. Some theories suggest an extreme right-wing vote to be motivated by a content-related agreement with (part of) the program of these parties (e.g., racism, nationalism, or authoritarianism). Other theories suggest that this vote represents an antipolitical protest vote. From these theories, hypotheses are derived regarding the background characteristics and attitudes that are associated with an extreme right-wing vote (e.g., the Vlaams Blok). These hypotheses are tested using data from election research in 1991, 1999, and 2003. The results suggest that the vote for the party Vlaams Blok is a rational vote. Of all theories, the theory suggesting that everyday racism plays a prominent role received most support. Everyday racism thus motivates political racism in the Flemish part of Belgium. The topic of racism has been the focus of an extensive amount of research in the Flemish part of Belgium during the last few decades. Two aspects of this topic have been studied most intensively: the attitudes of the majority toward foreigners or immigrants and extreme right-wing voting behavior. In this article, both research lines will be combined.

Anti‐Semitic Attitudes in Europe: A Comparative Perspective

Abstract: The article uses available survey data to depict the depth and spread of anti-Semitic attitudes across Europe. The main assumption is that European anti-Semitism, both currently and historically, is closely tied to issues and crises of national self-identification; for this reason, social identity theory is employed to study the varying configurations of anti-Semitic prejudice. In most European countries, Jews are a small and socially integrated minority. Attitudes toward them are determined less by concrete experiences of cultural differences, or conflicts over scarce resources, but rather by a perceived threat to the national self-image. This leads to an accentuation of the pertinent prejudices that blame Jews to be responsible for that threat. This perspective brings to light considerable differences between Eastern and Western Europe and the continuing influence of national traditions.

Children's nurturance and self-determination rights: A cross-cultural perspective

Abstract: Increasing awareness of children's developmental needs and rights has led to a global move toward giving children and adolescents a greater degree of autonomy in the decisions affecting their own lives. This article presents two studies examining the role of culture and religion in 12-year-old children's perceptions of their rights across three cultures. The first study showed that U.S. and Swiss children advocated for more self-determination rights than Chinese-Malaysian children; U.S. and Chinese-Malaysian children advocated for more nurturance rights than Swiss children. Within the Chinese-Malaysian sample, Buddhist children were more likely to advocate for self-determination rights as compared to Christian children. Using a revised Children's Rights Interview (rCRI), the second study showed that on average U.S. and Chinese-Malaysian children were more likely to advocate for self-determination rights than nurturance rights. However, there were no significant differences between the two cultural groups in terms of the overall responses. The results of the studies are discussed in terms of the cultural orientation and constructivist frameworks.

Beyond Balancing: Toward an Integrated Approach to Children's Rights

Abstract: Discussions of children's rights often are framed in terms of balancing—balancing parents' and children's rights, balancing rights to autonomy and protection, balancing rights and responsibilities. By its nature, such a comparative inquiry pulls for relativist reasoning, but such an approach undermines the universalism that is at the root of the concept of human rights. Like the international human rights instruments that preceded it, the Convention on the Rights of the Child is based on “recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family.” Whether grounded in religious or secular ethical reasoning, human rights are directed toward a world in which the Golden Rule—a regime of mutual respect—serves as the guidepost for the social order. Building from that premise, recommendations are offered for social scientists' contributions to creation and preservation of such societies.

Causes and Consequences of Unexpected Educational Transitions in Switzerland

Abstract: The present study examines transition patterns of Swiss secondary and tertiary school students. Switzerland’s highly canalized education system allows us to test how tracking affects person‐environment fit of students for students who choose a normative versus unexpected downward transition pattern. In addition, we investigate how self-efficacy expectations and personal values affect an unexpected transition choice. Results indicate that students with strong expectancies and personal values can oppose institutional norms and chart their own academic course; however, these students are less likely to perceive a good fit between their own interests and competencies and institutional demands after the transition. Our findings underscore the importance of developmentally appropriate educational environments and systems permeable enough to adapt to developing students’ changing interests. Switzerland, like most industrialized countries, aims to prepare its youth for a productive adulthood through compulsory schooling (until ninth grade) and uppersecondary general education or vocational education and training (VET). This goal is instantiated through a highly stratified tracking system in secondary and tertiary education. Though students can decide between many school options in transition situations, we can distinguish between normative and unexpected transition patterns. Within school transitions, students who move on to a lower track than they were on before the transition are considered to be following an unexpected downward educational transition because they do not follow a normative educational pathway.

Mapping swedish females' educational pathways in terms of academic competence and adjustment problems

Abstract: Patterns of academic competence, externalizing problems, and internalizing problems were examined in females from the longitudinal Individual Development and Adaptation (IDA) program in order to understand unexpected patterns of educational attainment and problems in adulthood. Person-oriented methods were used to identify patterns of competence and problems at ages 10, 13, and 43. These patterns were linked across time to reveal expected and unexpected educational pathways from childhood to adulthood. Most later patterns were consistent with earlier patterns of competence and problems. This structural-level stability supported our hypothesis that competence and problems tend to be inversely related and function together over time as integrated systems. We focus on one unexpected educational pathway characterized by individuals whose problems remain low over time despite stable levels of low competence. This unexpected educational pathway was examined further in terms of optimal versus general adjustment consequences in adulthood. Some policy implications of studying individual patterns and pathways are discussed.

Adolescents' Perceptions of Rights as Reflected in Their Views of Citizenship

Abstract: The UN Convention on the Rights of Children (CRC), ratified by the majority of the countries of the world, is an international document that recognizes children and adolescents as worthy of citizenship and human rights. The CRC also attempts to provide a balance between children's nurturance (care and protection) and self-determination (participation) rights. Although there has been social cognitive research on children's understanding of rights, there has been little research examining adolescents' views of the specific rights they would expect to receive through citizenship. In addition, few studies have examined young people's views of the responsibilities inherent in citizenship. This article investigates adolescents' views of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. Three hundred four adolescents, aged 13–18 years, were asked to rate the importance of various rights and responsibilities of citizenship. Findings indicated that adolescents' responses regarding rights reduced to two components, one related to entitlements (nurturance component of the CRC) and the other freedoms (self-determination/participation component of the CRC). Responsibilities consist of civic-oriented ones and polity-oriented responsibilities. Both components of rights (entitlements and freedoms) correlated significantly with civic-oriented forms of responsibilities; neither form of rights related to polity-oriented responsibilities. The two components of rights also related to the individual variables of age, parental education, ethnicity, and aspects of political self-concept. These results demonstrate the importance of research on the development of citizenship and also have implications for implementation of the CRC.