Concepts of choice are often drawn upon within sexual health promotion discourses to encourage young people to take "responsibility" for and promote their own sexual health and reproductive control. A systematic literature search using predefined inclusion criteria identified peer-reviewed articles focusing on sexual health interventions…

Using data from the Monitoring the Future study, this article presents historical trends in U.S. high school seniors' work values across 30 years (1976-2005). Adolescents across three decades highly valued most aspects of work examined. Recent cohorts showed declines in the importance of work, values for job security, and various potential…

Various studies show that interscholastic sport participants, and specifically female athletes, enjoy numerous educational benefits at the high school level. Because of the influx in the number of females engaging in high school sport that has occurred during the past 30 years, few studies have been able to adequately assess whether females'…

Using data from the Survey of Adults and Youth, the authors examine the effect of economic status on youths' involvement in both school- and nonschool-related extracurricular activities. Specifically, they assess the association between four alternative measures of economic status--recipiency of food stamps, Aid to Families with Dependent…

Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, the authors examine the association between contraceptive use patterns in teens' first sexual relationships and their knowledge of, perceptions of, and motivations for contraception and pregnancy prevention. Results from logistic regression analyses show that knowledge,…

This article explores the experiences of gay and bisexual young men in Ireland. It draws on focus groups and individual interviews with a group of gay and bisexual men aged 16 to 25 in Dublin. The article explores how their identities are "discredited" and "othered" through symbolic and material violence, and their bodies become an index in both…

The authors employ a unique longitudinal data set of British Columbia high school graduates that followed respondents 1, 5, and 10 years after graduation to examine the extent to which educational expectations change over time in relation to parental socioeconomic status and eventual postsecondary attainment. Using the method of correspondence…

The findings reported here emerged from a larger study of the social support networks and help-seeking experiences of low-income, Mexican-origin adolescents in San Diego, California. This larger study used a combination of qualitative and quantitative methodologies, and included special attention to those instances in which participating…

An ecological approach to the study of resilience, informed by Systems Theory and emphasizing predictable relationships between risk and protective factors, circular causality, and transactional processes, is inadequate to account for the diversity of people's experiences of resilience. In contrast, a constructionist interpretation of resilience…

The authors provide a multicultural feminist analysis of picture books for children by looking at the illustrations and listening carefully to themes of oppression and resistance in 33 picture books that focus on characters that are on the powerless side of some powerless/powerful social dichotomy. The authors find many images that either depict…

Reviews theories of identity formation ranging from the classic work of E. H. Erikson to postmodern and feminist theories, and incorporates qualitative research examining the identity formation of 14 adolescent girls. The article suggests that schools can serve as sites for deconstructing issues of socioeconomic status identity, body image…

Examines normative, everyday gendered youth culture among a sample of 2,074 high school seniors in 3 Canadian cities. Findings reveal adolescent males participate more in drinking activities, hobbies, sports, and television watching than adolescent females, but in fewer indoor nonpaid work activities or social activities. The research does not…

Offers an alternative, structural-based explanation regarding American Indians' lower academic performance compared to their white counterparts. Findings from a sample of 352 American Indian and more than 1,000 white high school students show that perceived structural constraints play a significant role in reducing academic performance among…

Examines reasons for early school dropout among high school students and their plans to resume their education. Dropout data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 reveal various reasons for dropping out that include school-related, family-related, and job-related causes, as well as influences from peers and residential mobility.…

Tests the hypothesis that adolescents who reported secure attachments with their parents would display higher levels of interpersonal relational competence. Responses from 63 10th grade students reveal little correspondence between parent-child attachment and the positive aspects of adolescent social competence. Both positive and negative…