Parental Communication Competence in Youth Development

Purpose Nationwide, upward trends exist in student issues with anxiety, stress, depression, and lowered classroom performance. As emotional awareness and emotional regulation skills are typically not addressed in professional discipline-specific courses, students experience challenges in their academic performance. This pilot research explored the effect of brief targeted classroom practices within an empowerment-based framework on domains of emotional intelligence. Method Twenty-two students in an undergraduate speech-language pathology class received a 13-week, biweekly, 15-min session of empowerment-based worksheet exercises to develop increased self-esteem, emotional awareness and regulation, and communication. Assessments of self-esteem, emotional intelligence, communication competence, and communication apprehension were conducted using validated scales, namely, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale ( Rosenberg, 1965 ), the Quick Emotional Intelligence Self-Assessment ( Mohapel, 2015 ), the Self-Perceived Communication Competence Scale ( McCroskey & McCroskey, 2013 ), and the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension ( McCroskey, 1982 ), respectively. Midsemester and semester-end student reflections were collected. Results Paired t tests were significant in self-esteem and emotional quotient, including subdomains of emotional awareness, emotional management, social emotional awareness, and relational management. Significance was noted in communication competence in the subdomains of dyad interaction, stranger interaction, and acquaintance. Students' reflection showed significant improvement in empowerment and self-rated improvements in confidence, communication, connections with peers, and trust with instructor. Conclusion Preliminary evidence demonstrates positive outcomes with integration of intentional classroom exercises to build emotional intelligence (including emotional awareness and regulation), self-esteem, and communication. This empowerment model may assist faculty in developing effective pedagogical strategies to build students' self-resiliency.

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Identity Exploration and Commitment of Albanian Youth as a Function of Social Opportunity Structure

European Psychologist ◽

10.1027/1016-9040.11.4.268 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 268-276 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Aida Orgocka ◽

Jasna Jovanovic

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

High School Students ◽

Identity Development ◽

Youth Development ◽

Female Students ◽

Male Students ◽

Opportunity Structure ◽

School Students ◽

Identity Exploration

This study examined how social opportunity structure influences identity exploration and commitment of Albanian high school students. A total of 258 students completed a questionnaire that gauged their identity exploration and commitment in three domains: education, occupation, and family. ANOVA results indicated that, overall, students scored highest in exploration in the domain of education and in commitment in the domain of family. Students' exploration and commitment were linked to gender. Albanian female students scored higher than male students in exploration and commitment regarding education and family. Perceived work opportunities in Albania or abroad also significantly moderated participants' exploration in the domain of education and were associated with commitment in education and occupation. As one of the first studies to explore Albanian youth's identity development in relation to social opportunity structure, findings are discussed in light of furthering the field of Albanian adolescent and youth development.

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Youth Development in Europe

European Psychologist ◽

10.1027/1016-9040.14.4.372 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 14 (4) ◽

pp. 372-375 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Katariina Salmela-Aro ◽

Ingrid Schoon

Keyword(s):

Young People ◽

Relationship Quality ◽

Youth Development ◽

Social Relationships ◽

Transition To Adulthood ◽

Cultural Context ◽

Integrative Framework ◽

Reciprocal Interactions ◽

The Family ◽

Key Players

A series of six papers on “Youth Development in Europe: Transitions and Identities” has now been published in the European Psychologist throughout 2008 and 2009. The papers aim to make a conceptual contribution to the increasingly important area of productive youth development by focusing on variations and changes in the transition to adulthood and emerging identities. The papers address different aspects of an integrative framework for the study of reciprocal multiple person-environment interactions shaping the pathways to adulthood in the contexts of the family, the school, and social relationships with peers and significant others. Interactions between these key players are shaped by their embeddedness in varied neighborhoods and communities, institutional regulations, and social policies, which in turn are influenced by the wider sociohistorical and cultural context. Young people are active agents, and their development is shaped through reciprocal interactions with these contexts; thus, the developing individual both influences and is influenced by those contexts. Relationship quality and engagement in interactions appears to be a fruitful avenue for a better understanding of how young people adjust to and tackle development to productive adulthood.

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