Searching for Autonomy before the Transition to Higher Education: How do Identity and Self-Determined Academic Motivation Co-Evolve?

Identity and academic motivation are particularly at stake before the major transition to higher education. However, few studies have explored their changes and their longitudinal bidirectional links. To fill this gap, a three-wave study from the end of the 11th grade to the end of the 12th grade was conducted to explore changes in identity processes and academic motivation and to investigate how they might be interconnected over time. 599 adolescents (mean age 17.4; 59% girls) completed questionnaires containing measures about identity processes and three types of academic motivation: autonomous, controlled, and impersonal. Throughout the study span of one year, four identity processes increased: commitment making, identification with commitment, exploration in breadth and exploration in depth, while the process of ruminative exploration decreased. Simultaneously, late adolescents encountered an increase in impersonal motivation, more salient for boys. The results also revealed unidirectional links from motivation to identity processes, with no gender or age moderator effects: exploration in breadth and exploration in depth were positively predicted by autonomous motivation, ruminative exploration was positively predicted by autonomous, controlled, and impersonal motivation. In addition, impersonal motivation negatively predicted commitment making. On the other hand, identification with commitment positively predicted autonomous motivation. Practical implications are discussed.

Variability of the aging process in dementia-free adults with Down syndrome.

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to analyze the typical aging process in adults with Down syndrome, focusing on its variability. The sample comprised 120 adults with Down syndrome who were free of dementia. Ages ranged from 20 to 69 years. Each participant was assessed on cognitive functioning and social adaptation, and was checked for the presence of psychopathological disorders. Results revealed an age-related deterioration in both cognitive and social adaptation skills, the extent of this decline depending on the dimension under scrutiny, and interindividual variability in aging profiles.

Staying alone or getting attached: development of the motivations toward romantic relationships during adolescence.

The authors present the initial validation of a romantic relationship motivation scale, enabling the level of self-determined involvement in romantic relationships during adolescence to be examined. The inclusion of Self-Determination Theory (E. L. Deci & R. M. Ryan, 2000) in the motivational constructs enhances the developmental perspective regarding adolescent romantic involvement. The scale was administered to 284 adolescents (163 girls and 121 boys, age 14-19 years) with a self-esteem scale and some questions about their romantic experiences to provide some elements of external validation. The results confirmed the 4-factor structure: intrinsic motivation, identified regulation, external regulation, and amotivation, which follow the self-determination continuum, previously highlighted in friendship motivation. As hypothesized, adolescents became more self-determined with age and girls were more self-determined than boys. Other findings show specific links between motivation for romantic relationships, self-esteem and romantic experiences. It highlights the importance of considering adolescents' motivations when exploring their romantic relationships.

Daily rhythmicity of attention in morning- vs. evening-type adolescents at boarding school under different psychosociological testing conditions.

This study used a single protocol to investigate the respective and related effects of the psychosocial conditions of testing (individual vs. group) and personality on the levels and daily variation of attentional performance of adolescents attending boarding school. From scores obtained on an adapted version of Horne and Ostberg's Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), 17 male (9 morning-type and 8 evening-type) participants were selected from among 50 volunteers. Attention was measured using a number crossing-out test carried out at four times of the day (07:30, 12:00, 14:00, and 19:30). No main effect of testing mode and personality trait was found on the mean level of performance. Time-of-day had an effect on the level of performance, which differed depending on whether the test was administered in a group or individually and on the morningness and eveningness dimension. The difference between the daily profiles appears to be dependent on the interaction of the factors studied. This study investigated the concept of "group psychological rhythmicity" and highlights the importance of synchronizing social rhythms.