Adolescent adjustment, social systems and parental separation

The changing positions of different members of adolescent support networks are examined with respect to adolescent age (11–15) and sex, and, in particular, with respect to changes following parental separation. Older children’s reports of less parental support are consistent with expectations of diminishing attachment. However, the relative importance of same sex friends for provision of support for girls, in comparison to boys, suggests more flexibility in the sense of their being less tied to parents for support. The comparison between children from different family types revealed no differences in respect of relations with same sex or opposite sex friends. Hence, no compensation or spill over from parental separation was evident. However, there was a clear system effect in that children from divorcing families that lived with their mother provided relatively more support for mother, and also reported less acceptance from their fathers in comparison to those children where no parental separation had taken place. Their adjustment will depend, at least in part, on the functioning of their broader social networks.     

The impact of culture contact and desegregation on the whites of an urban high school

Conclusion Desegregation has generally been presented as an outgrowth of the civil rights movement and as an attempt to redress the educational disadvantages blacks have suffered as the result of a racial imbalance. Given the general theoretical considerations of resource allocation, the assumption has been that reallocations of resources to blacks would necessarily mean reallocation of these resources to blacks from whites. This view is also part of the popular culture where the process of desegregation has caused turmoil and disturbance among whites based, manifestedly at least, on the notion that improving educational benefits for blacks necessarily means a reduction in the same benefits for whites.Based on an analysis of the experiences of teachers and students at one polyethnic inner-city high school, we suggest that not only have whites at this school not been disadvantaged by the desegregation process but that there is evidence indicating that there have been more advantages for whites than for blacks. What, then, are the advantages of desegregation for whites, both students and teachers? In this school it was found that the advantages differed for white students and for white teachers, with white students experiencing more positive outcomes than white teachers experienced.     

A multivariate latent growth curve analysis of adolescent substance use

This article demonstrates a multivariate latent growth curve methodology (LGM) for analyzing longitudinal adolescent substance use data. Hypotheses concerning the form of growth in substance use, individual differences in the common trajectory over time, and covariates influencing growth were tested. Significant linear increases existed for alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use. Second‐order multivariate extensions of LGM indicated that associations among the individual differences parameters of the various substances could be adequately modeled by a higher order substance use construct. Family status, parent‐child conflict, peer encouragement for substance use, parent substance use, and age significantly influenced initial levels of use. Peer encouragement, change in peer encouragement, change in parent‐child conflict, age, and gender significantly influenced development of use. These findings support the influence of families and peers on the development of adolescent substance use and demonstrate the utility of multivariate extensions of LGM in the analysis of longitudinal data.     

IDENTITY AND SCHOOL HISTORY: THE PERSPECTIVE OF YOUNG PEOPLE FROM THE NETHERLANDS AND ENGLAND

ABSTRACT:  The article presents the findings from a survey of over 400 young people in metropolitan areas in the Netherlands and England concerning their views on identity and school history. The research explored pupils' ideas about which facets of history were of interest to them, what history they believed should be taught in schools, and their views on the purposes of school history and history in general. The coding of the data made it possible to delineate between those from different ethnic minority backgrounds, boys and girls, age and level of education and first or second generation of migration. The study revealed significant differences between young people's ideas about history and identity, and those advanced by politicians and policy makers in the Netherlands, England and elsewhere. The concluding section of the paper considers the implications of the findings for policy makers in the field of history education in schools.     

Confirmatory factor analysis of the Test of Performance Strategies (TOPS) among adolescent athletes

The aim of the present study was to examine the factorial validity of the Test of Performance Strategies (TOPS; Thomas et al., ) among adolescent athletes using confirmatory factor analysis. The TOPS was designed to assess eight psychological strategies used in competition (i.e. activation, automaticity, emotional control, goal-setting, imagery, negative thinking, relaxation and self-talk,) and eight used in practice (the same strategies except negative thinking is replaced by attentional control). National-level athletes (n?=?584) completed the 64-item TOPS during training camps. Fit indices provided partial support for the overall measurement model for the competition items (robust comparative fit index?=?0.92, Tucker-Lewis index?=?0.88, root mean square error of approximation?=?0.05) but minimal support for the training items (robust comparative fit index?=?0.86, Tucker-Lewis index?=?0.81, root mean square error of approximation?=?0.06). For the competition items, the automaticity, goal-setting, relaxation and self-talk scales showed good fit, whereas the activation, emotional control, imagery and negative thinking scales did not. For the practice items, the attentional control, emotional control, goal-setting, imagery and self-talk scales showed good fit, whereas the activation, automaticity and relaxation scales did not. Overall, it appears that the factorial validity of the TOPS for use with adolescents is questionable at present and further development is required.     

Perceived efficacy and attitudes towards genetic science and science governance

Arguments for public involvement in science and technology are often based on ideas of developing a more capable public and the assumed effects this may have for science. However, such a relationship is yet to be sufficiently explored and recent work indicates that a more involved public may have counterintuitive effects. Using nationally representative survey data for the U.K. and Northern Ireland, the effects of the public's own beliefs about involvement are explored. Developing the concept of "belief in public efficacy," findings suggest those who believe that the public might be able to affect the course of decision making have less approving attitudes towards future applications of genetic science; however, an individual's political efficacy does not significantly influence these attitudes. Furthermore, political efficacy and belief in public efficacy have some distinct and opposing relationships with the principles of governance people prefer. Overall, findings provide support for suggestions that it is simplistic to consider increasing public involvement as a way of increasing the approval of risky new technologies.     

Sport-specific biomechanical responses to an ACL injury prevention programme: A randomised controlled trial

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury prevention programmes have not been as successful at reducing injury rates in women’s basketball as in soccer. This randomised controlled trial (ClinicalTrials.gov #NCT02530333) compared biomechanical adaptations in basketball and soccer players during jump-landing activities after an ACL injury prevention programme. Eighty-seven athletes were cluster randomised into intervention (6-week programme) and control groups. Three-dimensional biomechanical analyses of drop vertical jump (DVJ), double- (SAG-DL) and single-leg (SAG-SL) sagittal, and double- (FRONT-DL) and single-leg (FRONT-SL) frontal plane jump landing tasks were tested before and after the intervention. Peak angles, excursions, and joint moments were analysed using two-way MANCOVAs of post-test scores while controlling for pre-test scores. During SAG-SL the basketball intervention group exhibited increased peak knee abduction angles (p = .004) and excursions (p = .003) compared to the basketball control group (p = .01) and soccer intervention group (p = .01). During FRONT-SL, the basketball intervention group exhibited greater knee flexion excursion after training than the control group (p = .01), but not the soccer intervention group (p = .11). Although women’s soccer players exhibit greater improvements in knee abduction kinematics than basketball players, these athletes largely exhibit similar biomechanical adaptations to ACL injury prevention programmes.