Adolescents’ interest experience in daily life in and across family and peer contexts

The changes in biethnic acceptance across daily settings and biethnic adolescents' psychological well-being during middle school transition

INTRODUCTION

Patterns of biethnic adolescents' perceived biethnic acceptance across families, peers, and school contexts were examined during the transition from elementary to middle school in South Korea. We also examined how the transition patterns were related to their psychological outcomes during this period.

METHODS

Utilizing 2-wave data (2017 and 2019) from the Panel Survey of Korean Multicultural Youth Adjustment, a latent transition analysis was conducted. Participants were biethnic adolescents who were in 5th or 6th grade at Wave 1 (N = 245; 51.02% female; Mage = 11.38). Their fathers were Korean, and mothers were immigrants from neighboring countries. Familial ethnic socialization, peer discrimination, and school multicultural climate scores were used as indicators of biethnic acceptance. Outcomes of self-esteem, depression, and biethnic affirmation were also examined.

RESULTS

Latent profile and transition analyses yielded two groups (i.e., high acceptance and low acceptance) at each wave and four transition patterns (i.e., high-high, low-high, low-low, and high-low). Compared to high-high group, which was the most prevalent group, low-low and high-low groups reported lower self-esteem and ethnic affirmation, and greater depression at Wave 3.

CONCLUSIONS

While for the majority of participants, their daily settings continued to be high in biethnic acceptance across the transition period, most at risk were those who perceived a decrease in biethnic acceptance in their daily settings. Results shed light on the need for support to maintain the context of high biethnic acceptance surrounding biethnic adolescents for their psychological well-being in school transitions.

Unraveling the contextuality of adolescents’ interest pursuits in daily life: four latent configurations

While interest pursuits are widely recognized as being inherently contextual, what this contextuality entails for different interests has not been explored systematically. In this study, 410 adolescents reported on the temporal, epistemic, material, geographical, social, institutional, and cultural dimensions of 820 interest pursuits. Latent class analyses identified four interest pursuit configurations, revealing quantitative (overall high/low structure) and qualitative (expertise- and social-oriented) differences. We observed similar interests being pursued in the same configuration, but also identified individual differences, reflecting the social–historical meaning and object characteristics of interests, as well as adolescents’ preferences and structural opportunities. The findings show that interest entails more than a preference for an object, but also a preference for a wider configuration, which should be considered when designing (educational) contexts to stimulate adolescents’ interest.

The Experience Sampling Method in Monitoring Social Interactions Among Children and Adolescents in School: A Systematic Literature Review

Background

The experience sampling method (ESM) is an increasingly popular data collection method to assess interpersonal dynamics in everyday life and emotions contextualized in real-world settings. As primary advantages of ESM sampling strategies include minimization of memory biases, maximization of ecological validity, and hypothesis testing at the between- and within-person levels, ESM is suggested to be appropriate for studying the daily lives of educational actors. However, ESM appears to be underutilized in education research. We, thus, aimed to systematically evaluate the methodological characteristics and quality of published ESM studies of social interactions among children and adolescents in school settings, as well as to explore how much variance in social interaction variables could be attributed to the within-person level.

Method

Using Academic Search Complete, APA PsycINFO, APA PsycArticles, ProQuest, Web of Science, Wiley Online Library, and SAGE Journals, and in accordance with PRISMA guidelines and pre-defined eligibility criteria, we conducted a systematic literature search of experience sampling studies up to November 2020. To assess methodological quality, we used a modified checklist for reporting of ESM studies.

Results

Of the originally 2 413 identified studies, a final 52 experience sampling studies were included in the present review. Findings on sample and study design characteristics generally revealed wide variability. Even if high-quality studies were associated with higher scores on the training of participants in using the ESM procedure, and use of incentives, these design strategies did not reveal a statistically significant impact on compliance. The intraclass correlation coefficient was reported in nine studies and on average 58% of the variance in social interaction variables could be attributed to within-person fluctuation between timepoints.

Conclusion

The current study is the first to systematically review ESM-based studies on social interactions among children and adolescents in the school context. These observations suggest that ESM is a potentially favorable technique for extracting complex social phenomena in real-world settings. We hope that this review will contribute to improving the quality assessment of ESM studies as well as to inform and guide future experience sampling studies, particularly regarding social phenomena with children and adolescents in educational settings.

Searching for an Integrative Theoretical Framework for Psychology: Evolutionary Psychology is Needed, But Not Sufficient

The main purpose of this paper is to contribute to the reflection on a potential integrative framework for the psychological sciences based on the target paper in this special issue "Psychology: A Giant with Feet of Clay" by Zagaria, Andò & Zennaro. The paper is organized in three parts. In the first part we will discuss whether introductory textbooks provide a solid and reasonable basis for an analysis of the quality of conceptualization of key concepts in the psychology as well as whether the epistemological analysis could provide arguments for a conclusion that the psychology is a "soft(er)" science. In the second part, we will formulate our reasons why we share with Zagaria, Andò & Zennaro the conclusion that the evolutionary psychology might play a significant role in our quest for the integrative framework, but also why we are not convinced that evolutionary psychology can be integrative enough. In the third part, we are going to formulate an alternative starting point for exploration of for an integrative framework for psychological sciences and their practical applications supporting individuals and communities in their quest for a meaningful and productive existence and navigation of their future lives.

Exploring the contributing factors that influence the volition of adolescents with cerebral palsy: A directed content analysis

BACKGROUND

Communication, behavioural disturbances and low motivation influence the functional potential and the effectiveness of interventions in adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP). While the model of human occupation (MOHO) is a conceptual model in occupational therapy, no research on the volition of adolescents with CP in daily activities has been undertaken.

AIM

To explore the elements contributing to the volition of adolescents with CP based on their own experience.

METHODS

A qualitative approach using directed content analysis with volition of MOHO as a framework was applied. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were carried out with five adolescents with CP and five parents of the same adolescents.

RESULTS

In this study primary codes were categorized into eight categories: family and community-related values, individual values, individual perceptions of ability level, sense of control over conditions, enjoying performing activities, enjoying interpersonal relationships, physical context features and social context features.

CONCLUSIONS

Personal causation in interaction with environmental features is strongly influenced by adolescents' motivation.

SIGNIFICANCE

Occupational therapists could improve the motivation of adolescents with CP in interaction with the individual's volition with focussing on self-efficacy for promoting personal causation. Adapting to the physical environment and changing the attitudes of others to these adolescents is necessary.