Despite dedication of tremendous resources to developing literary proficiencies, advanced readers may remain an underserved and understudied population. This qualitative study included nine preadolescent participants aged 10-12 years who demonstrated reading comprehension abilities within the top 10% on a national normed achievement battery. The…

Diversity has been shown to improve the ability of groups to problem solve and make predictions, as well as guarding against groupthink and overconfidence. Marginalized groups within the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields are still largely underrepresented despite various efforts to increase diversity in STEM. This…

The purpose of the present case study was to explore fourth-grade dual language learners' interactions with culturally relevant children's literature. The present study involved observations of six second- and third-generation immigrant students participating in read-aloud sessions with the teacher reading the text and the students responding…

The study examines the effectiveness of the iPad application "AutisMate" in promoting the modeling of social communication and social interaction skills in a 12 year-old boy with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The study uses a single-subject, embedded, case study design. It calls attention to the use of assistive technology in school…

Early adolescence is a critical time for examining academic motivation, specifically motivation to read. To support self-determined motivation to read, students' needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness must be met within the classroom context. Because classroom instructional practices are a key component of adolescents' daily experiences…

The author reports on a Republican presidential debate which revives the contention over requiring middle school girls to be vaccinated against the virus that causes cervical cancer. At the September 12 debate, U.S. Representative Michele Bachmann, of Minnesota, and Rick Santorum, a former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania, attacked Texas Governor…

An average of one in 88 children in the United States are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). Individuals with ASD demonstrate poor social interaction, poor social competence, and lowered self-esteem. Early intervention treatment can improve social development. In recent years more…

The present study examined the role of individualism-collectivism (IC) and acculturation in smoking prevention programs for Hispanic preadolescents. The sixth graders received a collectivist or individualist curriculum. Both programs contained knowledge-based facts about smoking. The collectivist condition included an interdependent…

In many African American communities, violence and poverty are often part of daily living. As a result, children are at risk for difficulties in all aspect of their lives, particularly their emotional well-being. This study explored the relationship between exposure to chronic community violence and the development of complex post-traumatic stress…

Describes a pilot mentoring program that involved 19 college students working with preadolescent and adolescent at-risk Hispanic youth in a Texas border city. The program, which consisted of 10 weekly classes in citizenship awareness and community participation and involvement, focused on dropout prevention and preparation for citizenship. (SLD)

Researchers assessed the ability of third and fifth graders to recall and report types and amounts of physical activity from the previous day. The study assessed the validity of the Caltrac electronic accelerometer as a field measure of physical activity. Children's reported physical activity minutes were higher than monitored minutes. (SM)

A survey of 2,216 low-SES Mexican American students in grades 4-6 investigated family, social, and psychological risk factors related to substance abuse. Use of major and minor substances was related to respondent score on an index of 11 risk factors. Relationship between major substance use and risk index was significantly greater for females…

In this study, the authors compared differences in sexual risk attitudes and intentions for three groups of youth (experimental program, n = 90; attention control, n = 80; and nonparticipant control, n = 634) aged 12-14 years. Two student groups participated with their parents in programs focused on strengthening family interaction and prevention…