This book presents the results of the longitudinal 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development. The volume discusses how self-regulation and contextual resources (e.g., strong relationships with parents, peers, and the community) can be fostered in young people to contribute to the enhancement of functioning throughout life. Each chapter examines a particular aspect of youth thriving, and offers findings on either the bases or the role of positive development in a variety of outcomes, from reduced risk of emotional problems and harmful behaviors to increased participation in the community. Contributors introduce a contemporary model of positive development for diverse youth, provide examples of effective youth development programs, and suggest applications for informing the next generation of policies and practices. Among the featured topics: The regulation of emotion in adolescence. School engagement, academic achievement, and positive youth development. Peer relationships and positive youth development. Identity development in adolescence and the implications for youth policy and practice. Promoting adolescent sexual health in youth programming. A positive youth development approach to bullying. Researchers in developmental psychology as well as practitioners in educational or youth development programs or policies will gain from Promoting Positive Youth Development a new appreciation of the central role of young people's strengths, and initiatives to build effective youth programs. "This volume is destined to become the handbook for anyone interested in the bourgeoning field of positive youth development. Based on ground breaking, longitudinal research from top researchers in the field, Promoting Healthy Development for America's Youth presents a rich, theoretically grounded understanding of the landscape today's youth and programs. The contributors provide clear, data-driven guidance regarding the types of programs and settings that are most beneficial to young people." Jean E. Rhodes, Ph.D. Frank L. Boyden Professor Department of Psychology University of Massachusetts, Boston

This volume presents an array of perspectives that have been used to understand changes during adolescence in cognitive functioning and their relations to moral development, the connection between cognitive changes and academic performance, and the impact of the school environment on intellectual development and achievement. Consistent with the ideas of a developmental-systems perspective, the relationship between the developing person and features of his/her setting are seen as essential in all areas of scholarship reviewed in this volume. Nevertheless, variation in theoretical perspectives present in the articles show that, when trying to understand intellectual development and achievement in adolescence, scholars differ in the extent to which they place primary emphasis on the individual, on the context, or on the relationship between the two.

For instance, the articles by Piaget and Kohlberg are based on an organismic theoretical model which emphasizes that cognitive and moral development, respectively, occur through a process (i.e., equilibration) that engages action of the person on the context and, in mm, action of the context on the person. Nevertheless, stage-related changes in organism are given primary importance in these models. In turn, articles by Eisenberg and her colleagues (1995), Leadbeater (1996), and Sameroff and his colleagues (1993) also stress person-context relations but focus more on changes in the ecology of the developing adolescent or student seeking to achieve. The articles by Eccles and Wigfield (1995), Simmons and her colleagues (1979), and Steinberg and his colleagues (1992) stress relations between both person and context. Despite this variation inemphasis on person, context, or person-context relations, the articles underscore the point that all features of the developmental system must be engaged, first, so that we may understand the general components of individual differences in intellectual and moral functioning and, second, and more importantly, so that we may optimize such functioning among youth.

This book presents the results of the longitudinal 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development. The volume discusses how self-regulation and contextual resources (e.g., strong relationships with parents, peers, and the community) can be fostered in young people to contribute to the enhancement of functioning throughout life. Each chapter examines a particular aspect of youth thriving, and offers findings on either the bases or the role of positive development in a variety of outcomes, from reduced risk of emotional problems and harmful behaviors to increased participation in the community. Contributors introduce a contemporary model of positive development for diverse youth, provide examples of effective youth development programs, and suggest applications for informing the next generation of policies and practices. Among the featured topics: The regulation of emotion in adolescence. School engagement, academic achievement, and positive youth development. Peer relationships and positive youth development. Identity development in adolescence and the implications for youth policy and practice. Promoting adolescent sexual health in youth programming. A positive youth development approach to bullying. Researchers in developmental psychology as well as practitioners in educational or youth development programs or policies will gain from Promoting Positive Youth Development a new appreciation of the central role of young people's strengths, and initiatives to build effective youth programs. "This volume is destined to become the handbook for anyone interested in the bourgeoning field of positive youth development. Based on ground breaking, longitudinal research from top researchers in the field, Promoting Healthy Development for America's Youth presents a rich, theoretically grounded understanding of the landscape today's youth and programs. The contributors provide clear, data-driven guidance regarding the types of programs and settings that are most beneficial to young people." Jean E. Rhodes, Ph.D. Frank L. Boyden Professor Department of Psychology University of Massachusetts, Boston