“Not Drowning but Waving: The American Junior Year Abroad” explores and describes study abroad amongst college students while also showing the historical roots of study abroad. This thesis seeks to understand the history and current issues in study abroad while also giving a literary description of the experiences, personal changes, and development of insight in the students who decide to study abroad. The Introduction serves both as the introduction to my project as well as an overview of the history and current issues within study abroad. It is divided into three main parts. The first section discusses the impetus for the project, the research methodology, relevant literature, and the genre of creative nonfiction. The second section covers the history of American travel and study abroad, as well as the work of the Fulbright Program. The third section is a short survey of contemporary trends within study abroad, and addresses issues of gender, race, location, and student behavior while abroad. The creative portion of this thesis describes the study abroad students’ stories, experiences, and insights during and after a semester in Europe. The first three chapters of this section—“Leaving”, “Destinations” and “Guardians at the Gate”—describe some of the initial experiences during a semester abroad. Chapter one looks at the process of traveling to a new country and adapting to new cultural norms. Chapter two describes the study abroad destinations where I did my primary research for this project. Chapter three explores some logistical issues in study abroad, namely academics, finances, and housing. Chapter four explores the challenges students face after the initial excitement of study abroad wears off, and looks at the issues of student responsibility, danger, harassment, and alcohol abuse. Chapter five describes student travel habits, which is one of the most popular elements of study abroad but also one of the more problematic. Chapter six looks at the challenge of re-entry to North America for study abroad students, and chapter seven provides a conclusion to the piece.

This qualitative research aimed to explore what male adolescents with higher-functioning Autistic Spectrum Conditions (ASCs) understand by the term ‘bullying’, and how they experience incidents they perceive as such. It considers these questions within the context of their wider social understanding, and relationships. Nine male adolescents, aged between 11-18 years old, with diagnoses of higher-functioning ASCs were interviewed. Four participants attended mainstream educational provisions, four attended specialised ASC provisions and one attended a specialist provision for those with behavioural difficulties. Interviews covered areas of interest, school, people they felt were important to them, friendships, and experiences of bullying either as a victim, bystander and/or bully. Each interview was transcribed, and qualitatively analysed using thematic analysis. Four major themes emerged. These related to the participants’ conceptualisation of their relationships, their understanding and definition of bullying, the important roles of others within the bullying dynamic, and the participants’ personal repertoire of responses to bullying incidents. This research highlights the need for adolescents with higher-functioning ASCs to be explicitly taught about the more subtle forms of bullying behaviour. It also suggests they would benefit from instruction on age-appropriate strategies with which to respond to bullying attempts. The topic of bullying may also serve as a catalyst for discussing social nuances with young people with higher-functioning ASCs, and build on their understanding of reciprocity and loyalty in friendship.

Recent research has indicated that vulnerable incarcerated young offenders – such as those placed on formal protection as a consequence of their inability to assimilate into mainstream regimes, victims of bullying, and those who have engaged in or intimated the possibility of suicidal or parasuicidal behaviour all display impoverished problem-solving abilities. Furthermore, the deficits in their problem-solving skills are significantly correlated with the levels of anxiety, depression, and hopelessness these vulnerable prisoners experience. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a time-limited, group-based, problem-solving, training intervention with such vulnerable incarcerated young offenders. A total of 46 prisoners were randomly assigned to either the experimental intervention or a non-treatment condition (23 inmates in each condition). All participants completed measures of psychological distress (HADS, BHS) and self-perceived problem-solving abilities (SPSI-R) at intake, immediately following intervention, and at three-months follow-up. The value of a brief problem-solving intervention was demonstrated in that the intervention participants experienced significant reduction in their levels of psychological distress (HADS, BHS) and an improvement in their self-assessed social problem-solving abilities (SPSI-R). Methodological concerns in the current study are discussed, and directions for future research are highlighted.

With the increasing prevalence of childhood and adolescent obesity, more young people than ever before are at risk of stigmatisation and psychosocial consequences of obesity. This research consists of two individual studies exploring the social and psychological experiences of obese young people. One study investigated the relationship between obesity, bullying, and self-esteem in preadolescents. Data was examined from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), including anthropometric data (height and weight) measured at age 7.5 (n = 8210) and 8.5 (n = 6792), and psychological data (overt (n = 7083) and relational (n = 6932) bullying, and global self-esteem (n = 6942)) collected at age 8.5. Objectives of this study were to investigate if weight status (underweight, average weight, overweight, and obese) predicted bullying involvement concurrently or prospectively over a one year period. Global self-esteem scores of obese preadolescents were also examined. Obesity predicted overt bullying involvement. Preadolescent obese boys and girls are likely to be victims of overt bullying because they deviate from appearance ideals, while other obese boys may use their heightened physical strength to bully peers. No evidence was established of significantly lower self-esteem in obese preadolescents. The second study, qualitative in nature, explored global and physical self-perceptions of five obese female adolescents, and the impact of these self-perceptions on peer relationships and weight management behaviours. Multiple in-depth interviews were conducted, in addition to single interviews with the mothers of these adolescents. Interview transcriptions were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. One case provided unique views of high self-acceptance, high self-confidence, positive self-esteem and independence. The other cases exhibited lower self-esteem related to body dissatisfaction, heightened self-awareness, and self-consciousness. These self-perceptions affected the development and strength of peer relationships. Physical self-perceptions included heightened physical strength, ‘functional’ problems of an obese body and restricted physical activity. Social and psychological consequences of obesity are unique, suggesting individual differences in social development and behaviour. Theoretical implications to enhance self-perceptions and practical implications for weight management are discussed.

This study identifies the negative effects of bullying behaviour on thirty people in their place of work. Personality differences between participants in the study who claim to have been bullied and a matched control group, and the coping strategies employed in stressful periods were sought. Possible individual and organisational antecedents to bullying were identified. In addition, to using psychometric measures to obtain quantitative data the findings were enriched by including qualitative research methods.