Publication year
2007
Citation Title
Intentional self-regulation and positive youth development in early adolescence: Findings from the 4-H study of positive youth development.
Journal Name
Developmental Psychology
Journal Volume
43
Issue Number
2
Page Numbers
508-521
DOI
10.1037/0012-1649.43.2.508
Summary
Fifth graders participated in a study designed to examine the development of intentional self-regulation which is defined as selecting and enacting behaviors that attain goals that are pertinent to oneself. A global nine-item measure was found to be a valid index of intentional self-regulation in early adolescence. Scores on this measure were related to indicators of positive and negative development.
Key Findings
Scores on the measure were related to indicators of positive youth development and risk/problem behaviors.
Positive relationships emerged between intentional self-regulation and feelings of competence, character, confidence and connection.
Negative relationships emerged between intentional self-regulation and risk/problem behaviors.
Implications for Military Professionals
Collaborate with other professionals in the field about ways to facilitate activities that encourage the most engagement and build positive relationships
Examine ways to create positive and personalized relationships with children to build confidence and character in after-school programs
Implications for Program Leaders
Offer supportive classes for adolescents to promote feelings of competence, character, confidence, connection, and peer support
Collaborate with schools to identify students who are having difficulty and to provide appropriate interventions
Implications for Policy Makers
Encourage additional training of public school educators about stressors faced by adolescents and strategies to promote feelings of competence, character, confidence, and connection
Recommend offering professional development to family service workers to develop unique ways to engage military youth in adolescent enrichment programs
Methods
Students from 57 schools in 18 states were recruited during their 5th grade year through two different waves of data collection via letters sent to parents.
Students completed measures at home of internal self-regulation, functioning and global self-worth, feelings of competence, character, confidence, connection, peer support, sympathy for others, depression, and problem behaviors.
Statistical analyses were used to investigate the global structure of the model of selection, optimization, and compensation.
Participants
Two thousand nine hundred fifty-eight fifth graders participated (52% girls).
The average age of the participants was 10.85 years (SD = 1.05 years).
Forty percent of the sample had a household income of $65,000 or more, while 40% had a household income of $25,000-$64,999.
Racial/ethnic composition of youth was as follows: 57% White, 20% Latino/Latina, and 8% Black.
Limitations
Descriptions of the recruitment and retention of participants were unclear, making conclusions based on the findings difficult to interpret.
It is unknown how these findings would generalize to other youth from different backgrounds.
This study was cross-sectional and causation among the variables cannot be determined based on the findings.
Avenues for Future Research
Gather data on older adolescents to explore whether this measure works with youth in later adolescence
Assess if feelings of competence, character, confidence, connection, and peer support can develop independently of one another in adolescents
Explore the extent to which cultural and personality factors impact these outcomes in youth
Focus
Civilian
Target Population
Population Focus
Abstract
In this research, the authors examined the development of intentional self-regulation in early adolescence, which was operationalized through the use of a measure derived from the model of selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC). This model describes the individual's contributions to mutually influential relations between the person and his or her context. Through use of data from a longitudinal sample of 5th and 6th graders who were participating in the 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development (PYD), structural equation modeling procedure, reliability analyses, and assessments of convergent, divergent, and predictive validity suggested that a global, 9-item form of the SOC measure was a valid index of intentional self-regulation in early adolescence. Scores for this index of SOC were related to indicators of positive and negative development in predicted directions. The authors discuss the idea that self-regulation is a global process in early adolescence that contributes to PYD.
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