Action Leadership for Adolescents (ALA) is a cutting-edge inclusive approach to adolescent leadership development. The Self-Reflection Evaluation Inventory evaluated the growth of 21st-century skills taught through the five principles of ALA. The five principles: Brain Balance, Skill Development, Interdisciplinary Collaboration, Innate Wisdom, and Cultural Responsibility; guided the curriculum of a course for seniors in a traditional high school and validated the hypothesis that the curriculum rooted in these principles ensured growth and empowerment for adolescents. ALA was born from a combination of Positive Youth Development and Transformational Leadership models and the efficacy of the approach was confirmed through the mixed-methods action research study presented in this article. Overall, the participants of the study demonstrated significant growth in the maturation of their 21st-century skills. The next steps for ALA include partnering with social researchers to continue analyzing the efficacy of ALA in all activities for adolescents.
References
[1]
Anthony, E. J. (1969). The Reactions of Adults to Adolescents and Their Behavior.Adolescence: Psychosocial Perspectives(p. 54), Basic Books.
[2]
Bass, B. M. (1985). Leadership and Performance beyond Expectations. Free Press.
[3]
Bass, B. M. (1990). From Transactional to Transformational Leadership: Learning to Share the Vision. Organizational Dynamics,18, 19-31. https://doi.org/10.1016/0090-2616(90)90061-S
Benson, P. (1997). All Kids Are Our Kids: What Communities Must Do to Raise Caring and Responsible Children and Responsible Adolescents. Jossey Bass.
[6]
Benson, P., Scales, P., Hamilton, S., & Sesman, A. (2006). Positive Youth Development: Theory, Research and Applications. In R. M. Lerner (Ed.), Handbook of Clinical Psychology: Theoretical Models of Human Development (pp. 894-941). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470147658.chpsy0116
[7]
Bradbury, H. (2015).The SAGE Handbook of Action Research. SAGE Publications Ltd. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781473921290
[8]
Brown, B. (2022). Brené with Adam Grant and Simon Sinek on What’s Happening at Work, Part 1 of 2. https://brenebrown.com/podcast/whats-happening-at-work-part-1-of-2/
[9]
Casey, B., Getz, S., & Galvan, A. (2008) The Adolescent Brain. Developmental Review, 28, 62-77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2007.08.003
[10]
Catalano, G. D., & Catalano, K. (1999). Transformation: From Teacher-Centered to Student-Centered Engineering Education. Journal of Engineering Education, 88, 59-64. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2168-9830.1999.tb00412.x
[11]
Cavataio, R., & White, M. (2011). The Trophy Generation.Tate Publishing.
[12]
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1975). Beyond Boredom: Finding Flow in Work and Play. Jossey Bass Publishers.
[13]
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1998). Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life. Basic Books.
[14]
Damon, W. (1997). The Youth Charter: How Communities Can Work Together to Raise Standards for All Our Children. Free Press.
[15]
Damon, W. (2004). What Is Positive Youth Development? Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 591, 13-24. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002716203260092
[16]
Dewey, J. (1922) Human Nature and Conduct: An Introduction to social Psychology. The Modern Library. https://doi.org/10.1037/14663-000
[17]
Dweck (2007). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Ballantine Books.
[18]
Edberg, M. C. (2008). Development of UNICEF Latin America/Caribbean Adolescent Well-Being Indicators: Background and Proposed Indicators. Report for UNICEF-LAC region, Panama City, Panama. https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/sphhs_prev_facpubs/235
[19]
Fletcher, J., Lyon, G. R., Fuchs, L., & Barnes, M. A. (2019). Learning Disabilities: From Identification to Intervention.The Guilford Press.
[20]
Freire, P. ( 2000). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Continuum.
[21]
Freud, A. (1969). Adolescence as a Development Disturbance. Adolescence: Psychosocial Perspectives(p. 75),Basic Books.
[22]
Funderburke, L. (2017). Sociopsychonomics. F.I.F.E. Publishing.
[23]
Gorski, P. C. (2011). Unlearning Deficit Ideology and the Scornful Gaze: Thoughts on Authenticating the Class Discourse in Education. Counterpoints, 402, 152-173. http://www.jstor.org/stable/42981081
[24]
Hall, G. S. (1904). Adolescence: Its Psychology and Its Relations to Physiology, antHropology, Sociology, Sex, Crime, Religion and Education, Vol. 1. Adamant Media Corporation. https://doi.org/10.1037/14684-000
[25]
Hamdorf, L. (2021). Activating the Next Generation of Leaders: Action Leadership for Adolescents Approach.In M. Aydogmus (Ed.), New Trends and Promising Directions in Modern Education(pp. 142-161). Palet Yayinlari.
[26]
Heinbach, C., Fiedler, P., Mitola, B., & Pattni, E. (2019). Dismantling Deficit Thinking: A Strengths-Based Inquiry into the Experiences of Transfer Students in and Out of Academic Libraries. In the Library with the Lead Pipe Publishing. https://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2019/dismantling-deficit-thinking/
[27]
Houldin, A. D., Naylor, M. D., & Haller, D. G. (2004). Physician-nurse collaboration in research in the 21st century. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 22, 774-776. https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2004.08.188
[28]
Institute of Medicine (US) and National Research Council (US) Committee on the Science of Adolescence (2011). The Science of Adolescent Risk-Taking: Workshop Report.National Academies Press. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK53412/
[29]
Kimmerer, K. W. (2015). Braiding Sweetgrass. Milkweed Publishing.
[30]
Kimmons, R. (2023). Education Research: Across Multiple Paradigms. Brigham Young University Free Press.
[31]
Kosfeld, M., Heinrichs, M., Zak, P. J., Fischbacher, U., & Fehr, E. (2005). Oxytocin Increases Trust in Humans.Nature, 435, 673-676. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature03701
[32]
Lather, P. (1991). Getting Smart: Feminist Research and Pedagogy within/in the Postmodern (Critical Social Thought). Routledge.
[33]
Leavy, P. (2023). Research Design: Quantitative, Qualitative, Mixed Methods, Arts-Based, and Community-Based Participatory Research Approaches. Guilford Publications.
[34]
Lengrand, P. (1989). Lifelong Education: Growth of the Concept. In C. J. Titmus (Ed.), Lifelong Education for Adults: An International Handbook(pp. 5-9). Pergamon. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-030851-7.50008-4
[35]
Lerner, R. (2009). The Positive Youth Development Perspective: Theoretical and Empirical Bases of a Strengths-Based Approach to Adolescent Development. In S. J. Lopez, & C. R. Snyder (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology(2nd ed., p. 149). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195187243.013.0014
[36]
Lerner, R. M., Lerner, J. V., & Benson, J. B. (2011). Positive Youth Development: Research and Applications for Promoting Thriving in Adolescence. Advances in Child Development and Behavior, 41, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-386492-5.00001-4
[37]
Lerner, R. M., Lerner, J. V., Almerigi, J. B., Theokas, C., Phelps, E., Gestsdottir, S., Naudeau, S., Jelicic, H., Alberts, A., Ma, L., Smith, L. M., Bobek, D. L., Richman-Raphael, D., Simpson, I., Christiansen, E. D., & von Eye, A. (2005). Positive Youth Development, Participation in Community Youth Development Programs, and Community Contributions of Fifth-Grade Adolescents: Findings from the First Wave of the 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 25, 17-71. https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431604272461
[38]
Orton Gillingham Academy (2023). Orton Gillingham Academy Principles of the Orton Gillingham Approach. https://www.ortonacademy.org/resources/og-approach-principles-2/
Pittman, K. J., & Fleming, W.P. (1991). A New Vision: Promoting Youth Development. Testimony of Karen J. Pittman before the House Select Committee on Children, Youth and Families. Center for Youth Development and Policy Research.
[41]
Roth, J., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (2015). Evaluating Youth Development Programs: Progress and Promise. Applied Developmental Science, 20, 188-202. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2015.1113879
[42]
Salvan, L. (2013). Cultural Responsibility. Small Steps to Restore Anthropology in Economic Behaviour. Interviews and Best Practices. Tafter Journal.
[43]
Sampson, R. J. (2004). Neighborhood and Community: Collective Efficacy and Community Safety. New Economy, 11, 106-113. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0041.2004.00346.x
[44]
Search Institute (2005). The 40 Developmental Assets. https://www.search-institute.org/our-research/development-assets/developmental-assets-framework/
[45]
Sendrey, E. (2019). The Child Who Is Not Embraced by the Village Will Burn It Down to Feel Its Warmth—African Proverb. https://www.eileensendrey.com/blog/2019/8/6/the-child-who-is-not-embraced-by-the-village-will-burn-it-down-to-feel-its-warmth
[46]
Steinberg L. (2008). A Social Neuroscience Perspective on Adolescent Risk-Taking. Developmental Review, 28, 78-106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2007.08.002
[47]
Steinberg, L. D. (2014). Age of Opportunity: Lessons from the New Science of Adolescence. Eamon Dolan/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
[48]
Whiting, K. (2020). These Are the Top 10 Job Skills of Tomorrow—And How Long It Takes to Learn Them. The World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/10/top-10-work-skills-of-tomorrow-how-long-it-takes-to-learn-them/
[49]
Zhao, Y. (2016). From Deficiency to Strength: Shifting the Mindset about Education Inequality. Journal of Social Issues, 72, 720-739. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12191
[50]
Zimmerman, S., Phelps, E., & Lerner, R. (2008) Positive and Negative Developmental Trajectories in U.S. Adolescents: Where the Positive Youth Development Perspective Meets the Deficit Model. Research in Human Development, 5, 153-165. https://doi.org/10.1080/15427600802274001
