Paul M. Wright

Transference of responsibility model goals to the school environment: exploring the impact of a coaching club program

Background: The Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility Model (TPSR) has been used throughout the USA and in several other countries to integrate systematically life skill development within physical activity-based programs. While TPSR is widely used in practice and has a growing empirical base, few studies have examined the degree of transference of its four primary goals beyond the scope of a given program. In addition, the field of youth development has charged programs to not only integrate life skill development within program content, but to provide the transference of these skills beyond the program. Aims: To examine the degree of transference of the four primary TPSR goals from a Coaching Club program to the participants school environment. Method: Thirteen African American and Pacific Islander students (11 boys and 2 girls) at an underserved urban K–5 elementary school. Adult participants included two classroom teachers and the extended day program director. The Coaching Club used team sports as a vehicle for teaching life skills and promoting transference. The program took place once a week for two consecutive years (45 sessions), and adhered to TPSR format and strategies. An interpretivist/constructivist approach to program evaluation was used. Multiple qualitative data sources were used to understand experiences, perceptions, and individualized outcomes associated with the program. Data were organized around the following a priori themes related to the four TPSR goals: (a) respecting the rights and feelings of others; (b) effort and teamwork; (c) self-direction and goal setting; (d) and leadership and helping. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with youth and adult participants. Other data sources included documents and artifacts from the program such as attendance records, lesson plans, field notes, and participant journals. A combination of inductive and deductive analysis strategies was used to form and refine initial interpretations throughout the data collection process. Through several rounds of refinement and data reduction, prominent patterns were extracted that characterized the data. Strategies to establish trustworthiness included member checks, peer debriefing, data triangulation, checks for disconforming evidence, and audit trail. Results: This study provided sufficient evidence from both youth participants and adult participants to support transference of the four primary TPSR goals to the school environment. Additional strategies for enhancing TPSR transference are provided. Conclusions: Establishing meaningful pedagogical relationships is a cornerstone in youth development programs. TPSR cultivates a positive environment that creates self-growth and concern for others. In this regard, TPSR is representative of the broader field of youth development. Findings may inform policy and practice related not only to TPSR, but also to the broader field of youth development through physical activity.

Implementing childhood obesity policy in a new educational environment: the cases of Mississippi and Tennessee.

OBJECTIVESnOur purpose was to investigate the processes involved in, and outcomes of, implementing 3 new state-level, school-oriented childhood obesity policies enacted between 2004 and 2007.nnnMETHODSnWe followed policy implementation in 8 high schools in Mississippi and Tennessee. We collected data between 2006 and 2009 from interviews with policymakers, administrators, teachers, and students; observations of school-based activities; and documents.nnnRESULTSnSignificant barriers to the effective implementation of obesity-related policies emerged. These most notably include a value system that prioritizes performances in standardized tests over physical education (PE) and a varsity sport system that negatively influences opportunities for PE. These and other factors, such as resource constraints and the overloading of school administrators with new policies, mitigate against the implementation of policies designed to promote improvements in student health through PE.nnnCONCLUSIONSnPolicies designed to address health and social problems in high-school settings face significant barriers to effective implementation. To have a broad impact, obesity-related policies must be tied to mainstream educational initiatives that both incentivize, and hold accountable, the school-level actors responsible for their implementation.

Exploring the relevance of positive youth development in urban physical education

Background: While there are numerous claims that physical activity promotes positive youth development, there is a need for more empirical research in this area. Many qualitative studies suggest a relationship between a youth development orientation and participants attitudes and behaviors in physical activity programs. A quantitative analysis of such relationships would test some of the underlying assumptions of physical activity programs designed to promote youth development. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among four youth development scales (Affective Context, Support for Youth Development, Opportunities to Engage Youth as Resources, and Belonging) and perceived effort, enjoyment, and usefulness in the context of urban physical education. Participants and setting: Eighty-seven African American high school students (41 male and 46 female) with a mean age of 14.8 years volunteered to participate in the present study. The setting was a public high school located in an inner-city neighborhood. This school was located in a mid-sized city in the southern USA. Research design: A single administration, cross-sectional design was employed. Data collection: Participants completed the battery of questionnaires in a classroom setting after they completed a six-week physical fitness unit. Directions for completing questionnaires were read aloud and a sample item was provided to clarify the process. Most participants completed the questionnaires in approximately 30 minutes. Data analysis: The relationships among effort, youth as resources, support, belonging, usefulness, enjoyment, and affective context were assessed using simple Pearson correlations with the option of no missing data. A one-way MANOVA was conducted to investigate whether ratings of effort, youth as resources, support, belonging, usefulness, enjoyment, and affective context would vary as a function of gender. Three multiple stepwise regressions incorporating both forward and backward selection were used to investigate the relationships between the independent variables of interest and dependent variables. Findings: The results indicated positive correlations among effort, youth as resources, support, belonging, usefulness, enjoyment, and affective context. Perceived effort, enjoyment, and usefulness were significantly predicted by various combinations of the four youth development scales. Conclusions: It is suggested physical education could be integrated into comprehensive, school-wide positive youth development programs, and that physical education teacher education programs should integrate youth development principles and practices.

Integrating a personal and social responsibility program into a Wellness course for urban high school students: assessing implementation and educational outcomes

The present study used a program-evaluation framework and multiple methods to evaluate the implementation and educational outcomes associated with a Teaching for Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR) program. The 18-lesson program was integrated into a required Wellness course in an inner-city high school in the USA. Individual participants were 122 (57 males and 65 females; ages 14–18) African-American students divided among four co-educational class sections (two treatment and two comparison). Findings indicated the TPSR program goals were effectively delivered, received and enacted by participants in the treatment condition. Descriptive statistical analysis of pre- and post-program educational outcomes indicated students in the treatment condition had more positive gain scores on truancy, tardiness, grades and conduct than peers in a valid comparison condition. It is concluded that TPSR programs can be effectively integrated into the high school curriculum. Further, given robust implementation, it appears that such programs have the potential to positively impact educational outcomes. To explore this potential, a group-randomized trial is suggested.

Relations of Perceived Physical Self-Efficacy and Motivational Responses toward Physical Activity by Urban High School Students

To be effective in promoting physical activity among urban, minority adolescents, the factors and psychological processes that motivate them to engage in and maintain a physically active lifestyle should be examined. The relation of physical self-efficacy and motivational responses toward physical activity in 46 urban minority adolescents was explored. As hypothesized, there were significant positive relationships among Percieved Physical Ability, Physical Self-presentation Confidence, Effort, and Enjoyment (coefficients ranged from .29 to .80), suggesting that participants who had higher perceived physical ability were likely to report higher perceptions of self-presentation, more enjoyment of physical activity, and harder work in physical activity. These results indicate specific relationships among Effort, Enjoyment, Perceived Physical Ability, and Physical Self-presentation Confidence in this sample. Physical self-efficacy appears to be a stronger predictor of motivational responses in physical activity. Practical implications for physical educators include incorporating strategies known to develop self-efficacy, such as mastery experiences involving successive trials of increasing difficulty, self-observation, external feedback, peer modeling, and verbal persuasion.

The Production, Communication, and Contestation of Physical Education Policy: the cases of Mississippi and Tennessee

The purpose of this study was to explore the production, communication, interpretation and contestation of new physical education (PE) and physical activity (PA) policy initiatives introduced in Mississippi and Tennessee for the academic year 2006–2007. These states provide a relevant context to study such issues, since Mississippi has the highest and Tennessee has the fifth-highest rate of childhood obesity in the United States (Trust for Americas Health, 2009). The social-ecological model was used as a theoretical framework to interpret the social, economic, temporal, and political interactions that shaped the development, interpretation, and implementation of these policies (Stokols, 1992). A multiple-level case study design (Yin, 2003) was adopted in which the policy process was analyzed and compared across eight high schools. We purposefully selected four high schools in each state that provided a broad range of contextual differences and collected data in real-time during a one-year period. We conducted 73 interviews with key stakeholders, including policymakers, school administrators, teachers and students, and observed PE lessons and school-based activities. The researchers identified themes from the data: Policy process; Expectation of compliance; Unfunded mandate; Problematic policy enactment; Academic pressure; Marginalized status of PE; Narrow PE curriculum; and Dislike of PE. Even though new PE and PA legislation had been passed in both states, no substantive change occurred in any of the schools during our study. This work moves beyond a superficial understanding of how policy initiatives impact PA and PE provisions within schools, particularly at the secondary level. We recommend the development of support systems within the school through the creation of clear goals, strategic plans, and professional development to implement new policy initiatives.

Assessing a novel application of web-based technology to support implementation of school wellness policies and prevent obesity

Childhood obesity is one of the most pressing public health concerns in the United States. Because schools are a critical site to promote wellness and prevent obesity, extensive policy and legislative efforts have focused on school-based food services, nutrition education, physical education, and overall physical activity. Unfortunately, research indicates that most of these policies prove ineffective due to insufficient implementation. A small number of web-based programs have emerged that are designed to support the implementation of school wellness policies. The purpose of the current study is to present and interpret findings from an evaluation of the web-based portion of a program implemented throughout the state of Pennsylvania. In total, 192 registered users completed a survey designed to evaluate their utilization and perceptions of the web-based features of the Health eTools for Schools program. Participants represented the following stakeholder groups: school nurses, teachers, wellness coordinators, administrators, and food service directors. Findings indicate the web-based portion of the Health eTools for Schools program is comprehensive, well-designed, and has the potential to support implementation of school wellness policies geared toward obesity prevention. At present, the web-based features are most effective in providing school nurses with tools and resources to execute their roles related to obesity prevention. Applications supporting other groups such as teachers and food service directors require further development to be equally effective. The number of programs with this focus is likely to increase and further research is needed to address other aspects of these programs as well as their impact on student level outcomes such as eating habits, body mass index, physical activity levels, and physical fitness.

RELATIONS OF PERCEIVED MOTIVATIONAL CLIMATE AND FEELINGS OF BELONGING IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION IN URBAN SCHOOLS

The current pilot study examined the relationship between feelings of belonging and perceptions of motivational climate in physical education classes among 87 African-American, inner-city high school students (41 boys, 46 girls). Motivational climate was assessed by the Perceived Motivational Climate Questionnaire and feelings of belonging were assessed by the Belonging Scale. Contrary to the hypothesis, scores for both the task- and ego-involved subscales of the Perceived Motivational Climate Questionnaire had moderate positive correlations with scores on the Belonging Scale, indicating the relationship between these specific motivational climates and social-emotional outcomes in physical education is not clear and direct. Further research is warranted to assess these findings and to identify what experiences and instructional strategies are most effective in promoting social-emotional outcomes in physical education in urban schools.