Context For Positive Development Research Articles

Siblings as a Context for Positive Development: Closeness, Communication, and Well-Being

To address a gap in the literature we examined sibling relationships as a context for positive development. Specifically, the relationships between individual well-being, sibling closeness, and frequency of sibling communication were explored. The goal of this study was to determine whether individual well-being moderated the relationship between frequency of sibling communication and perceived sibling closeness. Participants included a subsample (n = 236) of youth from a larger study who reported having at least one sibling. Data were collected through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that associations between frequency of sibling communication and sibling closeness were statistically significant, sibling communication and closeness were highly correlated, regardless of individual differences. Neither emotional, psychological, nor social well-being moderated the relationship between frequency of sibling communication and sibling closeness. Limitations and future directions are considered.

Examinations of change in inhibitory and initiatory Self-Control in the context of endurance running

Endurance activities provide a key context for positive development. Using data from a longitudinal study of 398 adolescents and emerging adults participating in a charity marathon event, this study examined the multidimensionality of self-control, documented longitudinal change in inhibitory and initiatory self-control across program participation, and examined associations between inhibitory and initiatory self-control and sport performance. Initiatory self-control evidenced significant declines across the course of training and running the endurance race. Initial levels of initiatory self-control predicted faster race times, whereas initial levels of inhibitory control and declines in initiatory self-control predicted worse performance. Changes in both aspects of self-control differed based on the types of contingencies of self-worth runners reported. Results highlight the predictive utility of multidimensional accounts of self-control for program outcomes. Findings advance understanding of how involvement in sporting contexts contribute to within-person change in some, but not all, aspects of self-control. Lay summary: The present study investigated the impact of marathon running on self-control in adolescents. Findings suggest that marathon running affected “start control” and “stop control” differently. Sources from which adolescents derived their self-worth mattered; those who based their self-worth on performance had lower levels of self-control than those who based their self-worth on virtues. Implications for practice A multidimensional view of self-control may help coaches and practitioners develop personalized strategies for young people to restrain from counterproductive behaviors and engage in activities consistent with goal attainment. Performance-enhancement strategies may be particularly strengthened by efforts to help sustain initiatory self-control over the course of training for an endurance event. Character and virtue development through sports may depend on the messages that young people internalize about where they derive their self-worth.

Opportunity gaps in out-of-school learning: How structural and process features of programs relate to race and socioeconomic status

Out-of-school learning programs can be a context for positive development and learning for children and youth. However, research points to potential racial and socioeconomic disparities, or opportunity gaps, in this context. In this study, we use survey and video data from 106 staff across 30 out-of-school programs to examine how three features, staff, activities, and adult–child interactions, differ based on the racial and socioeconomic makeup of programs. We find that staff at programs serving children from low-income families on average have less experience and education. Also, programs serving children from African American and low-income families tend to offer more academic-focused activities. Finally, we found no differences in adult–child interaction quality across programs in the sample. Our findings suggest that a racial and socioeconomic opportunity gap may exist in the out-of-school context. This has implications for educational equity and the positive development of children that participate in this context.

Addressing Three Common Issues in Research on Youth Activities: An Integrative Approach for Operationalizing and Analyzing Involvement

Youth activity involvement has been operationalized and analyzed using a wide range of approaches. Researchers face the challenges of distinguishing between the effects of involvement versus noninvolvement and intensity of involvement in a particular activity, accounting simultaneously for cumulative effects of involvement, and addressing multiple unique effects of individual activities. In the present work, we review and illustrate the conceptual and empirical implications of these issues using data from a study of activity involvement and successful development in early adolescence (N=537; M age=11.56, 52% female). An integrative solution is introduced based on a latent composite variable (LCV) model (Bollen & Lennox, 1991), which can be used to address all three issues simultaneously. Using this approach, we show that of the aggregate indices examined, breadth of involvement was uniquely and positively associated with multiple indices of successful development. Of the individual activities, a dichotomous score and residual frequency rating for involvement in out-of-school clubs were both uniquely associated with less positive development indicators. We concluded that an LCV approach provides a novel method for addressing several fundamental operational and analytic issues facing researchers who investigate youth activity involvement as a context for positive development.

Adolescents’ Negative Experiences in Organized Youth Activities

Research indicates that organized youth activities are most often a context of positive development. However, there is a smaller body of evidence suggesting that these activities are sometimes a context of negative experiences that may impede learning or lead to dropping out. To better understand negative experiences in youth activities, we conducted ten focus groups with adolescents. Youths’ descriptions provide an overview of the range of types of negative experiences they encountered, as well as how they responded to them. The most frequent types of negative experiences involved peers and peer group dynamics and aversive behavior attributed to the adult leaders of the activities. The youth described two types of responses to their negative experiences - a passive response of feeling negative emotions, and active coping, which sometimes led to learning.

Breadth and Intensity of Youth Activity Involvement as Contexts for Positive Development

Research has linked youth activity involvement to positive development. However, past studies have confounded at least two separable dimensions of involvement: breadth (number of activities) and intensity (participation frequency). Theory and the limited available evidence suggest that these dimensions may make independent contributions to development. Based on self-reports from 7430 high school students, this study assessed whether breadth and intensity dimensions were related to each other, to a typical aggregate measure of involvement, and to various indicators of positive development. Breadth and intensity were moderately interrelated and, in combination, they explained the majority of the variance in the typical involvement measure. Both dimensions were positively related to each development index. When examined simultaneously, only breadth had a unique relation with each developmental index. Further, evidence of nonlinear effects was found. Findings were consistent across age levels. Implications for measurement of involvement and interpretations of the extant research are discussed.