Purpose is an indicator of healthy human development and believed by some theorists and educators to be an important outcome of college. The aim of this study was to test the potential for assessing purpose using a person-centered analysis, thereby providing more individual-specific understanding of students' purpose development, and second by…

Many autistic people and people with non-spectrum neurodevelopmental disabilities (e.g. intellectual disability) report feeling lonely, which can negatively impact their well-being. There is little longitudinal research, however, tracking changes in how autistic people experience, conceptualize, and cope with loneliness throughout their lives. A…

This study examined the impacts of long-term exposure of outdoor adventure programming (OAP) for adolescent girls. This qualitative study shares the stories of the 8th grade students at the French Broad River Academy for girls, which is a private middle school that integrates OAP into its curricula located in Asheville, North Carolina, USA.…

The purpose of this qualitative, descriptive study was to explore how parents describe their roles in building the social, emotional, and cognitive success of their children with intellectual disabilities or autism during their child's transition to adulthood regarding starting a career and independent living. The theoretical foundations were…

Offering music programs in prisons is one way that artists may contribute to the correctional system's rehabilitative goals. To explore the role music may play in rehabilitating youth in detention, I developed a string program at a Youth Development Center. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the outcomes of implementing the…

A 20-year retrospective study, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and published in the July 2015 issue of the "American Journal of Public Health," suggests that kindergarten students who are more inclined to exhibit "social competence" traits--such as sharing, cooperating, or helping other kids--may be more likely to…

Since 1970 suspension rates for adolescents have more than doubled across the nation. Numerous risk factors serve as determinants and are associated with such outcomes. However, presented with these alarming statistics advocates have called for an alternative to out of school suspension policies and practices. Embedded within this context is an…

Research of wilderness programs indicates a clear need for additional investigation of specific program components and their influence on participant outcomes. This study examines one component of the Outward Bound wilderness program--the Final Expedition. The Final Expedition is a student-led wilderness expedition and is also referred to as an…

Each year in the United States, millions of students experience suspension from public schools (Mendez & Knoff, 2003). Community service programs provide one means to address the school suspension problem. These initiatives are characterized by volunteer service placements within community nonprofit organizations for skill and personal…

Developmental Science aims to generate a new body of knowledge that encompasses and integrates findings from various well-defined academic disciplines concerned with developmental processes of human and non-human organisms. Although all development related research traditions surely have their own distinct history, certain theoretical ideas…

This report focuses on two programs launched by the U. S. Office of Education (USOE) for personnel development in vocational education. The two programs (section 552, Leadership Development Awards and section 553, State Systems for Personnel Development), created under part F of the Education Professions Development Act (EPDA), are examined in 11…

Examines the reasons given by professional and paraprofessional librarians for participating in continuing education programs offered by the North Carolina Library Staff Development Program. Use of the Participation Reasons Scale is discussed, and four underlying components for participation are described: (1) personal concerns, (2) patron…

The North Carolina teacher induction program which involves support teams comprised of a principal, a mentor teacher, and one other teacher educator is described. A five-part Likert scale was used to assess the responses of support teams to their experiences with beginning teachers. Findings are reported. (MT)

A longitudinal study of achievement data from public schools in Durham County, North Carolina, was undertaken to examine individual growth curves as well as to chart the progress of educational institutions and the effects of aggregation on the study of growth. A two-level hierarchical linear model was used in the study to specify individual…

The predictive validity of the Simultaneous Technique for Acuity and Readiness Testing (START), a developmental screening approach, was assessed with school performance as outcome criterion. The sample consisted of over 1,000 rural, preschool children between 54 and 66 months of age who were screened over 3 successive years. Follow-up achievement…