Entries by Jean Rhodes

New research highlights how relationships support young people

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Summarized by UMass Boston doctoral student Stella Kanchewa, M.A. Guay, F., Ratelle, C., Larose, S., Vallerand, R.J., & Vitaro, F. (2013). The number of autonomy-supportive relationships: Are more relationships better for motivation, perceived competence, and achievement? Contemporary Educational Psychology, 38, 375-382. Introduction: Self-determination theory (SDT) suggests that students are “…inherently self-motivated to master their environment. […]

Trauma-informed care: Implications for mentoring

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Walkley, M & Cox, L. (2013). Building Trauma-informed schools and communities. Children & Schools. Vol. 35(2), p123-126. In article, authors Meg Walkley, MSW and Tory L,. Cox, LCSW / PPS, discuss the effects of trauma on the development of children and adolescents, describing how “trauma-informed” care can help to improve outcomes. Children are exposed to […]

What is person-centered analysis?

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Within quantitative research, most analyses can be grouped into two main types of analyses: person-centered and variable-centered. Both types of analyses use quantitative variables, and are therefore considered quantitative. Thinking about variable-centered analyses seems more intuitive. Variable-Centered analyses are ones that treat each variable (or characteristic) as related to another variable. For example whether mentoring is related […]

Professors Are Prejudiced, Too

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A recent study, conducted by Katherine Milkman and her colleagues, highlights the barriers that women and students of colors face as they try to succeed in school and build their careers. As detailed in the NYTimes article below, the researchers sent over 6,000 emails to professors at elite institutions, asking for the opportunity to be […]

Evidence Of Racial, Gender Biases Found In Faculty Mentoring

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Editor’s note: As the field embraces Youth Initiated Mentoring, it will be important to consider that female mentees and youth of color may face additional burdens to finding a responsive mentor.  by SHANKAR VEDANTAM (NPR) Research found faculty in academic departments linked to more lucrative professions are more likely to discriminate against women and minorities than faculty […]

Why It Is Not Always Possible To Get Closure

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Dr.  Jennifer Harman (partially abridged and reposted from ScienceofRelationships.com) Attachment theorists would argue that closure occurs when we eliminate ambiguous feelings we have toward a person who we feel emotionally connected.2 … Dr. Gary Lewandowski has researched what happens to our “self” when we experience relationship loss. He found that the more we self-expand in our relationships—meaning, […]

Psychological growth in the aftermath of trauma

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by Jean Rhodes The marathon bombing occurred one year ago and, as Boston marks the anniversary of this tragic event, many stories of the survivors have been highlighted. There is no question that this traumatic event left an indelible mark on many lives, forever shaping how its victims view themselves and the world around them. […]

Strengthening Adult Capacities to Improve Child Outcomes

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by Jack P. Shonkoff, Harvard University, From SpotlightonPoverty.org Achieving sustained prosperity in any society depends on building a strong foundation in all children in order to help them fulfill many roles: successful learners, healthy and productive workers, contributing members of their community, and effective parents of the next generation. Early childhood policies and programs contribute to […]

Goodwill® Announces Enhanced GoodGuides® Youth Mentoring Program

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ROCKVILLE, Md., April 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Goodwill is enhancing its successful national youth mentoring program in an effort to assist more youth in high-risk situations to make better life choices. At this critical moment, with high youth unemployment discouraging many teens, young people need positive role models who show them that they can indeed succeed. […]