Department of Human & Community Development, University of Illinois

Reed Larson

 

 

 

 

 

 

Curriculum vita (pdf)

Education

Ph.D. 1979, University of Chicago, Human Development

M.S. 1976, University of Chicago, Human Development

B.A. 1974, University of Minnesota, Psychology

Research Interests

Adolescence; organized youth activities and programs; resiliency within daily family experience; adolescence in the developing world.

Organized Youth Activities and Programs

I am convinced that extra-curricular activities and community-based programs are rich contexts of development. With funding from the William T. Grant Foundation, our research team is using intensive qualitative research methods and survey methods to evaluate this proposition and to understand how development occurs in these contexts. In our work thus far we have begun to identify processes whereby young people develop initiative, learn teamwork, become empowered, and gain responsibility through experiences in youth programs. We are also examining changes whereby youth develop a multicultural orientation and build connections to adult worlds. In addition, we are developing grounded theory about how effective adult advisors in these programs facilitate these developmental processes. We are looking for new graduate students and additional collaborators in this work.

For more information on our work see: http://web.aces.uiuc.edu/youthdev/

Daily Family Resiliency

My former research focused on the daily time use and emotional patterns of adolescents and their families. Although I am not currently conducting studies on this topic, I remain interested in rhythm of time and emotion in families, particularly in the after-school hours. For example, do parents bring home emotions from work that affect other family members? What do family members do that make them resilient during this often stressful time period?

Adolescence in the Developing World. I was the co-chair of a recent international study group that focused on “Adolescence in the 21 st Century.” An important aspect of the study group's work was examining the emergence of adolescence as a distinct life phase in the developing world. Although I am not currently conducting research on this topic, I remain engaged with it through writings and collaboration.

Selected Journal Articles

Larson, R. (in press). Positive youth development, willful Adolescents, and mentoring. Journal of Community Psychology.

Larson, R. & Hansen, D. (in press).The development of strategic thinking: Learning to impact human systems in a youth activism program. Human Development.

Larson, R., Walker, K., & Pearce, N. (2005). Youth-driven and adult-driven youth development programs: Contrasting models of youth-adult relationships. Journal of Community Psychology, 33, 57-74.

Richards, M., Larson, R., Viegas Miller, B., Sims, B., Parrella, D., & McCauley, C. (2004). Risky and protective contexts and exposure to violence in urban African-American young adolescents. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 33 (1), 138-148.

Hansen, D., Larson, R., & Dworkin, J. (2003).What adolescents learn in organized youth activities: A survey of self-reported developmental experiences. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 13 (1), 25-56.

Larson, R. (2002). Constructing social science (Please read all warnings before, during and after use). Journal of Marriage and the Family, 64 (4), 1058-1062.

Larson, R. (2002). Globalization, societal change, and new technologies: What they mean for the future of adolescence. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 12 (1), 1-30.

Larson, R., Moneta, G., Richards, M., & Wilson, S. (2002). Continuity, stability, and change in daily emotional experience across adolescence. Child Development, 73 (4), 1151-1165.

Larson, R., Wilson, S., Brown, B. B, Furstenberg, F. F., & Verma, S. (2002). Changes in Adolescents' interpersonal experiences: Are they being prepared for adult relationships in the 21 st century? Journal of Research on Adolescence, 12 (1), 31-68.

Larson, R. (2001). How U.S. children and adolescents spend time: What it does (and doesn't) tell us about their development. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 10 (5), 160-164.

Larson, R., Richards, M., Sims, B., & Dworkin, J. (2001). How urban African American young adolescents spend their time: Time budgets for locations, activities, and companionship. Journal of Community Psychology, 29 (4), 565-597.

Larson, R., Verma, S., & Dworkin, J. (2001). Men's work and family lives in India: The daily organization of time and emotion. Journal of Family Psychology, 15 (2), 206-224.

Larson, R. (2000). Towards a psychology of positive youth development. American Psychologist, 55, 170-183.

Larson, R. & Almeida, D. (1999). Emotional transmission in the daily lives of families: A new paradigm for studying family process. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 61, 5-20.

Larson, R. & Gillman, S. (1999). Transmission of emotion in the daily interactions of single-mother families. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 6, 21-37.

Larson, R. & Verma, S. (1999). How children and adolescents around the world spend time: Work, play, and developmental opportunities. Psychological Bulletin, No. 125, 701-736.

Richards, M., Crowe, P., Larson, R., & Swarr, A. (1998). Developmental patterns and gender differences in the experience of peer companionship during adolescence. Child Development, 69 (1), 154-163.

Larson, R. (1997). The emergence of solitude as a constructive domain of experience in early adolescence. Child Development, 68 (1), 80-93.

Selected Books and Edited Volumes

Larson, R., Wiley, A., & Branscomb, K. (2006). Family meals as contexts of development and socialization. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, No. 111. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Jensen, L., & Larson, R. (2005). New horizons in developmental research. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development. No. 109. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Mahoney, J., Larson, R., & Eccles, J. (Eds.). (2005). Organized activities as contexts of development: Extracurricular activities, after-school and community programs. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Zeldin, R., Larson, R., & Camino, L. (Eds). (2005). Intergenerational Relationships and Partnerships in community Programs: Purpose, Practice, and Directions for Research [special issue]. Journal of Community Psychology, 33 (1).

Verma, S. & Larson, R. (Eds.). (2003). Examining Adolescent Leisure Time Across Cultures: Developmental Opportunities and Risks. New Directions in Child and Adolescent Development, No. 99. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Brown, B., Larson, R., & Saraswathi, T. S. (2002). The World's Youth: Adolescence in Eight Regions of the Globe. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Larson, R., Brown, B. B., & Mortimer, J. (Eds.). (2002). Adolescents' Preparation for the Future: Perils and Promise [special issue]. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 12 (1), 1-166.

Mortimer, J. & Larson, R. (Eds.). (2002). The Changing Adolescent Experience: Societal Trends and the Transition to Adulthood. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Larson, R. & Almeida, D. (Eds.) (1999). Second-hand Emotions: Emotional transmission in families.[special section]. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 61 (1), 5-73.

Raffaelli, M. & Larson, R. (Eds.) (1999). Homeless and Working Youth Around the World: Exploring Developmental Issues. New Directions in Child Development. No. 85, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Crouter, A. & Larson, R. (Eds.) (1998). Temporal rhythms in adolescence: Clocks, calendars and the coordination of daily life. New Directions in Child Development, No. 82. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Arnett, J. & Larson, R. (Eds.). (1995). Media use in adolescence [special issue]. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 24 (5), 511-631.

Larson, R. & Richards, M. (1994). Divergent realities: The emotional lives of mothers, fathers, and adolescents. New York: Basic Books.

Larson, R. & Richards, M. (Eds.). (1989). The changing life space of early adolescence [special issue]. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 18 (6), 501-626.

Csikszentmihalyi, M. & Larson, R. (1984). Being adolescent: Conflict and growth in the teenage years. New York: Basic Books.

Selected Recent Chapters in Books

Larson, R. (in process) Learning collaboration: Teamwork as a dimension of positive development. R. Lerner & R. Silberstein (Eds.). Approaches to Positive Youth Development. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Larson, R. & Sullivan, P. (in press). Adolescence. Social Science Encyclopedia. (3rd Edition). London Routledge.

Larson, R. & Wood, D. (in press). Positive Development. In L. R. Sherrod (Ed.) Youth activism: An international encyclopedia. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing.

Larson, R., Hansen, D., & Walker, K. (2005). Everybody's gotta give: Adolescents' development of initiative within a youth program. In. Mahoney, J., Larson, R., & Eccles, J. (Eds.). Organized activities as contexts of development: Extracurricular activities, after-school and community programs (pp. 159-184). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Larson, R. & Walker, K. (2005). Processes of positive development: Classic theories. In P. Witt and L. Caldwell (Eds.). Recreation and youth development. Venture Publishing.

Larson, R., Jarrett, R., Hansen, D., Pearce, N., Sullivan, P., Walker, K., Watkins, N., & Wood, D. (2004). Organized youth activities as contexts of positive development. Linley, P. A. & Joseph, S. (Eds.). Positive psychology in practice (pp. 540-560). New York: Wiley.

Larson, R. & Wilson, S. (2004). Adolescence across Place and Time: Globalization and the Changing Pathways to Adulthood. In R. Lerner & L. Steinberg (Eds.), Handbook of adolescent psychology (pp. 299-330). New York: Wiley.

Larson, R., Verma, S., & Dworkin, J. (2003). Adolescence without disengagement: The daily family lives of Indian middle-class teenagers. In T.S. Saraswathi (Ed.) Cross-cultural perspectives in human development: Theory, research and applications (pp. 258-286). New Delhi: Sage.

Saraswathi, T.S. & Larson, R. (2002). Adolescence in the global perspective: An agenda for social policy. In B. B. Brown, R. Larson, & T. S. Saraswathi (Eds.) The world's youth: Adolescence in eight regions of the world (pp. 344-362). New York: Cambridge University Press.

Larson, R. (2001). Mothers' Time in Two-Parent and One-Parent Families: The Daily Organization of Work, Time for Oneself, and Parenting of Adolescents. In K. Daly (Ed.), Minding the time in family experience: Emerging perspectives and issues (pp. 85-109). Oxford, UK: Elsevier Science.

Other Activities

Active grants from the W.T. Grant Foundation

Society for Research on Adolescence: Executive Council, 2000 - 2004

Chair, Study Group on Adolescence in the 21st Century, Co-sponsored by the Society for Research on Adolescence and the International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development

Member, Committee on Community-level Programs for Youth, National Academy of Sciences, 1999-2001

Member, Research Advisory Board, Public/Private Ventures

Member of Editorial Boards for: International Journal of Behavioral Development, Journal of Adolescence, New Directions in Youth Development, Applied Developmental Science, Journal of Adolescent Research.

Courses Taught

HDFS 501: Human Development Research and Theory

HDFS 405: Adolescent Development