Development during adolescence: The impact of stage-environment fit on young adolescents' experiences in schools and in families

“Comprehensive reviews discuss the roles of evolutionary forces (Buss, 1996; Geary, 1998), social roles (Eagly & Wood, 1999), parent socialization (Higgins, 1991; Keenan & Shaw, 1997; ZahnWaxler, Cole, & Barrett, 1991), school contexts (Eccles et al., 1993), personality style (Nolen-Hoeksema & Girgus, 1994), hormonal a…”

“Critiques of secondary education often focus on the contrast between adolescents' growing needs for autonomy and actual decreases in opportunities for student autonomy within the classroom as children enter (Anderman & Maehr, 1994; Eccles et al., 1993; Goodlad, 1984; Hargreaves et al., 1996).”

“The fit between students’ psychological needs and their school environment influences their motivation for academic success (Eccles et al. 1993; Roeser and Eccles 1996).”

“Negative psychological changes associated with adolescent development often result from a mismatch between the needs of developing adolescents and the opportunities afforded them by their social environments (Eccles et al., 1993).”

“Research using a stage-environment fit framework indicates that optimal development for adolescents will occur in an educational context that is appropriately matched to their developmental needs (see Eccles et al., 1993 for a review).”

“On the one hand, given the increasing prevalence of rewards and other extrinsic contingencies in the middle school years (Eccles et al., 1993), one might expect extrinsic motivation to be higher for older children.”

“…knowledge and skills, however (e.g., parents’ sensitivity to developmental changes in children’s needs for autonomy [HooverDempsey et al., 1995; Kay et al., 1994; Simon, 2004]; changes in school structure [bigger schools, fewer invitations to involvement: Eccles et al., 1993; Izzo et al., 1999]).”

“…here appear consistently in the writings of Hall (1904), the anthropologists (Mead, 1928), the psychoanalysts (Bios, 1962; Freud, 1968, 1969), and contemporary scholars (e.g., Buchanan, 1998; Eccles et al., 1993; Offer & Schonert-Reichl, 1992; Petersen et al., 1993; Steinberg & Levine, 1997).”

“This study adopted the stage-environment fit perspective to explore ways in which schools can enhance school connectedness.(6) Stage-environment fit theory suggests behavior, motivation, and mental health are influenced by the fit between the developmental stage of the adolescent and the characteristics of the social…”

“…to develop strong and positive personal relationships between school adults and students, and to participate in extracurricular activities at a time when adolescents need strong nonfa-milial social relationships and opportunities to feel competent at their school work (Eccles et al., 1993).”

“However, steady declines in students’ intrinsic motivation and engagement signal that schools are not nurturing this precious energetic resource (Eccles et al., 1993 ; Wigfi eld et al., 2006 ) .”

“Eccles et al .”

“…are at an increased risk for declining motivation, poorer self-perceptions, greater susceptibility to conforming to peers’ negative influence, and involvement in problem behaviors (e.g., Ethnic Discrimination and Ethnic Identification 1221 Berndt, 1979; Eccles & Midgley, 1989; Eccles et al., 1993).”

“…by challenges that are within reach and that provide a sense of self-effi cacy and control: experiences that offer challenges viewed as “older” or adultlike but for which appropriate scaffolding and support are provided (Bandura, Barbaranelli, Caprara, & Pastorelli, 1996 ; Eccles et al., 1993 ) .”

“The transition from elementary-school mathematics to middle-school mathematics is a particularly challenging one (Eccles et al., 1993) and therefore provides an opportunity to examine how people’s lay theories influence their selfregulation throughout this difficult period.”

“Eccles and her colleagues suggest that teachers, peers, and parents are in a position to create opportunities for students to engage in a variety of STEM and non-STEM related activities through educational experiences, special programs, etc. (Eccles et al., 1993, 1997; Wang, 2012).”

“Past studies have shown that learner motivation associates with a variety of important learning consequences such as persistence (Vallerand & Bissonnette, 1992), retention (Lepper & Cordova, 1992), achievement (Eccles et al., 1993), and course satisfaction (Fujita-Starck & Thompson, 1994).”

“Factors that may influence these transitions include school characteristics such as size, the autonomy afforded students, contact with adults, academic emphasis, and teacher efficacy (Eccles et al., 1993; Fine, 1991).”

“For example, in middle school and high school, students’ academic interests decline, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects (Brophy, 2008; Eccles et al., 1993).”

“When these extra-school influences are harmonized with their school-related counterparts, as they may often be with more economically advantaged students and their families, engagement may be more readily facilitated (Eccles et al., 1993; Eccles & Roeser, 2011).”

“Thus, when students are given less choices about curriculum activities and are given less opportunities to assume personal responsibility, they may develop self-defeating cycles of self-motivational beliefs (Eccles et al., 1993).”

“This study used data from the Maryland Adolescent Development in Context Study (MADICS) and the Study of Adolescents in Multiple Contexts (SAMC, see Cook, Herman, Phillips, & Setterson, 2002), which were designed to examine the influence of social contexts on adolescent development.”

“Adolescents increasingly become focused on peer and romantic relationships, and show decreased reliance and focus on parents and family (Eccles et al., 1993; Steinberg & Morris, 2001).”

“Evidence suggests that many children experience a general decline in school performance during the transition to middle school (Simmons & Blyth, 1987; see also Eccles et al., 1993, for review).”

“A desire for control over one's activities becomes increasingly salient during adolescence (Eccles et al., 1993; Kegan, 1994; Pianta & Allen, 2008).”

“As such, parenting practices that fulfill adolescents’ psychological needs of competence, autonomy, and relatedness increase school engagement, which in turn promotes positive adolescent outcomes (Eccles et al., 1993; Skinner & Wellborn, 1994).”

“Eccles and colleagues investigated the transition from elementary school to junior high school, from grade 6 to grade 7 (Eccles et al. 1993).”

“(Eccles et al. 1993; Roeser et al. 1998; Connell and Wellborn 1991).”

“with teachers are crucial for not only engagement in school but also well-being outside of school (Eccles et al., 1993).”

“Given current concerns with the schools, particularly those attended by young adolescents (Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development, 1989; Eccles et al., 1993), the time seems especially ripe to examine this relationship.”

“These include various measures of school performance, self-concept, mental health, extracurricular activities, and so forth (e.g., Eccles et al., 1993; Garber & Little, 2004; Seidman et al., 1996; Seidman, Allen, Mitchell, & Feinman, 1994; Simmons et al., 1987).”

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“Given the increased self-focus and self-consciousness in early adolescence, such emphasis may cause some youth to question their academic abilities (Covington, 1992; Eccles et al., 1993).”

“Fourth, whereas the school environment may be a poor fit for both girls and boys during adolescence, it is particularly likely to be so for earlymaturing girls (Eccles et al., 1993).”

“Using a person–environment-fit framework (Eccles et al., 1993; Seidman et al., 1994), the present study examined the unique and combined contributions of psychological vulnerabilities and perceptions of the social–emotional climate of their school to explaining the emergence of behavioral and emotional problems during…”

“Because the transition to middle-school disrupts entrenched social networks and exposes adolescents to new peers and presumably changes in peers’ behavior toward them (Dweck, 1999; Eccles et al., 1993; Graham & Juvonen, 2002), this period of social disequilibrium provides an excellent opportunity to examine the conseq…”

“The transition to a new environment of education, learners need special social care to improve their concentration and motivation to online learning in such a crucial crisis (Eccles et al., 1993; Harter, Whitesell, & Kowalski, 1992; Midgley, Anderman, & Hicks, 1995; Roeser & Eccles, 1998).”

“In particular, engagement and academic achievement decline during school transitions (e.g., elementary to middle school, middle school to high school), which can be stressful experiences for many students (Eccles et al., 1993; Pekrun, 2006).”

“Early adolescence is associated with a number of social and biological stressors (e.g., Eccles et al. 1993) that, paired with increased conflict between traditional and mainstream cultural values, may place Hispanic adolescents, particularly females, at higher risk for developing anxiety…”

“The life stages of adolescence and emerging adulthood can be experienced in a positive manner; however, there are significant developmental changes and challenges associated with these life stages that can be especially difficult for some individuals (Arnett, 2007; Eccles et al., 1993).”

“Gaining greater autonomy, agency, and independence in the learning process can be a means for members of historically disempowered and underrepresented groups to enhance their academic success and opportunity (Eccles et al., 1993; Hofstra et al., 2020; Rose & Rudolph, 2006; Wang & Degol, 2013).”

“As students enter adolescence , average school belonging tends to drop significantly , especially among students transitioning into middle school (Eccles et al., 1993).”

“Her work pointed out that maladaptation of adolescents could be associated with poorly designed environments in different contexts.(23,24) In addition, based on the ecological perspective, Lerner and his colleagues proposed that “relative plasticity” in youth development is shaped by “developmental regulations”, which…”

“Because one of the central tasks of adolescence is to develop as an autonomous being, opportunities for decision making in the family become particularly important in early adolescence (Eccles et al., 1993).”

“Addressing these issues among middle school populations may be especially revealing because the transition to middle school is associated with more rigid rule structures and less support for student autonomy (see Eccles and Midgley 1989; Eccles et al. 1993).”

“Even the most welcoming contexts may alienate some youth if the fit between individual personal and developmental needs is askew (Eccles & Midgely, 1993).”