Retention in Junior Giants, a sport-based youth development program: what factors are associated with intentions to return?

Introduction: While evaluation research shows that physical activity-based youth development (PA-PYD) programs can have a positive impact on social and emotional growth, less is known about which participants return year after year and what factors are associated with their continued participation. The Junior Giants is a sport-based youth development program for 5-18-year-old boys and girls that is non-competitive and free to participate. The 8-week program uses baseball and softball as platforms for teaching life skills and fostering social emotional competencies.

Motivational climate dimensions predict youth soccer players' psychosocial well-being over time.

Objectives: This study tested a longitudinal model of relationships, based on self-determination theory, to determine whether motivational climate dimensions predicted young athletes' psychological need satisfaction and, in turn, personal and social responsibility.

Design: We used a longitudinal design.

Method: Youth soccer players (N = 161; M = 10.

Inspiring IDEA: Girls on the Run's developmental approach to and assessment of inclusion, diversity, equity, and access programming.

Introduction: Evaluation studies of positive youth development (PYD) programs show promising impact on children's psychosocial and behavioral outcomes, but less is known about how programming affects youth of varying racial, ethnic, and cultural identities. , a physical activity-based PYD program, has developed curricula and coach training with a lens toward inclusion, diversity, equity, and access (IDEA). The purpose of this study was to assess the program's effectiveness in achieving IDEA programming goals.

"A Piece of Sanity in the Midst of Insane Times": Programming to Promote Physical Activity and Psychosocial Well-Being During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Afterschool programs have the potential to promote social, emotional, and physical health outcomes among youth participants. The positive youth development (PYD) framework argues that acquiring desirable attitudes and behaviors occurs when skill-building opportunities are explicitly provided within a safe and supportive climate guided by caring, competent, and compassionate instructors. (GOTR) is a PYD program that uses running, motor skills, and other physical activities as a platform for promoting positive psychosocial outcomes and life skills learning among elementary- and middle school-aged girls.

Evaluating Girls on the Run in Promoting Positive Youth Development: Group Comparisons on Life Skills Transfer and Social Processes.

Purpose: Girls on the Run (GOTR), a physical activity-based positive youth development program, uses running as a platform to teach life skills and promote healthy behaviors. In this companion paper of our comprehensive project, the authors evaluated program impact on positive youth development by comparing GOTR participants to youth in other organized activities (Sport and physical education [PE]) on life skills transfer and social processes. Qualitative methods complemented quantitative data through interviews with GOTR stakeholders.

Motivational Climate Profiles, Pubertal Status, and Well-Being Among Female Adolescent Aesthetic Sport Athletes.

Purpose: Girls participating in aesthetic sports may be at risk for disordered eating and low self-esteem. Informed by self-determination theory, the authors examined motivational climate profiles to understand how climate dimensions differentially relate to psychological needs satisfaction, self-esteem, and disordered eating.

Methods: Female gymnasts, divers, and figure skaters (N = 183; mean age = 13.

Girls on the Run: Impact of a Physical Activity Youth Development Program on Psychosocial and Behavioral Outcomes.

Purpose: Girls on the Run is an after-school physical activity-based positive youth development program designed to enhance girls' social, psychological, and physical development. We evaluated the effectiveness of the program by employing a longitudinal design and mixed methods.

Methods: Girls (N = 203; aged 8-11 y) completed survey measures of positive youth development constructs (competence, confidence, connection, character, and caring), physical activity, and sedentary behavior prior to, at the end of, and 3 months after the season.

Psychosocial Aspects of Youth Physical Activity.

Two articles that contribute to the literature on psychosocial predictors of youths' physical activity motivation and behavior were chosen for commentary. The first article by Fenner and colleagues showed that a family-based intervention was effective at increasing overweight adolescents' self-determined motivation for physical activity and healthy eating and their quality of life. Significant study contributions include a multidisciplinary team of researchers, multiple pre and post intervention assessments, and a longitudinal test of mechanisms of change.

Evaluation of The First Tee in Promoting Positive Youth Development: Group Comparisons and Longitudinal Trends.

Purpose: This manuscript represents the 3rd in a series of articles documenting our longitudinal evaluation of The First Tee, a physical activity-based youth development program that uses golf as a vehicle for teaching life skills and enhancing developmental outcomes. Previous phases of our project: (a) established initial data-based evidence of effectiveness through cross-sectional and qualitative methods (Weiss, Stuntz, Bhalla, Bolter, & Price, 2013), and (b) provided validity and reliability for a measure of life skills transfer in 3 studies using mixed methods (Weiss, Bolter, & Kipp, 2014). The purpose of the present phase was to: (a) compare youth in The First Tee to youth in other activities on life skills transfer and developmental outcomes, and (b) examine change and stability across 3 years in life skills transfer among youth in The First Tee.

Erratum: Weiss et al. 2015.

Physical and Psychosocial Health Outcomes," in Ped Exerc Sci, 27(4), pp. 546-558, http://dx.doi.

Effectiveness of a School-Based Fitness Program on Youths' Physical and Psychosocial Health Outcomes.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of an existing physical fitness program (CHAMPIONS) implemented during physical education on health-related indices (BMI percentile, waist circumference, cardiorespiratory endurance), self-perceptions, academic performance, and behavioral conduct over a school year. Students in 3 intervention (n = 331) and 3 control (n = 745) middle schools participated in the study that included assessments at pre, mid, and postintervention. Multivariate repeated measures analyses indicated that boys and girls in CHAMPIONS compared favorably (p < .

Assessing impact of physical activity-based youth development programs: validation of the Life Skills Transfer Survey (LSTS).

Purpose: A signature characteristic of positive youth development (PYD) programs is the opportunity to develop life skills, such as social, behavioral, and moral competencies, that can be generalized to domains beyond the immediate activity. Although context-specific instruments are available to assess developmental outcomes, a measure of life skills transfer would enable evaluation of PYD programs in successfully teaching skills that youth report using in other domains. The purpose of our studies was to develop and validate a measure of perceived life skills transfer, based on data collected with The First Tee, a physical activity-based PYD program.