Working Adolescents: Rethinking Education For and On the Job

Dr. Maslak holds the title of Professor in The School of Education at St. John's University. Before joining St. John's, she worked as a classroom teacher at the Taipei American School (Taiwan), and public and private schools (K-12) in Pennsylvania and Florida. At St. John's University, Dr. Maslak regularly teaches both undergraduate and graduate-level courses in The School of Education. She is also professor-in-charge of the School's Semester Study Abroad Program in Rome (Italy). Dr. Maslak has developed a research agenda that focuses on girls' and women's education, with a particular interest in using both mixed research methodologies and interdisciplinary theoretical frameworks in her work. In the last five years, she has studied the complexities of business learning for both adolescents and adult women. Her books and articles have been published by academic presses and peer-reviewed journals in Asia, Europe, and the U.S.A. Fulbright awarded her the Senior Research Award for her early work on Muslim girls' education in China and a Fulbright Hays fellowship for her work on women, business, and education. Dr. Maslak holds a dual Ph.D. in Comparative & International Education and Curriculum and Instruction and an MEd in Educational Administration from Pennsylvania State University, and baccalaureate degrees in music education and music therapy from Shenandoah University.  

1. An Introduction.- 1.1 Advancement for Youth: International Attention.- 1.2 Defining the Population.- 1.3 Educating the Population.- 1.4 The Number of Working for Youth in Select Countries.- 1.5 The Parts of the Book.- Part I: Who are Adolescents?: The Foundation.- 2.  The Cognitive, Psychological, and Social Development of the Adolescent.- 2.1 Introduction.- 2.2 The Definition of Adolescence.- 2.3 The Model Figure 2-1 The Model.- 2.4 Psychological Development of the Adolescent Brain.- 2.5 Social Development of the Adolescent Brain.- 2.6 Conclusion.- Part II: Country Cases: Realities of Yesterday and Today.- 3. Vocational Education in China: The Case of the People's Republic of China (PRC).- 3.1 Introduction.- 3.2 The Context for Present-Day Vocational Education.- 3.3 Non-Formal Vocational Education and the Non-Governmental Organizational System that Offers It: An Organizational Glance.- 3.4 Conclusion.- 4. Vocational Education in Italy: The Case of the Republic of Italy.- 4.1 An Introduction: The Context.- Table 4-1 Italy's labor market and education indicators from 2013-2018.- 4.2 The VET System.- 4.3 Inconsistencies in the Country's VET System.- 4.4 Non-formal Education.- 4.5 The School System's Apprenticeship Programs and the Labor Market.