Thesis (M.A.)--Bowling Green State University, 2006. / Document formatted into pages; contains v, 63 p. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Georgia State University, 2006. / Title from title screen. Lisa Armistead, committee chair; Greg Jurkovic, committee co-chair; Sarah Cook, Rod Watts, committee members. Electronic text (133 p.) : digital, PDF file. Description based on contents viewed July 3, 2007. Includes bibliographical references (p. 91-109).

This study explores the complex factors that contribute to low youth education attendance in Malawi. While current education and youth policy is framed in terms of providing access to quality education for all Malawians, this has proved challenging to implement in practice. A qualitative approach involving a range of stakeholders was adopted. 341 respondents participated in one–to-one and group interviews and provided in-depth insights into the issues affecting educational attendance. Data was thematically coded using NVivo and network analysis was used to determine the complexity of the interrelationships of the factors undermining youth attendance. Human capital theory (HCT) underpins the design of the study and the analysis of the data collected; however, HCT alone was insufficient to account for patterns in the data and therefore post-colonial, women's empowerment, motivation, decentralization, corruption and media development theories were used to complement and extend HCT in the analysis undertaken. Furthermore, while, in HCT, education and training are considered strategies for empowering people to make informed choices, enter employment and contribute to personal and national development, a central concern of the Malawian education system is the preparation of young people, and particularly young women, to undertake traditional roles. This study demonstrates that youth, especially young women in rural settings, face many challenges to their remaining in education and achieving employment outcomes beyond traditional expectations. This also limits the potential for wider-ranging social changes and economic development. Examples provided illustrate how sector-wide patterns of educational resourcing and provision, organisational issues, teacher and learner attitudes, and cultural practices interact. Policy formation and evaluation in Malawi are driven by external funder priorities and political expediency rather than being evidence-based. This study, contrastingly, offers an empirical basis for policy formation and decision-making vis-a-vis youth education, and proposes a strategic plan to improve levels of education attendance.

Background: Adolescent girls are insufficiently active to achieve health benefits. As a result they have been targeted as a priority group for increasing physical activity levels. However, physical activity interventions for this population have had limited effect. A better understanding of the correlates of physical activity in adolescent girls may better inform intervention design. Social support describes interactions, resources, and assistance from others to influence physical activity behaviour. Social support has been linked to physical activity in adolescent girls and could be a modifiable correlate of physical activity. This thesis aimed to identify: (1) if there is a positive association between social support and physical activity in adolescent girls, and if so, (2) explore the potential pathways through which social support influences behaviour. Method: Firstly, a systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to explore the role of different providers (e.g. parents/friends) and types of social support (e.g. emotional/instrumental) on adolescent girls’ physical activity, providing effect size estimations for different combinations of associations. Secondly, an analysis of an 8- week school based physical activity intervention for adolescent girls was conducted. This involved a mediation analysis to examine: (1) if self-efficacy mediated associations between social support and physical activity at baseline; and (2) if social support or self-efficacy mediated the effectiveness of the intervention. Finally, a qualitative study using constructivist grounded theory was conducted to investigate the mechanisms through which social support influences physical activity behaviour through conducting individual interviews with adolescent girls (n = 18). Results: The systematic review and meta-analysis identified small but significant positive associations between social support and physical activity in adolescent girls. Similar magnitudes were identified for parent and friend support effect sizes. The mediation analysis found that self-efficacy mediated the relationship between social support and physical activity, however, social support did not mediate the effectiveness of a physical activity intervention for adolescent girls. The results of the grounded theory study suggest that social support can influence adolescent girls’ physical activity through enjoyment, self-efficacy, overcoming barriers to physical activity, motivation, and performance improvements, as well as enabling physical activity. Conclusions: Whilst only small significant associations between social support and physical activity in adolescent girls were identified, social support may also indirectly influence physical activity through enjoyment, self-efficacy, overcoming barriers, motivation, performance improvements and enabling physical activity. There may be promise in targeting these constructs through social support behaviour change strategies in physical activity interventions for adolescent girls.

The purpose of this study was to determine if a short-term nutrition education program could significantly improve the nutrition knowledge (as assessed by the .Nutrition Achievement Test (NAT)) and body composition (as measured by the weight-for-length index (WLI) and body mass index (BMI)) of female cheerleaders aged 7 to 13. Nutrition lessons were presented to the experimental group during a two month treatment period. Using a pre-test, post-test, control group design, and performing two-sample t tests on mean differences (post-test minus pre-test) in BMI, WLI and mean percent correct on the Nutrition Achievement Test (NAT), it was discovered that the experimental group (teams A,C; N=34) did not differ significantly from the control group (teams B,D; N=31) with respect to mean differences (post-test minus pre-test) in WLI (p=0.10), and BMI (p=0.49). However, the experimental and control groups differed significantly with respect to mean difference percent correct NAT scores (p=0.042), with the experimental group improving more than the control. Closer examination revealed the older experimental team (C) improved significantly (p=0.0017), while the younger experimental team (A), did not (p=0.64). Neither of the control groups improved significantly. ANCOVA was performed on the post-test percent correct on the NAT, using the pretest as a covariate, for the 15 experimental and 14 control subjects taking NAT Test 4. ANCOVA revealed that the experimental group’s adjusted post-test mean score was higher than the control's (p<.01). These results suggest that nutrition education may result in significant improvements in the nutrition knowledge of adolescent females enrolled in an extra-curricular cheerleading league and/or program.

abstract: This dissertation shares findings from a qualitative case study of Latina adolescent girls (ninth and 10th graders) and their mothers and fathers participating in Somos Escritores/We Are Writers. Somos Escritores was a five-week bilingual writing workshop for Latina adolescent girls and their mothers and fathers that invited them to write, draw, and share stories from their lived realities on a variety of topics relevant to their lives. The stories, voices, experiences, and ways of knowing of the Latina adolescent girls, mothers, and fathers who allowed me a window into their lives are at the center of this study. This study explored the ways a safe space was coconstructed for the sharing of stories and voices and what was learned from families through their writing about who they are, what matters to them, and what they envision for their futures. To understand Somos Escritores, and the Latina adolescent girls, mothers, and fathers who participated in this space and the stories that are shared, I weave together multiple perspectives. These perspectives include Chicana feminist epistemology (Delgado Bernal, 1998), third space (Gutiérrez, 2008), Nepantla (Anzaldúa, 1997) and sociocultural theories of writing (Goncu & Gauvain, 2012; Prior, 2006). Data were drawn from the following sources: (a) postworkshop survey, (b) audio recording and transcription of workshops, (c) interviews, (d) workshop artifacts, and (e) field notes. They were analyzed using narrative methods. I found that Latina adolescent girls and their mothers and fathers are “Fighting to be Heard,” through the naming and claiming of their realities, creating positive self-definitions, writing and sharing silenced stories, the stories of socially conscious girls and of parents raising chicas fuertes [strong girls]. In addition, Somos Escritores families and facilitators coconstructed a third space through intentional practices and activities. This study has several implications for teachers and teacher educators. Specifically, I suggest creating safe space in literacy classroom for authentic sharing of stories, building a curriculum that is relevant to the lived realities of youth and that allows them to explore social injustices and inequities, and building relationships with families in the coconstruction of family involvement opportunities. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation English 2017

M.Phil. (Adolescent Guidance) / Research studies indicate that so-called non-clinical or normal depression is a common and widespread phenomenon amongst adolescents and that the rate of depression increases dramatically in early adolescence, particularly amongst adolescent girls. Although depression is generally considered as a mood isturbance, it is in effect a whole body experience involving the mind, body and spirit of the adolescent and can cause a variety of future adjustment problems. Current research on adolescent depression indicates that depression is particularly responsive to intervention and that early identification will prevent the development of a pernicious form of depression in adolescents. This study thus focuses on the early identification of non-clinical or normal depression in girls in early adolescence. Guidelines are described to support them in their experience of normal depression. The application of guidelines is thus preventive in nature and aimed primarily at supporting the young adolescent girls. The research design followed in this study can be described as a qualitative design with an exploratory, descriptive and contextual focus. Data was collected by means of phenomenological interviews and field notes. A literature control was used to verify the findings. The study was conducted in two phases. In phase one young adolescent girls' experience of non-clinical depression was explored. In phase two the collected data was used as the basis for inferring and describing guidelines to support young adolescent girls who experience non-clinical depression. After the data was analysed, two broad themes were identified and were used as a basis to describe guidelines that can support young adolescent girls who experience normal depression. The first theme reflects their perception of how they experience nonclinical depression, while the second theme reflects the influence of dysfunctional interpersonal relationships between their family, peers or teachers and themselves in precipitating or maintaining their experiences. Guidelines inferred from these themes were described that could be applied to support them in these experiences. The findings from this study reveal that the young adolescent girls are not yet clinically depressed, However, if intervention measures are not implemented to support them, their feelings and experiences could develop into clinical depression. It is hoped that this study will assist in the early identification of non-clinical depression in young adolescent girls and that the guidelines will support them so that the development of clinical depression can be prevented.

The dramatic increase in the masculine practice of tattooing among girls in Western societies is an area of interest for feminist researchers and visual culture educators. Girls’ tattoos are perceived as diverse practices of conformity, resistance, reclamation, and empowerment, and/or as contemporary markers of femininity, sexuality, and desire. Eleven adolescent girls with tattoos from the Central Okanagan region of British Columbia were interviewed during a 12 month period in 2007/2008. Discourse analysis was employed as a method to interpret and deconstruct girls’ narratives with respect to understanding why girls have adopted traditional Western male practices of tattooing as expressions of individuality or identity. Secondly, responses were examined with respect to girls’ knowledge of potential risks involved with tattooing. The majority of participants had strong attachments to their relatives and their tattoos signified a desire to maintain that close family relationship. Research findings indicated girls’ mothers were influential in their daughters’ decisions to get tattooed and in the type of image tattooed. Girls were adamant that popular media figures with tattoos and advertisements of models with tattoos could influence or encourage girls to engage in body art. Knowledge of potential risks was learned primarily from tattoo artists and relatives, with infection indicated as the main associated risk. Participants suggested the distribution of pamphlets in school counseling centres could inform students of potential risks and provide information related to safe body art practices. Participants believed societal norms respecting girls’ behaviors and practices were different than those experienced by their mothers. However size, placement, and image of their tattoos, their own biases, and their experiences with older relatives including grandmothers and some fathers indicate that traditional Western attitudes regarding femininity and the female body continue. In spite of this, girls believe that they have the freedom to choose how they enact femininity and assert their individuality, and they believe “if guys can do it, so can girls”. As visual culture educators we need to listen to and respect the voices of girls to achieve a greater understanding of how girls experience and perform gender through their everyday practices within the popular visual culture. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

Background: Physical activity (PA) is responsible for a multitude of health benefits for girls and young women. Research on active transportation to school (ATS) shows that it is a known way to increase PA. However, girls do not regularly use ATS despite the many physical, mental, and community health benefits of an active commute. One route to improve girls’ ATS is by using a Social Marketing framework to discern critical messages for use in a public health marketing campaign. Methods: Focus groups with 79 girls between the ages of 7 and 15 were conducted in Spring 2017. Transcripts and poster data were a priori categorized by the SM ‘4Ps’ framework (Product, Price, Place and Promotion). Participant groups were segmented into three age categories for tailored messaging. Data were managed using NVivo 11 and were analyzed using Constant Comparative Method tools (Strauss & Corbin, 1998). Results: Two thematic areas, Price and Place, were particularly important to girls in defining and appropriate ‘marketing mix’ for an ATS campaign. Based on our findings, a Social Marketing initiative with girls as the priority audience should be built on empowering girls to overcome the barriers to ATS. Positive and lighthearted messaging emphasizing friendship and independence as promised benefits of ATS would resonate with girls across a broad age range. Further segmentation of the audience would result in more tailored messages based on the different core values and beliefs held by this diverse group. / Graduate

Many young boys in South Africa are often recommended to take part in karate as a means of “anger management”, as well as to boost self-confidence, muscle tone, co-ordination and for various other purposes. As a karate instructor, the researcher has seen how karateka (people who take part in karate) have grown and developed whilst doing karate and has wondered how karate may have contributed to this. The researcher has also, over the last few years realised an increase in the number of girls partaking in karate and also growing through this experience. Various researchers have undertaken to try and ascertain the influence of karate on children with varying results. Adler (2003), Reynes and Lorant (2002 & 2004) conducted studies focusing on the ability of martial arts to reduce aggressive tendencies, primarily in young boys. However, little has been documented about the experiences of young girls who take part in karate. By focusing on young girls, the researcher hopes to, not only clarify karate’s influences, but also its role in a girl’s life. This research was conducted in a qualitative research paradigm. Three girls and a karate instructor were interviewed and the researcher wrote a reflective journal. From this research the child’s experiences, as well as specific guidelines, were made available for professions working with children such as teachers, occupational therapists and educational psychologists. As an educational psychologist, it will become clearer as to the contribution karate plays in the growth and development experienced by karateka and the use of karate as a referral for various needs. / Mrs. J.V. Fourie