Recent Publications

McGovern, G. (2021). Outward Bound Instructors’ Experience of Stress: Storms, Students, and Role Strain. Journal of Experiential Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/10538259211012714

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McGovern, G. (2021). How Outward Bound co‐instructor relationships create a context for emotional support during stressful course situations. Journal of Community Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22570

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McGovern, G., Raffaelli, M., Garcia, C., & Larson, R. W. (2020). Leaders’ cultural responsiveness in a rural program serving Latinx youth. Journal of Adolescent Research, 35(3), 368–394. https://doi.org/10.1177/0743558419873893

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Larson, R. W. (2020). Discovering the Possible: How Youth Programs Provide Apprenticeships in Purpose. In: Anthony L. Burrow & Patrick L. Hill (eds).The Ecology of Purposeful Living across the Lifespan: Developmental, Educational, and Social Perspectives. New York: Springer.

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Orson, C., McGovern, G., & Larson, R.W. (2020). How Challenges and Peers Contribute to Social-Emotional Learning in Outdoor Adventure Education Programs. Journal of Adolescence, 817-18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2020.02.014

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Orson, C. & Larson, R. (2020). Helping Teens Overcome Anxiety Episodes in Project Work: The Power of Reframing. Journal of Adolescent Research, https://doi.org/10.1177/0743558420913480

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Griffith, A.N., Johnson, H.E., Larson, R.W., Buttitta, E. (2020). A Qualitative Examination of Critical Feedback Processes in Project-Based Youth Programs. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 62,   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101892

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Larson, R. W., Raffaelli, M., Guzman, S., Salusky, I., Orson, C. N., & Kenzer, A. (2019). The important (but neglected) developmental value of roles: Findings from youth programs. Developmental Psychology. Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/dev0000674

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Munoz, L., & Raffaelli, M. (2019). Parental involvement in their adolescents’ organized youth programs: Perspectives from parent-adolescent dyads. Applied Developmental Science

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Tran, S. P, & Raffaelli, M. (2019). Configurations of Autonomy and Relatedness in a Multiethnic U.S. Sample of Parent-Adolescent DyadsJournal of Research on Adolescence.

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Larson, R. W., McGovern, G. & Orson, C. (2019). How adolescents develop self-motivation in complex learning environments: Processes and practices in afterschool programs. In: A. Renninger & S Hidi (Eds). Cambridge Handbook of Motivation and Learning (pp. 111-138).. NYC: Cambridge Press.

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Griffith, A. N. & Johnson, H.E. (2018). Building trust: Reflections of adults working with youth in project-based programs. Children & Youth Services Review, 96, 439-450.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.11.056

Iturbide, M. I., Gutiérrez, V., Munoz, L., & Raffaelli, M. (2018). “They learn to convivir”: Immigrant Latinx parents’ perspectives on cultural socialization in organized youth activities. Journal of Adolescent Research.

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Raffaelli, M., Simpkins, S. S., Tran, S. P., & Larson, R. L. (2018). Responsibility development transfers across contexts: Reciprocal pathways between home and afterschool programs. Developmental Psychology, 54, 559-570.

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  Villegas, E., & Raffaelli, M. (2018). Experiencing and learning about emotions: A longitudinal analysis of youth program participants. Journal of Youth & Adolescence. [Advance online publication; DOI:10.1007/s10964-018-0885-7]

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Kang, H., Raffaelli. M., Bowers, J., Munoz, L., & Simpkins, S. (2017). Parental participation in the process of youth joining a program: Perspectives from adolescents and parents. Family Relations, 66, 258-272.

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Raffaelli, M., Iturbide, M. I., Saucedo, M. A., & Munoz, L. (2017). You hear stories about what they did and it makes you go “wow”: Adolescents narrate and interpret caregiver stories about a difficult time. Journal of Adolescent Research, 32, 536-558.

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Griffith, A. N., Larson, R. W., & Johnson, H. E. (2017). How Trust Grows: Teenagers’ Accounts of Forming Trust in Youth Program Staff. Qualitative Psychologyhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1037/qup0000090

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Gutiérrez, V., Larson, R. W., Raffaelli, M., Fernandez, M., & Guzman, S. (2017). How staff of youth programs respond to culture-related incidents: Non-engagement vs. going ‘full-right-in’. Journal of Adolescent Research, 21, 64-93

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Griffith, A. N. (2016). Trajectories of trust within the youth program context. Qualitative Psychology, 3(1), 98-119.

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Raffaelli, M., Armstrong, J., Tran, S. P., Griffith, A. N., Walker, K., & Gutierrez, V. (2016). Beyond paper and pencil: Conducting computer-assisted data collection with adolescents in group settings. Journal of Adolescence, 49, 1-9.

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Larson, R. W., Izenstrak, D., Rodriguez, G., & Perry, S. C. (2016). The art of restraint: How experienced program leaders use their authority to support youth agency. Journal of Research on Adolescence20(4), 845-863.

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Griffith, A. & Larson, R. W. (2016). Why trust matters: How confidence in leaders transforms what adolescents gain from youth programs. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 26, 790-804.

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Larson, R. W., & Dawes, N.P., (2015). How to cultivate adolescents’ motivation: Effective strategies employed by the professional staff of American youth programs. In S. Joseph (Ed.), Positive psychology in practice (pp. 313-326). New York: Wiley.

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Larson, R., Walker, K. C., Rusk, N., & Diaz, L. B. (2015). Understanding youth development from the practitioner’s point of view: A call for research on effective practice. Applied Developmental Science19 (2), 74-86.

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Griffith, A. & Larson, R. W. (2014). Dealing with moms and dads: Family dilemmas encountered by youth program leaders. Journal of Youth Development, 9(2), 34-51

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Salusky, I., Larson, R.W., Griffith, A., Wu, J., Raffaelli, M., Sugimura, N., Guzman, M. (2014). How adolescents develop responsibility: What can be learned from youth programs. Journal of Adolescent Research. 24(3), 417-430.

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Larson, R. W., Lampkins-uThando, S. & Armstrong, J. (2014). Adolescents’ development of new skills for prospective cognition: Learning to anticipate, plan and think strategically. Journal of Cognitive Education and Psychology, 13 (2), 232-244. doi.org/10.1891/1945-8959.13.2.232

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Rusk, N., Larson, R. W., Raffaelli, M., Walker, K., Washington, L., Gutierrez, V., Kang, H., Tran, S., & Perry, S. C. (2013). Positive youth development in organized programs: How teens learn to manage emotions. In C. Proctor & P. A. Linley (Eds.), Positive psychology: Research, applications and interventions for children and adolescents. New York, NY: Springer.

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Larson, R. W., Jensen, L., Kang, H., Griffith, A. & Rompala, V. (2012).  Peer Groups as a Crucible of Positive Value Development in a Global World. In G. Trommsdorff & X. Chen (Eds.) Values, Religion, and Culture in Adolescent Development. New York: Cambridge University Press.

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Larson, R. W. (2011). Positive development in a disorderly world: SRA Presidential Address. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 21, 317-334.

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Dawes, N. P., & Larson, R.W. (2011). How youth get engaged: Grounded-theory research on motivational development in organized youth programs. Developmental Psychology. 47(1), 259-269.

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Larson, R. W. (2011). Adolescents’ conscious processes of developing regulation: Learning to appraise challenges. In R. M. Lerner, J. V. Lerner, E. P. Bowers, S. Lewin-Bizan, S. Gestsdottir, & J. B. Urban (Eds.). Thriving in childhood and adolescence: The role of self regulation processes: New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development. No. 134. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

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Larson, R.W. & Angus, R.M. (2011). Adolescents’ development of skills for agency in youth programs: Learning to think strategically. Child Development, 82, 277-294.

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Larson, R. & Angus, R. (2011). Pursuing paradox: The role of adults in creating empowering settings for youth. Prepared for M. Aber, K. Maton, & E. Seidman (Eds.).Empowerment settings and voices for social change (pp. 65-93). New York: Oxford.

Advisors of youth programs navigate the paradox of trying to provide direction while allowing youth to make decisions and learn from their actions. This article examines what differentiates advisors who are effective in facilitating youth’s development of empowerment skills (specifically strategic thinking). We found these advisors exercised an art of “leading from behind” in which they provided judicious support- when and if needed – in ways that maintained youth’s experience of agency and facilitated their cycles of learning.

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Larson, R. W, Perry, S. C., Kang, H., & Walker, K. C. (2011). Understanding the Development in Youth Development Programs: Looking To the Future. Journal of Youth Development, 6 (3), 155-167.

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Larson, R.W. & Rusk, N. (2011). Intrinsic Motivation and Positive Development. In R. M. Lerner, J.V. Lerner, & J.B. Benson (Eds). Advances in Child Development and Behavior: Positive Youth Development (pp. 89-130)Oxford, UK: Elsevier.

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