Home > Research Areas > Positive Development POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT The Positive Development Area conceptualizes, defines, and measures positive behaviors, relationships, and attitudes. We also analyze healthy habits and behaviors, positive relationships, positive attitudes and learning behaviors, and civic engagement. We commission papers, conduct cognitive testing of survey items, develop new surveys and questionnaire items, and widely disseminate our work for use by others who are developing surveys or evaluating programs.

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With support from the John Templeton Foundation, Child Trends has initiated the Flourishing Chlidren Project to develop items for surveys and program evaluations on hard-to-measure positive constructs.  This will include items on helping others to flourish, flourishing in school and work, flourishing in relationships, relationship skills, personal flourishing, and environmental stewardship.

Positive Indicators have been identified through commissioned papers, various measurements, and future work.  Several research papers and other information are available from an Indicators of Positive Development Conference held in Washington, DC in 2003.

Research Briefs

  The School Environment and Adolescent Well-Being: Beyond Academics
Pilar Marin; Brett Brown
November 2008

  The Over-Scheduling Myth
Joseph L. Mahoney; Angel L. Harris; Jacquelynne S. Eccles
February 2008

  Ways to Promote the Positive Development of Childtren and Youth
Nicole Zarrett; Richard M. Lerner
February 2008

Executive Summaries & Full Reports

  Parent and Family Religiosity During Adolescence: The Influence on Risky Behaviors during the Transition to Adulthood
Elizabeth C. Hair; Kristin A. Moore
October 2009
Few studies have examined the potential lasting effects of family religious activities and parental religious beliefs during adolescence on well-being into young adulthood.

Other Publications

Positive Indicators of Child Well-being: A Conceptual Framework, Measures and Methodological Issues
Laura H. Lippman - Kristin Anderson Moore - Hugh McIntosh. October 2009. Innocenti Working Paper No. 2009-21. Florence, UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre.
Based upon a review of frameworks for positive indicator development for the well-being of children, this paper suggests a new comprehensive framework which identifies constructs for positive well-being as well as potential indicators and extant measures that fit with those constructs. The paper reviews existing data sources for examples of positive measures that are found in the proposed framework as well as research studies that have been successful in measuring these indicators. Read more...

Publications Archive

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