Thesis advisor: Jacqueline V. Lerner / In the United States, young people have the power to change the country, and they are exercising this power every day in many different ways (Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, 2021). Beyond the contributions that youth civic engagement makes to societal well-being (Flanagan & Levine, 2010), it also contributes to young people’s own positive development (Lerner et al., 2015). Given these societal and individual benefits, it is important to investigate the correlates of youth civic engagement. Guided by positive youth development perspectives, my three independent but related dissertation studies examine the contextual correlates of civic engagement among young people. Study One investigates how different family characteristics and school characteristics separately and interactively predict adolescent civic engagement. Study Two examines thriving as a potential underlying process through which engagement in youth development programs promotes adolescent civic engagement. Study Three focuses on social media as a platform for civic actions, including those aiming to redress inequalities (i.e., critical actions), among White, cisgendered and heterosexual American young adults. Together, results from the three studies suggest the important role of growing up in ‘civic contexts’ in the development and sustainment of civic engagement among young people. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2023. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology.

Positive youth development is a holistic approach that considers both internal (e.g., life skills and positive psychosocial characteristics) and external (e.g., coach and parent) developmental assets. The positive youth development framework has largely been used to examine multi-sport and recreational/high-school level programmes as a means to understand how participation within these environments can contribute to positive psychosocial development. The aim of the present thesis, comprised of four distinct studies, was to understand how a positive youth development approach might be applied to and integrated within the performance environment of British swimming. Study 1 comprised a two-stage investigation focused on identification and consensus related to a specific set of psychosocial assets appropriate for swimming. Following a content analysis of existing literature, a dialectical methodology was utilised to interview a panel of 10 experts from professional (coach and practitioner) and academic fields within swimming and youth sport. Five higher order categories containing 17 internal assets emerged; namely, self-perceptions, behavioural skills, social skills, approach characteristics and emotional competence. In Study 2, coaches (n=181) attitudes towards and perceptions of the 17 psychosocial assets were examined via a bespoke quantitative survey. The five-factor higher order model that emerged from the first study was quantitatively tested and supported. Coach characteristics were also examined regarding coaches overall value of the assets. Results indicated that assets within self-perceptions, behavioural skills and approach characteristic groups were more valued than those within social and emotional categories. Full-time, paid coaches provided higher value ratings for all asset groups compared to part-time, volunteer coaches. Study 3 replicated and extended Study 2 by examining attitudes of British swimming parents (n=249) towards the psychosocial assets, in conjunction with perceptions of their parenting style and levels of social support provided to their children within a swimming environment. Structural equation modelling was used to test hypothesised relationships between parental perceptions of parenting style, social support availability and value placed on the five internal groups of assets. Results indicated that parents asset value profiles were very similar to those of swimming coaches, with swimming specific assets of self-perceptions, behavioural skills and approach characteristics valued more than the less specific assets within social and emotional subgroups. Further, parents who reported high levels of esteem support also placed greater value on all assets apart from self-perceptions, and parents who reported a warm style were more likely to provide this esteem support. vi Finally, Study 4 examined perceptions of autonomy supportive coach and parenting styles and social support availability in addition to motivational goal orientation, perceived sport competence and self-esteem in a sample of 246 swimmers. Hypothesised relationships between coach and parenting style, perceived social support availability and the asset related outcomes were tested using structural equation modelling. Results revealed that autonomy supportive coach and parenting styles both positively predict respective perceptions of social support availability. Athletes also reported that coach social support positively predicted both task and ego orientation, while parental emotional support positively predicted task orientation only. Both task and ego orientation positively predicted perceived sport competence which, in turn, positively predicted self-esteem. Overall, the findings of this thesis revealed a comprehensive list of internal assets that were highly valued by both coaches and parents, although the assets contained within the social and emotional groups were valued to a lesser degree, prompting calls for greater awareness on the relevance and applicability of these assets within British swimming. Furthermore, the styles that coaches and parents operate within positively predict the types of perceived social support availability which, in turn, predict internal asset value and level. Specifically, an autonomy supportive coaching style and a parenting style characterised by a high degree of warmth are both thought important elements to promote, with parental esteem and emotional support found to be most related to internal asset value and level, respectively. Links between social support, motivational goal orientation, perceived sport competence and self-esteem were also tested and supported. Overall, therefore, this thesis provides a unique contribution to the sport psychology and positive youth development literature by illustrating key areas of development (i.e., the internal assets) and by demonstrating one mechanism through which a degree of this development occurs (i.e., social support).

4 pp. / REPLACES 182: MAKING THE BEST YOUTH BETTER: PIECING TOGETHER THE 4 ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF POSITIVE YOUTH / Youth development is the continual growth process in which all youth are invested in meeting their basic personal and social needs to feel safe, well cared for, valued, useful, and emotionally grounded. Scientists have long studied what youth need to be successful and contributing adults. The purpose of this set of fact sheets is to provide research based information to youth development professionals, volunteers and youth on the four essential elements of positive youth development.

3 pp. / REPLACES 182: MAKING THE BEST YOUTH BETTER: PIECING TOGETHER THE 4 ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF POSITIVE YOUTH / Youth development is the continual growth process in which all youth are invested in meeting their basic personal and social needs to feel safe, well cared for, valued, useful, and emotionally grounded. Scientists have long studied what youth need to be successful and contributing adults. The purpose of this set of fact sheets is to provide research based information to youth development professionals, volunteers and youth on the four essential elements of positive youth development.

3 pp. / REPLACES 182: MAKING THE BEST YOUTH BETTER: PIECING TOGETHER THE 4 ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF POSITIVE YOUTH / Youth development is the continual growth process in which all youth are invested in meeting their basic personal and social needs to feel safe, well cared for, valued, useful, and emotionally grounded. Scientists have long studied what youth need to be successful and contributing adults. The purpose of this set of fact sheets is to provide research based information to youth development professionals, volunteers and youth on the four essential elements of positive youth development.

3 pp. / REPLACES 182: MAKING THE BEST YOUTH BETTER: PIECING TOGETHER THE 4 ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF POSITIVE YOUTH / Youth development is the continual growth process in which all youth are invested in meeting their basic personal and social needs to feel safe, well cared for, valued, useful, and emotionally grounded. Scientists have long studied what youth need to be successful and contributing adults. The purpose of this set of fact sheets is to provide research based information to youth development professionals, volunteers and youth on the four essential elements of positive youth development.

3 pp. / REPLACES 182: MAKING THE BEST YOUTH BETTER: PIECING TOGETHER THE 4 ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF POSITIVE YOUTH / Youth development is the continual growth process in which all youth are invested in meeting their basic personal and social needs to feel safe, well cared for, valued, useful, and emotionally grounded. Scientists have long studied what youth need to be successful and contributing adults. The purpose of this set of fact sheets is to provide research based information to youth development professionals, volunteers and youth on the four essential elements of positive youth development.

The purpose of this study was to explore coach-athlete interactive behaviours. More specifically, it investigated why coaches choose to interact with their athletes, and why coaches interact with their athletes in a particular manner. Head male coaches, of nine female competitive club soccer teams participated in the current study. Each coach was videotaped and audiotaped during two practices. Each video was uploaded to a computer and reviewed. Coaches then participated in a stimulated recall interview. During the interview, coaches were shown a total of 15 video clips that included footage of themselves interacting with an individual athlete, group of athletes, and the entire team. Coaches were asked to expand on the dynamics of these interactions. The results of the study indicate that when coaches interact with athletes, their reasoning is two-fold: first they decide to interact, and second, they decide the way in which they should interact with their athlete(s) based on several factors. Coaches interacted for one of four reasons: (1) connection to a larger picture, (2) teachable moments, (3) standards of behaviour, and (4) organization. The manner in which coaches interacted with their athletes was influenced by four factors: (1) knowledge of the athlete, (2) degree of athlete input, (3) degree of tolerance, and (4) team unit involved. Together, these results helped to construct a model that illustrates how coaches make decisions with regards to coach-athlete interactive behaviour in context. Preliminary findings indicate that coaching philosophy permeates this entire process. / Thesis (Master, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2013-09-27 21:33:32.095

This study examined the influence of positive youth development factors and social capital on outcomes among youth in group home care. One of the major assumptions of this study was that existing research is deficit-focused and provides little evidence of what practices are linked to positive outcomes among youth residing in and exiting group homes. A conceptual model was developed to depict the influence of predictors (derived from the Positive Youth Develop Framework and Social Capital Theory) on youth outcomes – change in psychosocial problem severity and prosocial behavior, living environment, school involvement, employment, delinquency, and extracurricular activity. An exploratory analysis of secondary data was conducted. Multiple regression and binary logistic regression were used to answer the overarching question, What group home factors correlate with positive outcomes among youth? Major findings from these analyses showed: 1) group home staff’s positive view of youths’ competence impacted youths’ psychosocial problem severity, and 2) for youth who exhibited troublesome behavior while in group care, if they experienced a trusting relationship with an adult staff member, they are more likely to exhibit prosocial behaviors after leaving group care.

The Alliance for Excellent Education (2011) estimates every 26 seconds in America, a student drops out of school. Numerous intervention and prevention approaches have been implemented to reduce the incidents of school dropout. One program, Communities In Schools (CIS), has shown promise in impacting the issue of school dropout by attending to both academic and non-academic factors at play in influencing a student’s risk for dropping out. The primary aim of this secondary data analysis was to develop an increased understanding of CIS services, to explore whether service provision varies systematically in relation to student outcomes and student characteristics, and to gain initial understandings of whether service provision is related to end-of-year outcomes. The volume of services provided was examined in terms of the number of service categories received and the amount of services (in hours) received. Bivariate statistical tests were used to examine the differences in the two service volumes based on student characteristics and prior year outcomes. The findings suggest that the total number of services received and the total number of hours of services received does not significantly vary by student characteristics or prior year outcomes. However, significant differences were found in the number of hours of distinct service categories and prior year outcomes. Multiple regression analyses were employed to examine in what ways services were related to student outcomes. The findings indicate that specific services are associated with better outcomes. Practice and future research implications are discussed.