Purpose: Persuasive communication skills are vital for achieving success in school, at work, and in social relationships. To facilitate assessment of persuasive discourse, we developed a clinically feasible persuasive speaking protocol and used it to compile a database of language samples. This database allowed us to describe the properties of…

Our research examined whether adolescents in the United States, China, and Japan differed in their conceptions of a creative person. Participants were American (n = 321), Chinese (n = 235), and Japanese (n = 393) adolescents in 7th and 8th grades who completed surveys at 3 time points. Using an open-ended questionnaire, adolescents were asked to…

Construct bias was examined among 316 Singapore and U.S. adolescents on the Narcissistic Personality Questionnaire for Children-Revised (NPQC-R). The NPQC-R consists of two (Superiority and Exploitativeness) factors. Results from multigroup confirmatory factor analyses indicated partial strong invariance on the NPQC-R across culture and strong…

This article proposes a conceptual framework for how education can promote adolescent girls' empowerment and, by mapping the field, highlights promising examples of empowering education programs. We conclude by identifying both research and programmatic opportunities for the future that will harness the expertise of a range of specialists from the…

There is a shortage of educators and there are various factors that account for the lack of teachers. Millions of new teachers will be needed in the near future and the present study juxtaposes the vocational personality profiles of adolescents (N = 262) participating in Future Educators of America programs in Georgia to in-service teachers'…

Age, gender and cross-national differences of children ages 8 through 16 in Greece (n = 400) and the United States (n = 5,400) are examined on four temperament styles: extroversion-introversion, practical-imaginative, thinking-feeling and organized-flexible styles. In general, Greek children prefer extroverted to introverted styles and organized…

Temperament styles of 4,628 South Korean children, ages 9-17, are described in reference to possible gender and age differences and compared with those of 3,200 US age peers in the light of Jung's theory of temperament as modified by Myers and Briggs, one that highlights four bipolar qualities: extroversion-introversion, practical-imaginative,…

This article provides outcomes of a qualitative inquiry with 20 adolescents of Mexican origin, all of whom have lived in the United States at least two years. Questions addressed the perceived strengths and challenges related to the participants' ethnic heritage. Findings indicated the greatest perceived challenge was discrimination. Strengths…

Although sex is one of the strongest correlates of crime, contentions remain regarding the necessity of sex-specific theories of crime. The current study examines delinquent trajectories across sex among Puerto Rican youth socialized in two different cultural contexts (Bronx, United States; and San Juan, Puerto Rico). Results indicate similar…

Four bipolar temperament qualities (i.e. extroversion-introversion, practical-imaginative, thinking-feeling and organized-flexible) of 800 South African children, ages 9-10, 11-12, 13-14 and 15-17, first are described and then compared to temperament qualities of 800 US children of the same ages. South African children do not differ in their…

This article presents the results of a large-scale study of the characteristics of 156 individuals with Asperger Syndrome (AS) ages 12 to 18. Specifically, cognitive (intellectual, empathizing, systemizing), adaptive behavior, behavior, temperament, and sensory profiles of study participants are overviewed. These characteristics are discussed as…

Investigating variables associated with the school success and educational resilience of urban youth of color should be a high priority because of the persistent achievement gap in the United States. The current study examined individual and peer factors' relation to the school engagement of 132 seventh- and eighth-grade students from a diverse…

The goal of this project was to produce a set of civic measures with sound psychometric properties appropriate for use with young people ages 12-18. Measures selected tap aspects of adolescent civic behaviors, opinions, knowledge, and dispositions. The measures are easy to administer and can be used by educators, staff of community-based…

The mass-casualty school shooting incidents in recent years have heightened concern about the safety of U.S. schools and prompted responses that, in many cases, have centered mainly on bolstering security on school campuses. Some researchers have concluded, however, that the most effective prevention efforts are those that are more comprehensive…

Adolescents in foster care must have a voice and play an active role in envisioning and planning for successful adulthood. This principle serves as the philosophy of First Voice, a training package for anyone who works with youth in foster care. The philosophy corresponds with the four parts of the Circle of Courage--Independence, Belonging,…