No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Master of Science / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Karen S. Myers-Bowman / The current study focuses on qualitative data collected from youth and adults in two rural Kansas communities. The focal point of analysis was youth and adults' answers to questions about their experiences working with one another within community-based programs, specifically questions regarding youth's feeling of empowerment within the context of the program. Lerner's theory of developmental contextualism provided a framework for understanding how youth-adult relationships contribute to the development of youth empowerment. Youth voice, a construct related to the youth empowerment literature, appeared in the participants' responses across program sites. Common themes across settings were that teens who had been involved in the program the longest felt especially empowered, that youth became more responsible as a result of participating in the program, and that adults in both program sites fulfilled the six adult roles for youth empowerment that have been established in the research literature. Finally, three constructs significant in the youth development literature (confidence, connection and compassion) emerged as themes in relation to the experiences of the young people in the program. Implications of this study include exploring the impact youth-adult relationships have on adults and investigating how teens as role models or mentors for "littles" impact their feeling of empowerment. Suggestions for replication of this study are also given.

Social capital, or access to resources through relationships with other people, can facilitate the socioeconomic mobility of youth living in low-income communities. This study examined whether parent-child relationship quality and participation in a youth development program (YDP) were associated with gains in hope for the future, and whether those associations were mediated by parent social capital (i.e., access to resources through relationships with parents) and non-parent social capital (i.e., access to resources through relationships with people other than parents). The sample included 216 participants of one YDP program, Cool Girls, Inc., and 92 comparisons. Path analyses indicated that program participation for over one year predicted gains in non-parent social capital, and increases in both parent and non-parent social capital predicted increases in hope for the future. There was also evidence that first-year program participation was associated with gains in hope for the future. Implications for practice and research are discussed.

Background. Despite on-going efforts to reduce bullying among adolescents, this phenomena remains a persistent public health problem (Espelage & Colbert, 2015). Positive youth development (PYD)-physical activity based programs have the potential to target health risk behaviors by focusing on positive psychological assets and promoting personal growth (Fraser-Thomas, Côté, & Deakin, 2005). Similarly, physical activity has been associated with physical and psychosocial benefits as it enhances the process of development, promote life skills, and foster personal and interpersonal skills through peers and non-parental adult interactions (Fraser-Thomas et al., 2005; Weiss, Smith, & Stuntz, 2008). While we know quite a bit about PYD programs and understand the importance of physical activity related to its influence on bullying behaviors, we know far less about the effectiveness of anti-bullying programs that combine both PYD with physical activity components. However, addressing this gap in the literature could inform prevention science research efforts as it would enhance understanding on how such interventions might decrease bullying in youth. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of positive youth development (PYD) physical activity based interventions on bullying behaviors among pre- and young adolescents (8 - 14 years old). Methods. A systematic review was conducted and included a search of five databases (PsycINFO, PubMed, Cochrane Library, ERIC and CINAHL), and reference lists of included studies and reviews from 2003 to 2017. Additional information was requested from study authors. The study inclusion criteria included interventions that used both PYD and physical activity components, recruited participants who ranged in age from 8 to 14, and that targeted bullying behaviors (bullying, victimization, and bystander). Two independent reviewers assessed studies, and extracted data, and one reviewer evaluated risk of bias using the Cochrane risk of bias tool (Higgins, Sterne, Savović, Page, & Hróbjartsson, 2016). Studies were placed into two groups based on type of study (quasi-experimental and experimental). To determine effect sizes for the quasi-experimental designs and experimental designs, Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r) and standardized mean differences (SMD) were used, respectively. Results. Seven studies met the inclusion criteria, of which three were quasi-experimental and four were experimental studies. For bullying outcome, the quasi-experimental studies were found to have a small effect size (r = -.24 to -.22) while experimental designs had small, medium, and large effect size (SMD = -.68 to -.27). For victimization, a medium effect size was found in one study (SMD = -.53), and for bystander involvement, a medium effect size was found for unadjusted model (r = .37), and a small/negligent effect size was found for the adjusted model (r = -.05). Reductions in bullying and victimization, and increase in prosocial bystander behavior were found across the physical activity-based, PYD interventions, which utilized a combined approach of PYD components (e.g., caring, empathy, respect), and physical activity context, as well as the use of an interactive and supportive approach to deliver the program’s PYD component between the participants and staff. Selection bias, lack of blinding bias, attrition to follow-up bias, and failure to control for confounding were found across the studies, with experimental study designs reporting generally better quality than quasi-experimental. Conclusion. PYD-based, anti-bullying interventions with a physical activity component are promising in reducing bullying among adolescents. Findings revealed that the further interventions should be structured into a physical activity-based PYD setting that foster youth’s psychosocial development and provide them with opportunities to develop these PYD components in a mastery-oriented climate, which in turn may reduce problem behaviors The small number of studies identified strongly suggests that there remains a critical need for PYD-physical activity based interventions that target bullying behaviors.

American football sport-related injuries have negatively affected millions of high school students' quality of life. Although there are studies about types, conditions, and psychological effects of injuries, a gap remained in the literature that involved injury prevention from the head coach's perspective. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to fill this gap by exploring how head coaches perceive their role and responsibility in reducing sport-related injury occurrences. Sabatier and Weible's advocacy coalition, Diener and Dweck's achievement goal theory, and Fishbein and Ajzen's theory of reasoned action framed this study. The research questions focused on the lived experiences from high school American football head coaches that will advance effective policy to reduce sport-related injuries. Criterion sampling was used to select 12 head coaches who received the NFL High School Coach of the Year award. Semi structured interviews were analyzed and interpreted according to Moustakas' data analysis methods. Key findings revealed there is an absence of national sport health and safety policy and support for high school American football head coaches as principal contributors and advocates for advancing effective policy to reduce sport-related injury occurrences. Recommendations from the research participants include implementation of standard policies by all state athletic associations to adopt minimum coach qualifications, injury and emergency protocols, and the presence of an athletic trainer/medical personnel at all sport activities. The implications for social change target advancing national policy focused on coach training, development, and monitoring processes for all high schools throughout the United States to support making American football safer.

Researchers have found that 40 to 50 percent of youth's time can be classified as free or residual, which yields great opportunities for their participation in leisure and recreation activities. When all structured voluntary activities available to youth are considered, the greatest amount of time is spent participating in youth sports. Organized sports participation has been associated with positive developmental outcomes (e.g., healthier lifestyle; increases in self-efficacy; enhanced academic achievement); however, not all experiences are positive. Research has found that the context of the activity contributes significantly to participation being associated with positive or negative outcomes. Understanding important contextual elements related to sports participation, particularly as viewed by key stakeholders (e.g., coaches and players), is important in developing quality experiences that promote beneficial growth. The purpose of this study was to explore the potential of youth basketball as a positive developmental context. More specifically, it examined: (1) the outcomes associated with participation as identified by coaches of youth sport select teams; (2) the methods used by coaches to promote positive development; (3) the perceptions of the players related to coaching intentions and behaviors; and (4) the fidelity with which coaches carry out their identified coaching methods in practices and games. Findings indicated that coaches and players were able to accurately identify desired goals and methodologies along three domains: (1) player improvement; (2) development of life skills; and (3) enjoying the playing experience. One outcome theme showing inconsistency across the respondent groups was the identification of enjoying the playing experience, which was not identified by the player group. This inconsistency, however, did not show up when the respondents were identifying methodological approaches. Further analysis of sub-themes indicated considerable variation between coach and player responses. In addition, data obtained through observation corroborated the major thematic findings; however, when discrepancies existed the data revealed closer association to player responses. Player's also offered insight regarding personal goals and positive developmental outcomes they attributed to participation. Observational data also confirmed a portion of coach and player identified methodologies, but new approaches were also discovered.