Participation in a combination of adult-led and peer-led activities appears to lead to favourable outcomes in sport (Côté, Erickson, & Abernethy, 2013). However, very little is known regarding the potential differences in how youth experience these distinct activities. Thus, the purpose of this project was to investigate the subjective and objective experiences of the same individuals across adult-led and peer-led sport activities. Recreational male soccer players (n = 27; Mean Age = 10.11) were examined using direct observation and experience rating scales in an effort to shed light on the impact that adult-led and peer-led sport activities have on the same athletes. The results clearly illustrated that the experiences of youth across these two activities are very different. In the adult-led activities, youth experienced high levels of effort and concentration, and spent more time being physically or mentally engaged. However, antisocial behaviours were also more frequent in the adult-led activities. Meanwhile, youth experienced high rates of prosocial behaviours, sport-related communication, as well as general communication during the peer-led activities. These findings suggest that rather than one approach being comparatively superior to the other, both adult-led and peer-led sport activities have the potential to yield unique benefits towards children’s experiences in sport. The results from the present study may have important practical implications if sport programs can utilize the benefits of both adult-led and peer-led activities to offer youth a sport experience which combines the best of both worlds. / Thesis (Master, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2013-08-22 17:29:14.363

The current study explored the experiences of high school peer leaders (N = 45) chosen to participate in an eight-week peer-led tobacco intervention program, Living Free of Tobacco, Plus! (LIFT+). The study used a repeated measures design to examine changes in leadership self-efficacy, perceived leadership skill, and goal-setting from baseline to post-test. Leaders’ susceptibility to future tobacco use, self-efficacy to resist and avoid tobacco, and confidence and interest in following nutritional guidelines were also examined at two time points. To strengthen self-report measures, peer and teacher evaluations of observed leadership behavior were collected. Results suggest that participation as a peer-leader in the LIFT+ program yielded several benefits. Leaders in the LIFT+ program reported a significant increase in interest in following nutritional guidelines, leadership self-efficacy, perceptions of leadership skill, and confidence in goal setting. Limitations and implications for future peer-led initiatives are discussed.

<p> <p>&nbsp / </p> </p> <p align="left">In this minithesis the researcher explores the experiences of recipients of the HIV/AIDS peer education abstinence programme at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), with a particular focus on their perceptions of the extent to which, and the manner in which, the programme influenced their knowledge, attitudes and beliefs regarding sexual risk behaviour, HIV and abstinence.</p>

<p> <p>&nbsp / </p> </p> <p align="left">In this minithesis the researcher explores the experiences of recipients of the HIV/AIDS peer education abstinence programme at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), with a particular focus on their perceptions of the extent to which, and the manner in which, the programme influenced their knowledge, attitudes and beliefs regarding sexual risk behaviour, HIV and abstinence.</p>

The development of clinical peer counselling within BC Schizophrenia Society Victoria (BCSSV) would be an innovation to the local mental health community that could enhance client illness management. This qualitative action research sought to enhance alignment between lived experience of mental illness recovery and professionalism, thereby adding value to the broader field of mental health support programs. Results showed that ethics, disclosure, boundaries, human rights, definitions, readiness, training, supervision, recruitment, liability and strengths need to be further explored prior to program implementation. The conclusions suggested this type of program needs a strong ethical base, a philosophy that supports organizational readiness and change management strategies, understands the complexity of liability and utilizes already existing community resources. The recommendations support community consultation towards a viability assessment, development of an organizational wellness recovery action plan, proper program parameter development such as defining peer support vs. peer counselling, and further research into peer-led services.

Abstract This pilot study examined the efficacy of Peer Support Australia’s anti-bullying module for primary schools’. A quantitative questionnaire was used to survey 77 students from two primary schools (mean age 10.1 years) in the greater Sydney, Australia area. One school implemented the anti-bullying intervention module, Speaking Up, (intervention school) the other school did not (non-intervention school). Students completed a survey containing questions relating to bullying behaviours in their school. This questionnaire was developed from Peer Relations Assessment Questionnaire Students (PRAQ) devised by Rigby and Slee (1993). This study has provided further evidence to suggest intervention programs are effective in reducing bullying behaviours. It has quantified the assumptions made regarding the efficacy of Speaking Up as a module which reduces bullying behaviours which was the principal purpose of this study. The current study into the anti-bullying intervention module, Speaking Up, provided further evidence for the following: • students developed friendships across the year groups; • students were more inclusive of others; • students developed the skills to support target students; and • students developed the skills to report bullying behaviours. The anti-bullying intervention module, Speaking Up, was shown to: • reduce the incidence of bullying behaviours; • change attitudes towards bullying behaviours in the culture of the school; • provide greater awareness of the different types of bullying behaviours; • provide support for the longer term benefits of the intervention program. Peer Support Australia’s primary schools anti-bullying module, Speaking Up, is an effective intervention strategy supporting students to develop the skills, knowledge and attitudes necessary to make a positive contribution to the creation and maintenance of a safe school environment by reducing bullying behaviours. The findings of the current study make a contribution to research already undertaken in this area.

Magister Psychologiae - MPsych / In this minithesis the researcher explores the experiences of recipients of the HIV/AIDS peer education abstinence programme at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) / South Africa

No description available.

This dissertation will examine the efficacy of peer-led team learning (PLTL) in a humanities and social sciences program, at a midsize Texas university. It will be conducted exclusively within the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS), and the academic subjects to be evaluated include English, history, and philosophy. Its primary function is to disclose whether or not PLTL facilitates in student participants improvement in critical thinking skill acquisition and deeper process content knowledge. Of primary interest in this qualitative, narrative case study is deducing how breakout sessions – supplementary meetings led by student participants, in the absence of instructors, designed to enhance classroom instruction – aid in concept synthesis and retention. Of equal importance is evaluating how the implementation of a PLTL instructional framework cultivates in its participants the acuity necessary to demonstrate that positive learning outcomes are occurring, or have the potential to occur; thereafter, collected data, in the form of participant and instructor narratives derived from questionnaires, interviews, researcher observations, writing samples, and essay-based examinations will support or refute whether improvement in critical thinking skill acquisition and deeper process content knowledge is evident in student participants. Keywords: Peer-led Team Learning (PLTL), Critical Thinking Skill Acquisition, Deeper Process Content Knowledge, Positive Learning Outcomes, Humanities and Social Sciences, Qualitative, Narrative, Case Study

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The cyber Peer-Led Team Learning (cPLTL) workshops are a synchronous online adaptation of the educational intervention PLTL, in which students, under the guidance of undergraduate peer facilitators, collaboratively solve problems in small groups. The purpose of this parallel convergent mixed methods study was to assess the impact of implementing cPLTL in an organic chemistry course on students’ workshop experiences, performance, and development of curved-arrow formalism skills. Statistical analyses revealed comparable attendance rates, distribution of course grades, and achievement on American Chemical Society First-semester Organic Chemistry Exams. However, plotting workshop grades by AB, C, and DFW grade groupings revealed that PLTL students earned more successful grades than their cPLTL counterparts (91% vs 77% ABC grades). Utilization of a new curved-arrow formalism analytic framework for coding student interview artifacts revealed that cPLTL students were statistically less likely to successfully draw the product suggested by the curved-arrows than their PLTL classmates. Both PLTL and cPLTL students exhibited a comparable incidence of relational to instrumental learning approaches. Similarly, both PLTL and cPLTL students were more likely to exhibit a common Scheme for Problem-Solving in Organic Chemistry (SPOC) than having dialogue that could be characterized by Toulmin’s Argumentation scheme. Lastly, implications for faculty are suggested, including: developing more explicit connections concept, mode, and reasoning components of understanding curved-arrow formalism for organic chemistry students; optimizing graphical collaborative learning activities for online learners; and developing online students’ sense of community.