Publication year
2015
Citation Title
Effects of the positive action program on indicators of positive youth development among urban youth.
Journal Name
Applied Developmental Science
Journal Volume
20
Issue Number
1
Page Numbers
16-28
DOI
10.1080/10888691.2015.1039123
Summary
Students in urban schools may have difficulties with their social-emotional and character development skills. This study interviewed students from 14 urban schools in Chicago in review of the Positive Action program to determine whether this intervention impacted their self-control, peer affiliations, ethics, and social skills development. Findings indicated that the Positive Action program did improve student's positive youth development and their social-emotional and character development skills.
Key Findings
The Positive Action program had a positive effect on self-control as indicated by less of a decline in students' reports of self-control over time.
Students in the Positive Action program reported more positive peer affiliation over time than students not in the program.
Students in schools with the Positive Action program showed more positive development in areas such as altruism and empathy than students in schools without the Positive Action program.
Implications for Military Professionals
Develop a training module for teachers in schools on military installations that demonstrates the benefits of school-based interventions on children's social emotional development
Provide education for military parents on the advantages of school-based interventions and how parents can partner with education professionals to improve their children's outcomes
Implications for Program Leaders
Provide information on normative versus problematic children’s responses to deployment and strategies to address the deployment-related distress
Host workshops for parents on how best to help their children who have delays in social emotional development
Implications for Policy Makers
Support the development of school-based interventions in military schools for children with developmental delays
Recommend educational courses for professionals about how they can improve school-based interventions for children
Methods
From 483 eligible schools, 14 elementary and middle public schools from Chicago, IL participated in the study. There were seven matched pairs: seven schools received the Positive Action program and seven did not receive an intervention.
Surveys were administered to students during class time. During waves one through five, research staff read the instructions aloud and during waves six through eight, students read the survey instructions themselves.
Data collected in the study were self-reported and were collected at all of the eight wave lengths.
Participants
The total number of participants enrolled in the study was 1,170 students, ranging from grades three to eight.
Of the students enrolled in the study, 53% were female and 47% were male.
The students who participated in the study ranged in ethnicity where 48% were Black, 27% were Latinos, 7% were White, and 12% were identified as other.
Limitations
The study assessed student outcomes through student self-reporting, which can lead to social desirability bias, which is when students may overstate their positive feelings and understate their negative feelings in response to the goals of the program.
Schools with the Positive Action program may have felt greater pressure to give more favorable reports about the program because the outcomes were assessed through student self-reporting, which may lead to inflation of estimated program effects.
Because of the small number of schools that were studied, the statistical power for detecting the effects of the Positive Action program intervention was limited.
Avenues for Future Research
Explore how more specific indicators of positive youth development may be influenced by programs such as Positive Action
Test the effects the Positive Action program has on youth outcomes such as mental health (e.g., depression, anxiety)
Examine whether Positive Action interventions can influence positive youth development characteristics at earlier ages and whether they are sustained at later time points
Focus
Civilian
Target Population
Population Focus
Abstract
This study evaluated effects of Positive Action, a school-based social-emotional and character development intervention, on indicators of positive youth development (PYD) among a sample of low-income, ethnic minority youth attending 14 urban schools. The study used a matched-pair, cluster-randomized controlled design at the school level. A multiple-measure self-report protocol assessed four key strengths and resources for PYD: self-concept, peer affiliations, ethics, and social skills. Students (n¼1170) were assessed from grades 3 to 8; the duration of the intervention, with drop-outs and late entrants was included in analyses. Growth curve analyses revealed evidence of favorable program effects on each of the four types of resources. The study contributes to PYD research by providing evidence for school-based interventions in low-income, urban contexts for ethnic minority youth.
Abstract Document
PRTW Document
Attach