Sociological Studies of Children and Youth

The volume is organized in two parts. Following the Introduction, six chapters make up Part One, 'Empirical Studies'. Two quantitative analyses lead off: first an examination of residential mobility, peer networks and life-course transitions; second, a look at adolescents' participation in a particular social movement. Two ethnographic studies follow - here the foci are 'Zero Tolerance' school discipline policies, and female athletes' construction of femininity. A comparative content analysis of teen magazine advice columns, and a qualitative study of construction of 'adoptive family' identities, round out Part One. Three chapters constitute Part Two, 'Innovations in Theory and Research Methods'. The first offers an analysis of two films that explore children's struggle for agency and control. The next chapter develops a typology of children's participation in social movements, employing fascinating first-person narrative accounts. The final chapter demonstrates the unique ability of group interviews to capture processes through which adolescents accomplish group talk, develop shared perspectives, and construct gender identities.