in collaboration with B. Bradford Brown and Sanford M. Dornbusch he impetus for much of the research presented in this chapter can be T traced to a specific conversation between Laurence Steinberg and Urie Bronfenbrenner in a hotel lobby in Kansas City, at the 1989 meetings of the Society for Research in Child Development.Earlier that day, our research group had made its first presentation from this project, on the impact of authoritative parenting on adolescent achievement (Mounts, Lamborn, & Steinberg, 1989). Drawing on data collected from a multiethnic, multiclass, multiregional sample of 10,000 adolescents, we had shown that the positive association between parental authoritativeness and adolescent school performance remained statistically significant even after controlling for ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and household composition.As Urie and I settled into our armchairs, I expected him to tell me how terrific our research was. Ten thousand subjects. Detailed assessment of parenting processes. A multiethnic, multiclass sample of youngsters from different ecologies. I waited for the praise to pour from his lips."You know, Larry," he said, "you have a wonderful opportunity with 423

High school students (approximately 14-18 years old; N=2,568) completed questionnaires in which they reported on their involvement in substance use and delinquency, and their perceptions of parental warmth, control, monitoring, and knowledge. Three alternative models were compared describing the nature of relations among these variables. Problem behavior was best predicted by a model that included indirect effects of warmth, control, and monitoring (all by way of parental knowledge), as well as direct effects of control and monitoring. Analyses are framed and findings are discussed with reference to recent work by Stattin and Kerr (2000; Kerr & Stattin, 2000) on the measurement and meaning of parental monitoring.

Abstract:Associations between children's (N = 147) participation in structured leisure activities and their adjustment were examined. Caregivers provided lists of extracurricular activities (clubs, sports, and church activities) in which children participated. Children and caregivers participated in interviews and completed questionnaires designed to measure children's adjustment in four domains (academic competence, psychosocial development, externalizing behavior, and internalizing behavior). Classroom teachers completed additional measures of children's academic and social competence. Greater participation in club activities was linked with higher academic grades and more positive teacher ratings of academic competence. Greater participation in sports was associated with higher levels of psychosocial maturity and more positive teacher ratings of social competence. There were no associations between involvement in church activities and any indicators of adjustment. Activity involvement was unassociated with externalizing or internalizing behavior. Findings are discussed in terms of both selection into different types of extracurricular activities and the skills emphasized in the pursuit of such activities.

Abstract:Youth involvement in extracurricular activities reflects both family socialization influences and civic development. Parents can promote such activity through examples set by personal involvement in the community and through reinforcement of their children's interests. Using data (N = 362) from the 9th and 10th

Abstract:Approximately 4,500 14-to 18-year-olds completed questionnaires concerning their parents' practices and their academic achievement, psychosocial competence, behavior problems, and internalized distress. Independent reports from participants' friends were used to measure authoritativeness in the peer network. Parental authoritativeness in the network benefits adolescents above and beyond the positive impact of parental authoritativeness at home. Network authoritativeness was associated with lower levels of delinquency and substance use among all participants, lower levels of school misconduct and peer conformity for boys, and greater psychosocial competence and lower levels of psychological distress among girls. The beneficial impact of network authoritativeness on adolescent behavior is (a) mediated mainly through its effect on adolescents' peers and ( b) greatest among adolescents who perceive their own parents to be relatively more authoritative. Article:Ecologically oriented developmentalists influenced by Bronfenbrenner ( 1979Bronfenbrenner ( , 1986 during the past two decades have emphasized the importance of considering the various levels of environment that influence individual growth and behavior. Originally, most research attention heeding Bronfenbrenner's advice focused attention on the level of the environment he termed the microsystem.