Lower Socioeconomic Youth Research Articles

Protective Factors Among Postsecondary Students Enrolled in a First-Generation Program

For generations, researchers have examined attributes that contribute to the adaptability of low socioeconomic youth. Attributes that help one become resilient are known as protective factors. The purpose of this descriptive study was to explore the protective factor(s) that contributed to the enrollment of first-generation, low-socioeconomic status (SES) students at a southern land-grant university. The population consisted of postsecondary students in a First Scholars program during the 2015-2016 academic year. The authors examine the existing literature on the effects of low SES on postsecondary education in order to explore what assists these students in maintaining a steadfast behavior. Recommendations are made for the recruitment of students who display a higher resiliency to be successful at the postsecondary level and for the First Scholars program on how to further enhance the program.

Examining Writing Performance and Self-Perception for Low Socioeconomic Young Adolescents

The present case study investigated the impact of a short-term summer literacy approach on writing performance and self-perception of writing for young adolescents of low-income families residing in urban housing projects. The approach offered intensive literacy engagement to offset summer achievement loss; assisted ethnic-minority, low socioeconomic youth achieve state benchmarks in the English language arts; and pioneered research on writer self-perception for this population. Findings from pre/post use of a normed writer self-perception scale, Chi-square analysis of a camp experience survey, participant interviews and a program exit survey revealed that the 250 youth entering grades five through seven and engaged in extensive writing prompted by reading, discussion, and use of graphic organizers believed their progress and ability to write positively improved. Progress in writing was objectively measured by pre/post writing accounts of a favorite experience evaluated by calibrated raters using the state rubric system. The results of a dependent t-test evidenced a significant increase in writing performance with 157 participants increasing, 56 decreasing, and 37 achieving the same score between pre/post evaluation. A bivariate correlation comparing postwriting scores with postresults of four self-perception subscales revealed significant correlations at the .01 level.

Teaching Imagination Skills to Lower Socioeconomic Youth

Imagination is an important ability for adolescents that is related to cognitive, affective, and coping skills (Donahue & Tuber, 1993; Pikard, 1990; Singer & Singer, 1981). This study involved eleven 12 to 14-year-old lower socioeconomic youth involved in a delinquency prevention program in a small, rural midwestem community. The first segment of the study involved a structured interview with each participant, indicating that most of these youth spent little time in imagination. Furthermore, they lacked the necessary environmental factors that enhance the development of imagination, (e.g., privacy, supportive role model, and storyteller). Each of the youth (nine boys and two girls) then participated in a 16 session, eight-week psychoeducational intervention aimed at teaching them imagination skills. The pre and post assessment data showed nine of the eleven improved in their ability to be more fluent thinkers. Furthermore, eight of the eleven showed better divergent thinking ability in the area of originality. Seven improved in richness in storytelling, evidenced by a greater ability to use concrete images in subject created endings to scenarios. Finally, all the youth reported a greater ability to relax and were able to describe various imaginative experiences they had during the intervention. The findings of this study suggest imaginative skills training was useful for this group of adolescents and may have promise for future research.

Adolescents’ Use of Imagination in Lower Socioeconomic Environments

Imagination is an important skill that has proven to be related to divergent thinking skills, ability to cope with stress, and the expression of emotion. Necessary environmental factors conducive for the development of imagination are privacy, limited television viewing, a role model, and storytelling. Lower socioeconomic youth were interviewed to find the current use of their imagination and what environmental factors had been present in their lives. The interviews revealed that the youth had few environmental factors that would enhance their imaginative ability and most of them spent little time in imaginative activity. Following the interview, the youth in the study, 12- to 15-year-old African American boys and one girl, participated in a psychoeducational intervention aimed at enhancing imagery skills. Pre-post assessment of the intervention indicated significant change (p =.031) in richness of storytelling, evidenced by greater use of concrete images, adjectives, and adverbs. Subjects also reported a greater comfort with imaginative contents. The findings indicate that lower socioeconomic teens benefit from psychoeducational interventions aimed at teaching imagination skills.