Thesis advisor: Mary E. Walsh / School readiness at kindergarten is an important predictor of children's future academic success (Duncan et al., 2007). While early pre-academic and behavioral skills are important for all students, there is considerable inequality in students' levels of readiness at the start of school (Coley, 2002; Lee & Burkam, 2002; Razza, Martin & Brooks-Gunn, 2010; Ryan, Fauth, & Brooks-Gunn, 2006; Welsh, Nix, Blair, Bierman & Nelson, 2010), and research has pointed to a range of out-of-school and poverty-related factors that contribute to these inequalities (Coley, 2002; Dearing, 2008; Foster, 2002; Hill, 2001; Razza et al., 2010; Ryan et al., 2006). This study utilizes relational developmental systems theory (Lerner, 2006; 2011) to examine the individual and contextual factors that co-act dynamically to shape and predict student outcomes. Specifically, this study extends the body of research on early child development by examining the factors that predict school readiness skills within a sample of 521 young children preparing to enter the first grade from urban early education programs. Multilevel regression models indicate that student characteristics, classroom characteristics, and peer contexts each predict students' school readiness scores, and that the interactions among these variables make unique contributions to the prediction of school readiness scores as well. Implications for theory, policy, and practice are discussed along with recommendations for future research. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2015. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology.

Thesis advisor: Jacqueline V. Lerner / This dissertation considered character development in adolescence from a relational developmental systems (RDS) perspective through the estimation of trajectories of five character attributes and the associations of these trajectories with the contextual factors of intentional self-regulation (ISR) and prosocial socialization from role models whom adolescents reported knowing personally. Character attributes considered were honesty, humility, diligence, future mindedness, and purpose. Data were taken from the Connecting Adolescents' Beliefs and Behaviors longitudinal study of character development in adolescents from the Northeastern United States. Results demonstrated that multiple trajectories can be estimated for each character attribute, supporting the RDS principles of plasticity and individual differences. Associations were also found among all character attributes considered at every time point. Contextual factors had more nuanced relationships with character attribute trajectories than was expected, with high levels of ISR associated with high start points for all character attributes and for overall character attribute patterns, but not necessarily with sustained high levels of character attributes. Prosocial socialization did not demonstrate a stable association with high levels or increasing levels of any character attribute examined. This pattern of findings suggests that additional contextual aspects should be considered as important aspects of character development. Limitations and future directions are discussed. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2019. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology.

There is a notable overlap and co-occurrence of mental health and learning challenges among school-aged youth. Existing research highlights associations between learning disabilities (LD) and mental health problems; however, there has been little exploration of additional variables, such as familial influences, that represent multiple levels of influence (Cen & Aytac, 2016). From a developmental relational systems framework (Overton, 2015), advancing the understanding of familial influences on youth development is crucial. Using a mixed methods design, the present study examined the influences of parent depression, parenting behaviours, family functioning, and youth social and emotional competencies on symptoms of anxiety and depression among youth with LD. Addressing two hypotheses, the quantitative Study 1 aimed to identify factors associated with mediating effects on internalized distress in 14- and 15-year-old youth with LD using secondary analysis of a cross-sectional national sample of youth and their parents. Youth social and emotional competencies and parental monitoring were found to be the most significant buffering influences in reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression. The qualitative Study 2 built on the results from Study 1, to expand the quantitative findings. In Study 2, youth at the end of middle school and their parents were interviewed to gain deeper understanding about the experiences of co-occurring LD and mental health problems from a family perspective. Data analysis identified youth fatigue, youth self-efficacy, and family relationships as central themes related to the challenges youth and their families experienced. Integrating the findings of the two studies illustrated the complex psychological, social, and educational implications for youth with LD in a family context. The interplay of factors embedded in the relation between the LD and mental health problems underscores this complexity, suggesting the relation cannot be completely understood without considering the multiple levels of influences. Implications for theory, research, and practice are described with an emphasis on ecological approaches and building school-family relationships. / Graduate