Thesis advisor: Belle Liang / Previous research on mentoring has primarily focused on outcomes associated with these relationships. This body of literature has shown that youths can reap academic, psychological, social, and vocational benefits from the support and guidance provided by these relationships. In addition to outcomes, there has been a slow, but steady, shift to understand the process, or experience, of mentoring from the perspectives of both the mentor and youth. Yet both of these lines of inquiry tend to presuppose that youths are ready, willing, and able to engage in a relationship with a mentor, as long as one is available. Indeed, other research shows that not all youths are ready to be mentored. Therefore, in an attempt to address the conceptual gap regarding the understanding of how youths come to participate in mentoring relationships, the current study used developmental frameworks to investigate precursors to youths' readiness to be mentored. Specifically, this study considered the role of demographic characteristics and parental attachment with eighth grade youths' readiness to be mentored. Readiness to be mentored was conceptualized as consisting of attitudinal and probable-action elements, based on help-seeking theory, and was assessed using adapted scales that were piloted in the current study. Youths in eighth grade from four K-8 elementary schools in the Northeast (N=104) completed self-report questionnaires assessing parental attachment, attitude towards seeking a mentor, likelihood to engage a mentor, demographic characteristics, and mentor characteristics. The gender differences that were hypothesized were not supported; rather, mentor presence was linked to positive attitudes towards seeking a mentor and increased likelihood to engage a mentor. Among the youths with mentors, aspects of parental attachment differentially predicted attitude towards seeking a mentor and likelihood to engage a mentor. Of particular interest was that those without mentors most frequently reported not needing a mentor. This finding draws attention to the understandings youths have of the role and potential utility of mentoring in their lives, and the factors that shape these understandings. Theoretical considerations, implications for future research, and practice implications are discussed. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2009. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology.

The current study examined the process by which adolescents choose who to dislike in a sample of Finnish 10th graders. Information was available for the adolescents on their victimization, bullying behavior, problem behavior, school burnout, school grades, and their depressive symptoms. The initial analysis consisted of assessing which characteristics made individuals more likely to dislike someone, after taking into account the characteristics of the individual being nominated. This analysis found that individuals form antipathy for dissimilar others. This process is hypothesized to be a result of mechanisms of threat. The secondary analysis compared the characteristics of unilateral and mutual antipathies. This analysis found that mutual antipathies are characterized by elevated differences between individuals on victimization. These results identify and describe important aspects of the adolescent peer environment. / by Christopher A. Hafen. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

A qualitative methodology was employed to explore the narratives of clients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. These were used to obtain a subjective perspective on the course of schizophrenia and its impact on a person's sense of self Narratives from a nominated relative provided an alternative perspective on this process and thus served to increase the validity of the findings. Research questions specifically addressed the process of making sense of the experiences over time and the role of professionals within this, the impact on sense of self and the impact on relationships with others. Semi-structured inter-views were conducted with 16 participants. These were audiotaped, transcribed then grounded theory was used to analyse the data. Results were used to build a stage model which charts the process over time. It is tentatively hypothesised that earlier vulnerabilities in the formation of self are expressed during adolescence due to the developmental need to separate from parents and develop an adult identity. Implications for clinical work and services are discussed.

Executive Function (EF) comprises general purpose control processes that regulate thoughts and behaviours. Underlying core skills have been identified, including Shift: the ability to move between mental states, operations, or tasks. Research implicates EF (and Shift specifically) in academic achievement and broader life functioning throughout the life span. Most attempts to develop EF skills directly have focused on memory aspects and/or younger children. Reported benefits are controversial and perhaps limited. This research tackles a particular gap: intervention with adolescent core EF skills, with a focus on Shift, in a typical educational setting. All participant sampling was by convenience. Two experts in EF and three local stakeholders guided intervention development. 22 mainstream Year 8 students (one tutor group) trialled the resulting intervention prototype. A teaching assistant facilitated the implementation, with the form tutor present to occasionally assist. Being an exploratory evaluation, this research used mixed methods with an emphasis on qualitative data. Semi-structured group interviews with experts and a stakeholder focus group were used during the development phase. Standardised baseline and retest data were collected up to three weeks before and four weeks after the implementation phase respectively: a half term's trial during morning form-time. This was complemented by semi-structured feedback interviews with the participating adults and eight students. Transcripts were analysed with Thematic Analysis and the researcher's diary with Content Analysis. The quantitative data were summarised with descriptive statistics and additionally analysed with nonparametric inferential statistics. The study extends available data describing the near benefits of EF intervention. It explores the likely utility of EF intervention both theoretically and from an implementation perspective.

Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology)) --University of Limpopo, 2013 / The aim of the study was to explore preference for support and the different coping strategies that are employed by adolescents’ following suicide attempt in Limpopo Capricorn district. The sample comprised of 81 adolescents of both male and female who were admitted at public hospitals around the district and referred to psychology department for intervention. Using purposive sampling, data was collected through the use of a questionnaire which was divided into 1. Demographical information, 2. Multidimensional scale of perceived social support (MSPSS), 3. Ways of coping scale (WCS) which consisted of three subscales: active-cognitive, active-behavioural and avoidance strategies. Most participants reported not having support. Participants who expressed support from family, friends and significant others indicated that although family, friends and significant others were equally perceived to be an important source of support, family was more inclined to be the most preferred source of support. This preference differed according to gender as females perceived family to be the most important source followed by friends and lastly significant others, while males order of preference was friends followed by significant others and lastly family; indicating that males are more inclined to have their friends as the most preferred source of support than females. The findings of the study also indicated that suicidal adolescents used avoidance strategies followed by cognitive and lastly behavioural strategies. A significant relationship was established in the use cognitive strategies and coping by adolescents who viewed their support structures as supportive and also with active behavioural strategies. On avoidance strategies there was no significant relationship established highlighting the possibility that those adolescents who feel that they have no support use avoidance as a coping strategy. The recommendations made on the results from this study are that research in suicide should be a continuous process that keeps up with the changing family, political and cultural dynamics of our society. This is crucial since what is considered crucial support today for the adolescent, might not necessarily be viewed as relevant support for the adolescent in the

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This thesis argues that a multidimensional profile incorporating mastery goals, performance goals, social goals and extrinsic goals, as well as factors relating to self-perceptions, would provide a better understanding of achievement motivation in adolescents than a univariate or dichotomous framework. Additionally this thesis also explores whether the use of lower-order dimensions provides information that offers a more detailed analysis of achievement goals over and above that found by the higher-order factors alone. A newly developed multidimensional measure, the SMOSA (Self Motivational Orientation Scale for Adolescents) of achievement motivation was used to examine changes of different motivational pursuits and perceptions of self across grades and sex in an adolescent population. The information found provides a more detailed analysis than previous research, which relied on an evaluation of means to explain differences between samples. Therefore, educators will be provided with a comprehensive understanding of the patterns of change in achievement motivation during adolescence and such knowledge may equip them with a way of measuring students’ approaches to facilitative learning and the ability to explore students’ paths for optimal engagement. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

This thesis argues that a multidimensional profile incorporating mastery goals, performance goals, social goals and extrinsic goals, as well as factors relating to self-perceptions, would provide a better understanding of achievement motivation in adolescents than a univariate or dichotomous framework. Additionally this thesis also explores whether the use of lower-order dimensions provides information that offers a more detailed analysis of achievement goals over and above that found by the higher-order factors alone. A newly developed multidimensional measure, the SMOSA (Self Motivational Orientation Scale for Adolescents) of achievement motivation was used to examine changes of different motivational pursuits and perceptions of self across grades and sex in an adolescent population. The information found provides a more detailed analysis than previous research, which relied on an evaluation of means to explain differences between samples. Therefore, educators will be provided with a comprehensive understanding of the patterns of change in achievement motivation during adolescence and such knowledge may equip them with a way of measuring students’ approaches to facilitative learning and the ability to explore students’ paths for optimal engagement. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Illinois State University, 2005. / Title from title page screen, viewed on April 16, 2007. Dissertation Committee: Thomas P. Crumpler (chair), R. Kay Moss, Gary Weilbacher, Amelia Adkins, Sally Parry. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 151-168) and abstract. Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.