8th Grade Girls Research Articles

Abstract 261: Gender-Specific Differences in Behavioral and Physiological Risk Factors Associated with Childhood Obesity

Background: Prior research has shown differences in physiologic and behavioral measurements of adolescent boys and girls. This study sought to determine if similar gender-specific differences exist between participants of the Project Healthy Schools (PHS) school-based wellness program, both at baseline and post-PHS intervention. Methods: Demographics, physiological measures and health behaviors were compared between 6 th grade girls and boys enrolled in PHS between 2004-2017 at baseline and post-PHS intervention. Results: Health behavior data were collected in 19,995 students (46.1% girls); physiological measures were collected in 2,922 students (52.7% girls). Boys within the physiological sample were older than girls (11.62 v. 11.55, p<0.001). At baseline, girls had lower HDL cholesterol and higher resting and recovery heart rates, but reported greater consumption of fruits and vegetables and less sugary beverages and fried meats than boys. Boys reported more vigorous exercise but greater hours of television and video game screen time than girls. Post-intervention, girls showed greater improvement in resting heart rate, fruit consumption and video game time. Conclusion: Girls had better health behaviors but poorer physiological markers at baseline. Lower rates of physical activity in girls at baseline highlight a potential area of focus for the PHS intervention in this population. Future exploration of gender-specific targeted strategies to improve health behaviors is warranted.

Asegúrate: An Intervention Program against Cyberbullying Based on Teachers' Commitment and on Design of Its Instructional Materials.

This article presents the impact on cyberbullying of the Asegúrate program. This educational program is based on the theory of normative social behavior, self-regulation skills, and the beliefs held by adolescents and consists in a whole package of strategies and resources to help teachers to include in the ordinary curricula. The evaluation of Asegúrate was carried out with a sample of 4779 students (48.9% girls) in 5th and 6th grade in primary education and compulsory secondary education (M = 12.76; SD = 1.67) through a quasi-experimental methodology, with two measures over time. The instrument used was the European Cyberbullying Intervention Project Questionnaire. The results show that the involvement in cyberbullying as cyber-victim, cyber-aggressor, and cyber-bully-victim increase without intervention, whereas it diminishes when intervention is carried out by the teachers who have received specific training and have used the didactic Asegúrate package. Additionally, the impact of the intervention on the different types of behaviors was analyzed, and the results show that Asegúrate is more effective with some forms than with others. Consequently, the Asegúrate program is effective for decreasing the prevalence of cyberbullying, but some modifications need to be made to impact on all the different forms it can take.

The Role of Physical Education Homework to Adolescent Girls’ Physical Activity in Finland

Introduction: There is an urgent need for active strategies to promote physical activity (PA) among female adolescents, as they are at greater risk of physical inactivity. In addition to Physical Education (PE) in school, to reach adequate levels of PA, young people need to participate in PA during the school day and/or after-school hours and/or in the before-school period. One week of objectively measured and self-reported information enlightens the status quo of adolescent girls’ PA and the role that PE homework plays. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine girls’ objectively measured PA in a lower secondary school as part of the Physical Education Homework Study, a project conducted in Finland. An additional aim was to provide insights into physical education (PE) homework as part of PA. Methods: Different levels of PA (i.e., light, moderate, vigorous), sedentary time, number of total steps and running steps were measured using accelerometers among girls in the 7th, 8th and 9th grades, aged between 12 and 15 years (n = 88) for a period of 1 week. In addition, self-reported structured diaries were used to gather information about after school activities, including PE homework. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tamhane’s post-hoc test was used to compare the different grades on the basis of participants’ PA levels and sedentary time. Data from self-reported PE homework frequencies and time spent on PE homework were analysed using the independent-samples t-test. Results: The PE homework was a small aspect of the participants’ whole-day PA, averaging 34 minutes per week (7th grade girls 20 minutes, 8th grade girls 51 minutes, and 9th grade girls 32 minutes). Half of the girls from the 8th grade reached the 60-minute PA recommendation every day; 38% of all the girls met the recommended levels of PA. For the 7th grade girls, 35% met the recommendation, while 28% of the 9th grade girls reached the PA guidelines. The 7th grade girls recorded an average daily light PA time of 3 hours 28 minutes; this was 34 minutes more than the girls from 8th grade (p = 0.000) and 30 minutes more than the girls from the 9th grade (p = 0.000). Conclusion: The PE homework provided a variety of PA for the adolescent girls’ after-school hours, even if the role of homework was not time-consuming (20 - 51 minutes per week). A possible way of promoting active time among adolescents during after-school hours is to assign them PE homework, hence, active PE assignments could replace sedentary activities in adolescent girls’ lives.

Cyberbullying, Self-concept and Academic Goals in Childhood.

Cyberbullying has aroused scientific interest given the impact it has on the lives of young people. The present study proposes to analyze the relationship between self-concept (Self-Description Questionnaire I), academic goals (Achievement Goals Tendencies Questionnaire), and the participation of the roles of victim, bully and bystander in cyberbullying (Cyberbullying. Screening for peer bullying and cyberbullying), by gender and grade. The sample was composed of 548 students (49.8% girls) in 5th and 6th grade of Primary Education (Mage = 10.95, SD = 0.7). Logistic regression analyses showed the explicative role of social self-concept and learning goals in the three roles, highlighting the academic self-concept and achievement goals in the victims, as well as the high social reinforcement goals in bullies and bystanders. This relation varied slightly according to gender and grade, being the motivational orientation towards school achievement a protector of victimization in girls and 6th grade students. The findings are discussed, pointing out their involvement in the development of preventive cyberbullying programs in preadolescence.

Challenges in Implementing a Time-Limited Martial-Arts Curriculum in Middle-School Physical Education Classes: A Research Consultation Case

The present program consultation and evaluation examines the use of a martial-arts (MA) program in a middle-school physical education (PE) setting. Prior work and anecdotal reports suggest that MA instruction has the potential to produce both physical and psychosocial benefits for adult and adolescent participants, but rarely has a systematic program been implemented in schools. At the impetus of an MA organization, self-report measures of emotional intelligence and behavior of seventy 7th- and 8th-grade boys and girls who participated in a structured 18-session tae kwon do program as a component of their school’s PE curriculum were compared with those of 45 students who received typical PE class instruction. Participant satisfaction with the tae kwon do program and feedback received from the MA instructors and PE teachers suggest that this sport can be successfully integrated into school-based PE classes; this represents an opportunity to provide a novel programming alternative to students that promotes exercise and continued pursuit of physical activities, nonviolence, and respect of self and others. The project content, process, and challenges in working with a client MA organization to develop the curriculum, gaining entry into a public school, and explaining limitations of the research are discussed.

Motor Abilities: Description of Motor Preparedness of 7th-9th Grade Girls of Village School

The study purpose is to determine the age-related peculiarities of motor preparedness of 7th-9th grade girls of a village school.
 Materials and methods. The study involved 7th grade girls (n=9), 8th grade girls (n=9), 9th grade girls (n=12). The children and their parents were fully informed about all the features of the study and gave their consent to participate in the experiment. The following research methods were used to solve the tasks set: analysis of scientific and methodological literature, pedagogical testing and methods of mathematical statistics for processing research results.
 Results. The 7th-9th grade girls show statistically significant changes in the results of the following tests: test 1 “Shuttle run 4×9 m” (t=5.108, P=0.001); test 3 “Arms’ bending and straightening in a hanging position” (t=-3.448, P=0.003); test 4 “Bent-arm hang” (t=2.216, P=0.047); test 5 “Long jump” (t=-2.161, P=0.044); test 6 “Evaluation of time parameters 5 seconds” (t=-2.639, P=0.016); test 9 “Stange’s test” (t=-4.521, P=0.001); test 10 “Genci’s test” (t=-4.662, P=0.001); test 11 “Serkin’s test 1” (t=-3.616, P=0.002), and test 12 “Serkin’s test 2” (t=-2.400, P=0.027). The 9th grade girls show the best results in tests 1, 2, 5, 6, 9-12. The 7th grade girls show the best results in test 4.
 Conclusions. The 7th-9th grade girls show a positive dynamics of the functional condition of respiratory and circulatory functions. The level of motor and functional preparedness of the village school 7th-9th graders is assessed as average.

Strength Abilities: Programming for Strength and Strength Endurance Development in Middle-School-Aged Girls

The study purpose is to develop a technology of programming for strength and strength endurance development in middle-school-aged girls in a 2-week training cycle.
 Materials and methods. The study participants were 6thgrade girls (n=20), 7thgrade girls (n=27), 8thgrade girls (n=30). The paper used analysis and generalization of data of scientific and methodological literature, pedagogical testing and methods of mathematical statistics for processing research results. The study materials were processed by the IBM SPSS 23 statistical analysis software. The following parameters were calculated: arithmetic mean (X); standard deviation (s). The probability of difference in statistical indicators was estimated using the Student's t-test.
 Results. The analysis of the study results showed that after 1-3 circuit training classes, the girls in the experimental group demonstrate a statistically significant, but slight improvement of results in the set of tests (p<0.05). After 1-3 classes of combined training, the experimental group girls show a statistically significant improvement in the results of strength and strength endurance of shoulder muscles, abdominal and back muscles, leg muscles (p<0.05). The comparison between the levels of strength preparedness of the control group girls and experimental group girls after the experiment revealed that the experimental group girls demonstrate statistically significantly better results of strength and strength endurance of shoulder muscles, abdominal and back muscles, leg muscles (p<0.05).
 Conclusions. When using 1-3 circuit training classes and 1-3 combined training classes in a 2-week training cycle, the middle-school-aged girls show a positive dynamics of strength and strength endurance development of shoulder muscles, abdominal and back muscles, leg muscles. The method of circuit training is effective to develop general and local strength endurance, the dynamics of strength of the local muscle group is strongly influenced by the combined training.

Strength Abilities: Features of Their Development in Girls of Middle School Age

The study objective is to determine the dynamics of strength preparedness of middle school girls. Materials and methods. The participants in the study were 6th grade girls (n=20), 7th grade girls (n = 27), 8th grade girls (n = 30). The study used analysis and collation of scientific and methodological literature, pedagogical testing and methods of mathematical statistics for processing research results. The IBM SPSS 23 statistical analysis software was used to process the study materials. The study calculated the following parameters: arithmetic mean of the value (X); standard square deviation (s), mean difference. The probability of difference in statistical indicators was estimated using the Student’s t-test. Results. The analysis of the test results of the 6th-7th grade girls showed statistically significant differences in the set of tests (p<0.05). For the 7th grade girls, the largest increase was observed in the strength indicators of shoulder muscles, abdominal and back muscles, strength indurance of leg muscles. For the 6th-8th grade girls, statistically significant differences were observed in the strength and strength endurance indicators of shoulder muscles, abdominal and back muscles, leg muscles, speed qualities (p<0.05). The study did not observe any statistically significant differences in the set of tests (p>0.05) for the 7th-8th grade girls, there was only an increase in the strength endurance indicators of leg and back muscles. Statistically significant differences were observed in the frequency of arm movements test (p<0.001). Conclusions. The girls of middle school age demonstrate a positive dynamics in the development of motor preparedness. The largest increase is observed in the strength and strength endurance indicators of shoulder, abdominal, back, and leg muscles.

School scoliosis screening by Moiré topography – Overview for 33 years in Miyazaki Japan

BackgroundSince 1981, we have performed school scoliosis screening (SSS) using Moiré topography in Miyazaki, Japan and attained a certain result in detecting scoliosis. However, this screening system was discontinued due to cessation of repair and production of Moiré topographic equipment. The purpose of this study was to make clear both the results and the problems of SSS by Moiré topography on the basis of our past 33 years' experiences. MethodsThe subjects were 689,293 students (5th grade boys in 200,329, 5th grade girls in 191,919, 8th grade boys in 151,351, and 8th grade girls in 145,694) who were screened by Moiré topography between 1981 and 2013. The number of students received SSS, the positive rate of Moiré topography, the discovery rate of scoliosis greater than 20°, the reference rate to the second screening, and the positive predictive value of Moiré topography to detect scoliosis greater than 20° were investigated. ResultsThe number of students received SSS achieved a peak in 1992. The positive rate of Moiré topography and the discovery rate of scoliosis were highest in 8th grade girls. The reference rates to the second screening were 49.8% in 5th grade students and 41.4% in 8th grade students. The positive predictive values were 2.1% in 5th grade students and 7.6% in 8th grade students. ConclusionSSS by Moiré topography seemed to be effective in detecting scoliosis although both the positive predictive value and the reference rate to the second screening were low.

Movement Coordination: Factor Structure of Development in 5th-7th Grade Girls

The study objective is to determine the structure of coordination abilities development in 5th-7th grade girls. Materials and methods. The participants in the study were 5th grade girls (n = 20), 6th grade girls (n = 23), 7th grade girls (n = 19). The study used the following methods: analysis and collation of scientific and methodological literature, general scientific methods of theoretical level, such as analogy, analysis, synthesis, abstraction, induction, as well as general scientific methods of empirical level: observation, testing, experiment. To evaluate motor preparedness, the study recorded the results of motor tests, body height and weight. The IBM SPSS 20 statistical analysis software was used to process the study materials. A factor analysis was performed, for which the study used principal component analysis with the rotation method: Variamax with Kaiser Normalization. Results. The analysis of similarities shows that the most informative tests in the structure of motor preparedness of the 5th grade girls are the following: test 11 “Evaluation of the ability for vestibular (statokinetic) stability. Running with turns” (.884), test 9 “Static equilibrium evaluation by E. Ya. Bondarevsky’s method” (.826), test 6 “Evaluation of the sense of movement speed in sprinting” (.824); of the 6th grade girls — test 11 “Evaluation of the ability for vestibular (statokinetic) stability. Running with turns” (0.884), test 9 “Static equilibrium evaluation by E. Ya. Bondarevsky’s method” (.826), test 6 “Evaluation of the sense of movement speed in sprinting” (.824); of the 7th grade girls — test 8 “Evaluation of the ability to differentiate movement speed (reproduction accuracy of running speed at 90% intensity of maximum)” (.902), test 11 “Evaluation of the ability for vestibular (statokinetic) stability. Running with turns” (.900), test 1 “30 m running (s)” (.869). Conclusions. In the structure of coordination abilities of the 5th-7th grade girls, the most informative components are the sense and differentiation of running speed, vestibular stability in exercises that require static and dynamic equilibrium. To carry out pedagogical control of coordination preparedness of 5th-7th grade girls, the study recommends using the following tests: test 11 “Evaluation of the ability for vestibular (statokinetic) stability. Running with turns”, test 9 “Static equilibrium evaluation by E. Ya. Bondarevsky’s method”, test 6 “Evaluation of the sense of movement speed in sprinting”.

Effectiveness of Motor Skills Development in 5th-7th Grade Girls at Different Modes of Physical Exercises

The objective is to determine the influence of the physical exercises modes on effectiveness of motor skills development in 5th-7th grade girls. Materials and methods. The study involved 5th grade girls (n = 28), 6th grade girls (n = 28) and 7th grade girls (n = 24). To solve the tasks set, the study relied on general scientific and special research methods, methods of mathematical experiment-planning.Studying the influence of different variants of the educational process structure, namely: the number of repetitions (x1) and the rest intervals (x2) on acquisition of the technique of physical exercises performance, provided for achieving the objective. A full 22 type factorial experiment was conducted. The 5th-7th graders were divided into training groups according to the experiment plan. In total, there were twelve experimental groups organized, four in each class.Results. The analysis of the regression equations shows that the rest interval between repetitions (x2) has the greatest influence on teaching 5th-7th grade girls physical exercises, with the number of repetitions (x1) being of somewhat less significant influence. The relation between these factors (x1x2) has a considerable weight in teaching to “rope climb in two or three sets” and to do a “pullover mount with a swing of one and a push-off with the other leg”.Conclusions. To increase the effectiveness of teaching 5th-7th grade girls physical exercises, the number of repetitions in throwing exercises should be increased to twelve times, and the rest interval reduced to 60 seconds. In the 7th grade, the number of repetitions should be reduced to six times, and the rest interval – to 60 seconds. The rest intervals in the exercises: “pullover mount with a swing of one and a push-off with the other leg” and “rope climbing in two or three sets”, should be reduced to 60 seconds and the number of repetitions – to six.

Identifying and Living Leadership in the Lives of Prekindergarten Through 4th-Grade Girls: The Story of One Intentional Leadership Identity Development Program

ABSTRACTCultivating leadership identity early in a child’s development is crucial. This article examines the development of an intentional leadership identity development program for young girls. Using participatory action research (PAR), faculty and students from a college school of social work and administrators and teachers from a suburban prekindergarten-12 all girls’ school collaborated to create a program for leadership development for the school’s youngest students, age 4 to 9 years. PAR is a research methodology wherein all members’ voices and ideas, including those typically identified as “researchers” and “subjects,” are valued and included. Researchers were interested in how to develop a leadership program at the elementary level, how girls’ understandings of leadership would change through participation in a program, and how teachers would describe leadership identity development and leadership behavior in young girls. Results indicate that PAR was an important tool for creating a program that resonated with the school’s existing culture, and that the program itself helped to redefine leadership for the girls and led them to identify themselves as leaders in more complex and nuanced ways. Furthermore, teachers were able to outline the process through which the girls learned, gained confidence, and developed self-efficacy in leadership skills.

Pushed to Teach: Pedagogies and Policies for a Black Women Educator Pipeline

This research study examines the learning experiences of 11th- and 12th-grade Black girls participating in a precollegiate program committed to increasing the number of Teachers of Color entering the profession by viewing a teaching career as an act of social justice committed to educational equity. The pipeline functions as an education reform structure to disrupt pedagogies and policies that push Black girls out of educational spaces at disproportionate rates by instead pushing Black girls to teach. Critical race and Black feminist theories are utilized to analyze interviews from Black girls over a 5-year period of the program and composite characters are developed to spotlight key findings that allow us to (a) better understand and amplify the collective learning and social-emotional experiences of Black girls in the program, (b) highlight and critique the challenges and possibilities for positively pushing Black girls’ intellectual identities as students and future teachers via pedagogies and supports, (c) identify spaces and structures in schools that can resist and combat the marginalization of Black girls’ agency and genius, and (d) consider implications for the development of Black Women Educator pipelines.

Feasibility and acceptability of a web-based HIV/STD prevention program for adolescent girls targeting sexual communication skills.

Adolescent girls are at substantial risk of sexually transmitted diseases including HIV. To reduce these risks, we developed Health Education And Relationship Training (HEART), a web-based intervention focused on developing sexual assertiveness skills and enhancing sexual decision-making. This study assessed the feasibility and acceptability of this new program and examined if perceived acceptability varied according to participant ethnicity, sexual orientation or sexual activity status. Participants were part of a randomized controlled trial of 222 10th-grade girls (Mage = 15.26). The current analyses included those in the intervention condition (n = 107; 36% white, 27% black and 29% Hispanic). HEART took approximately 45 min to complete and was feasible to administer in a school-based setting. Participants found the program highly acceptable: 95% liked the program and learned from the program, 88% would recommend the program to a friend and 94% plan to use what they learned in the future. The primary acceptability results did not vary by the ethnicity, sexual orientation or sexual activity status of participants, suggesting broad appeal. Results indicate that this new online program is a promising method to reach and engage adolescents in sexual health education.

Reducing barriers to primary school education for girls in rural Kenya: reusable pads' intervention.

Purpose The current study explored girls' perceptions of the impact of sanitary pads' intervention on their school attendance and grades. Methods Participants included 150 girls in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade in two rural schools in Kenya. Participants completed a questionnaire on menstrual health issues and the perceived impact on school attendance and academic performance. Results Results indicated that of all participants (150), those who had passed menarche and had cloth pads had similar comfort levels at school as those who had not yet had their period. Of those who had reached menarche (with pads n = 34, without pads n = 91), they answered questions about how much their period interfered with their attendance and grades. Those who had received the pads reported significantly less negative influence on their attendance and schoolwork than those who did not have pads. They also reported significantly lower levels of wanting to hide their menstrual cycle from friends and family. In addition, they reported significantly higher levels of comfort at home and school than those who did not have pads. Finally, those with pads reported significantly lower levels of fear during their period. Conclusion These findings suggest providing girls with pads minimizes the barriers to successful schooling.

Bullying and Negotiated Identities: Perspectives of 7th and 8th Grade Girls

The aim of this study is to explore 40 Swedish 7th and 8th grade girls’ perspectives on bullying by listening to how they discuss and understand bullying. Pair and group interviews were conducted and analysed using grounded theory. Symbolic interactionism was used as a theoretical perspective focusing on social processes and interaction. The participants constructed bullying as an identity process involving gendered identities, victim identities and socially‐valuable identities where bullying was located within a gendered order. These identities were negotiated with the concept of self‐confidence, where the girls both aligned with and distanced themselves from the gendered order.

5<sup>th</sup> - 7<sup>th</sup> Grade Girls’ Conceptions of Creativity: Implications for STEAM Education

Creativity is at the heart of both art and science, yet art is commonly viewed as more creative than science. A STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) approach to education has the potential to increase understandings about creative practices and dispositions that are common to both fields. In this paper, we examine how 5th - 7th grade girls attending a summer STEAM academy viewed creativity in both art and science. We draw on existing concepts of creativity, with a focus on the 4P framework (person, press, process, product) (Rhodes, 1961), to frame and explain similarities and differences in the girls’ notions of creativity. We found a number of similarities in views about creativity in art and science, as well as some important differences: Girls view creativity as it relates to art as associated with the person, while they more often view creativity as it relates to science as associated with specific practices or processes. Further, the girls viewed art, and creativity in art, as essentially an unstructured enterprise with no rules. We discuss the implications for STEAM instruction that can help support the development of authentic views of creativity in art and science, which in turn may foster interest and engagement with both fields.

Analysis of Motor Abilities Development in Male and Female High Schoolers

The pupose of the research is to define the peculiarities of motor abilities development in male and female high schoolers.
 Materials and methods. To solve the tasks set, the research relies on the following methods used: analysis of scientific literature, pedagogical testing and methods of mathematical statistics of data reduction. The participants in the study were 10 boys and 14 girls of the 10th grade, 14 boys and 10 girls of the 11th grade.
 Conclusions. The level of motor abilities development in the 10th-11th-grade girls and the 11th-grade boys is at the sufficient level, while this level in the 10th-grade boys is average.
 The statistically significant difference between the 10th-grade boys and girls is observed in the following tests: assessment of time parameters of movement (error in 10 seconds), assessment of perception of strength parameters of movement (standing long jump at ½ of MAX), bending and unbending of arms in suspension, bent suspension. The boys performed better in these tests than girls.
 The statistically significant difference between the 11th-grade boys and girls shows in the following tests: jumping with “increases of weight”, assessment of time parameters of movement (error in 5, 10 seconds), assessment of perception of strength parameters of movement, shuttle run, bending and unbending of arms in suspension, bent suspension. The girls performed better in jumping with “increases of weight”, assessment of time parameters of movement, assessment of perception of strength parameters of movement.
 The correlation analysis of the indicators of motor abilities development proves that the “shuttle run” test has more connections with the other tests in case of the 10th-grade girls (3 сonnections at r > 0.6); for the 10th-grade boys such tests are “bending and unbending of arms from the lying position”, “bending and unbending of arms in suspension” (5 сonnections at r > 0.6); for the 11th‑grade girls — “bending and unbending of arms from the lying position”, “bending and unbending of arms in suspension” (3 сonnections at r > 0.6); for the 11th-grade boys — “standing long jump at 2/3 of МАХ” (10 сonnections at r > 0.6).

Perception of Girls and Their Parents Towards Home Science as a Subject

The present paper aims to find the reasons for decline in popularity of Home Science as a subject and to assess the perception of 10th grade girls and their parents regarding it, its objectives, and curriculum and future options. The purposive sampling procedure was used for data collection. Five government schools and five private schools were selected for the study. Only tenth grader 130 female students and their parents were selected for the study. Questionnaires were used for the girls and their parents and the tool was developed in Hindi in the light of objectives for easy understanding. Results depicts that girls have less interest in Home Science because of less career options and weaning interest, which are the reasons for its deteriorating popularity. More girls have a clear understanding regarding the objectives of the subject, future options and the curriculum than parents.

Changes in developmental assets and physical activity frequency among 3rd–5th grade girls participating in a girl-focused sport-based positive youth development program

Despite the numerous benefits of physical activity on mental, cognitive, social, and physical health, females are less active than males. Sport-based positive youth development (PYD) programs designed for girls may offer the unique blend of sport and life skills that address girl-specific physical activity determinants. The purpose of this study was to assess the short-term outcomes of a girl-focused sport-based PYD among 3rd–5th grade girls. A secondary analysis of pre- and post-intervention evaluation data was conducted to assess developmental assets, overall PYD, and physical activity among intervention participants (n = 384). Data analyses included descriptive statistics and paired sample t-tests to determine pre- to post-intervention changes. Results revealed statistically significant improvements in competence (p = .001), confidence (p < .001), and connectedness (p = .001) developmental assets, as well as overall PYD (p < .001) and physical activity frequency (p < .001). Findings suggest that a girl-focused sport-based PYD program may produce improvements in targeted development assets and physical activity frequency. This study provides preliminary data to support future studies examining the short-term effectives of sport-based PYD programs for addressing physical activity determinants among preadolescent girls.