March 12-13, 2003
Washington, DC

The Indicators of Positive Development Conference was held on March 12 and 13, 2003, at the Bureau of Labor Statistics in Washington, DC.  Child Trends commissioned 23 papers and 6 poster presentations from researchers across the country who were working on measures (PDF) of positive development, typically in small-scale studies. The intent of the conference was to introduce these measures and their psychometric characteristics (PDF) to a national research and policy audience that would be interested in expanding their use more broadly to enable monitoring of positive well-being among children and youth.

The conference was part of a long-term effort to conceptualize, develop, and refine positive measures that could eventually appear in future surveys at the national, state, or local level, in research studies, and in program evaluations.  In May 2005 conference papers were published in a book edited by Kristin A. Moore and Laura Lippman, What Do Children Need to Flourish? Conceptualizing and Measuring Indicators of Positive Development.

Conference Summary

The Conference Summary includes the detailed discussion of each of the papers, author comments, and audience feedback and comments.

Agenda

Download the conference agenda.

Papers Commissioned for the Conference

Papers are listed in order of agenda appearance

• Assessment of Character Strengths Among Youth: The Values in Action Inventory of Strengths for Youth, Nansook Park, University of Rhode Island and Christopher Peterson, University of Michigan
• Adolescent Spirituality, Peter L. Benson, Peter C. Scales, Arturo Sesma, Jr., and Eugene C. Roehlkepartain, Search Institute
• Psychometric Properties of Two Brief Measures of Children’s Life Satisfaction: The Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (SLSS) and the Brief Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (BMSLSS), E. Scott Huebner, Shannon M. Suldo, and Robert F. Valois, University of South Carolina
• Measuring Hope in Children, C. R. Snyder, University of Kansas
• Positive Adolescent Functioning: An Assessment of Measures Across Time and Group, Brian K. Barber, University of Tennessee
• Psychometric Analyses of the Positive Behavior Scale in the New Hope Project and the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, Sylvia Epps, Seoung Park, Aletha Huston, and Marika Ripke, University of Texas at Austin
• Psychometric Analyses of the Parent-Adolescent Relationship Scale in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth-1997, Elizabeth Hair, Kristin Moore, Sarah Garrett, Akemi Kinukawa, Laura Lippman, and Erik Michelsen, Child Trends
• Parental Support, Psychological Control, and Behavioral Control: Assessing Relevance Across Time, Method, and Culture, Brian K. Barber, University of Tennessee, Heidi E. Stolz, California State University, San Bernardino, Joseph A. Olsen, Brigham Young University, and Suzanne L. Maughan, University of Nebraska at Kearney
• Positive Indicators of Sibling Relationship Quality: Psychometric Analyses of The Sibling Inventory of Behavior (SIB), Brenda L. Volling and Alysia Y. Blandon, University of Michigan
• Leisure Time Activities in Middle Childhood, Sandra L. Hofferth and Sally C. Curtin, University of Maryland
• Healthy Habits Among Adolescents: Sleep, Exercise, Diet, and Body Image, Kathleen Mullan Harris, University of North Carolina, Rosalind Berkowitz King, NICHD, and Penny Gordon-Larsen, University of North Carolina
• Adolescent Participation in Organized Activities, Bonnie L. Barber and Margaret R. Stone, University of Arizona, Jacquelynne S. Eccles, University of Michigan
• The Patterns of Adaptive Learning Survey: History, Develoment, and Psychometric Properties, Eric M. Anderman, University of Kentucky, Tim Urdan, Santa Clara University, and Rob Roeser, Stanford University
• Ability, Self-Perceptions, and Subjective Task Values of Children and Adolescents, Jacquelynne S. , Eccles, University of Michigan, Susan A. O’Neill, Keele University, and Allan Wigfield, University of Maryland
• Assessing Academic Self-regulated Learning, Christopher A. Wolters, University of Houston, Paul R. Pintrick, University of Michigan, and Stuart A. Karabenick, Eastern Michigan University
• Identifying Adaptive Classrooms: Analyses of Measures of Dimensions of the Classroom Social Environment, Helen Patrick, Purdue University and Allison M. Ryan, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
• Connection to School as an Indicator of Positive Youth Development, Clea McNeely, University of Minnesota
• School Engagement, Jennifer A. Fredricks, Connecticut College and Phyllis Blumenfeld, Jeanne Friedel, and Alison Paris, University of Michigan
• Three Core Measures of Community-Based Civic Engagement: Evidence from the Youth Civic Engagement Indicators Project, Scott Keeter, George Mason University, Krista Jenkins, Rutgers University, Cliff Zukin, Rutgers University, and Molly Andolina, DePaul University
• Indicators of Positive Youth Development: Prosocial Orientation and Community Service, Peter C. Scales and Peter L. Benson, Search Institute
• Frugality, Generosity, and Materialism in Children and Adolescents, Tim Kasser, Knox College
• Psychometric Analysis of the Racelessness Scales in Studies of Rural African American Youth, Velma McBride Murry, Gene H. Brody, and Dionne P. Stephens, University of Georgia
• An Exploration of the Ethnic Identity Scale among High School and University Students, Adrianna J. Umana-Taylor, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign