Positive Approach to Youth Studies: An Educational Perspective

• Authors: Krzysztof Sawicki

Abstracts

EN

A positive perspective in social sciences is one of the key directions in contemporary youth studies and an important point of reflection on education. In recent decades, the Positive Youth Development concept (PYD) has been a particularly clear and significant perspective for studying adolescence on a global scale. This perspective is crucial for many theoretical assumptions and educational projects. The aim of this article is to analyse the concepts and theories (directly and indirectly) related to this concept in youth studies. In this paper, significant changes in the reflection on adolescence have been analysed, which turned the vision of a developmental stage full of tensions and conflicts into a period of great opportunities for the personal development and also gave new meaning to youth’s good life. The PYD key concepts and theories plus practical education have been presented. Additionally, critical remarks on positive concepts in youth studies have been analysed.

Keywords

EN

adolescence; youth studies; Positive Youth Development (PYD); in-school programmes; out-of-school programmes.

• Publisher: Wydawnictwo Adam Marszałek
• Journal: Kultura i Edukacja
• Year: 2021
• Issue: 4(134)
• Pages: 139-152

Dates

published

2021

Contributors

author

Krzysztof Sawicki

• University of Białystok

References

• Arahanga-Doyle, H., Moradi, S., Brown, K., Neha, T., Hunter, J.A., & Scarf, D. (2019). Positive Youth Development in Māori and New Zealand European Adolescents through an Adventure Education Programme. Kōtuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online, 14(1), 38–51. DOI: 10.1080/1177083X.2018.1508479.
• Arnold, M.E., & Silliman, B. (2017). From Theory to Practice: A Critical Review of Positive Youth Development Program Frameworks. Journal of Youth Development, 12(2), 1–20. DOI: 10.5195/JYD.2017.17.
• Barrett, M.S., & Bond, N. (2015). Connecting through Music: The Contribution of a Music Programme to Fostering Positive Youth Development. Research Studies in Music Education, 37(1), 37–54. DOI: 10.1177/1321103X14560320.
• Benson, P.L. (2007). Developmental Assets: An Overview of Theory, Research, and Practice. In: R.K. Silbereisen, & R.M. Lerner (Eds.), Approaches to Positive Youth Development (pp. 33–58). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. DOI: 10.4135/9781446213803.n2.
• Benson, P.L., Scales, P.C., Hamilton, S.F., & Sesma, A., Jr. (2006). Positive Youth Development: Theory, Research, and Applications. In: W. Damon, & R.M. Lerner (Eds.), Handbook of Child Psychology: Theoretical Models of Human Development (6th ) (pp. 894–941). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
• Benson, P.L., Scales, P.C., & Syvertsen, A.K. (2011). The contribution of the developmental assets framework to positive youth development theory and practice. In: R.M. Lerner, J.V. Lerner, J.B. Benson (Eds.), Advances in Child Development and Behavior (Vol. 41, pp. 197–230). Amsterdam: Elsevier. DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-386492-5.00008-7.
• Cammarota, J. (2011). From Hopelessness to Hope: Social Justice Pedagogy in Urban Education and Youth Development. Urban Education, 46(4), 828–844. DOI: 10.1177/0042085911399931.
• CASEL (2017). Core SEL Competencies. Retrieved from: https://casel.org/core-competencies/.
• Coleman, B.R. (2021). Managing the Disconnect: A Critical Case Study of Neoliberalism in Youth Development Practice. Journal of Community Psychology, 49(4), 907–926. DOI: 10.1002/jcop.22350.
• Collie, R.J., Shapka, J.D., & Perry, N.E. (2012). School Climate and Social-Emotional Learning: Predicting Teacher Stress, Job Satisfaction, and Teaching Efficacy. Journal of Educational Psychology, 104(4), 1189–1204. DOI: 10.1037/a0029356.
• Coussée, F., Roets, G., & De Bie, M. (2009). Empowering the Powerful: Challenging Hidden Processes of Marginalization in Youth Work Policy and Practice in Belgium. Critical Social Policy, 29(3), 421–442. DOI: 10.1177/0261018309105178.
• Curran, T., & Wexler, L. (2017). School-Based Positive Youth Development: A Systematic Review of the Literature. Journal of School Health, 87(1), 71–80. DOI: 10.1111/josh.12467.
• Deane, K.L., Harré, N., Moore, J., & Courtney, M.G.R. (2017). The Impact of the Project K Youth Development Program on Self-Efficacy: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 46(3), 516–537. DOI: 10.1007/s10964-016-0463-9.
• Domino, M. (2013). Measuring the Impact of an Alternative Approach to School Bullying. Journal of School Health, 83(6), 430–437. DOI: 10.1111/josh.12047.
• Domitrovich, C.E., Bradshaw, C.P., Berg, J.K., Pas, E.T., Becker, K.D., Musci, R., Embry, D.D., & Ialongo, N. (2016). How Do School-Based Prevention Programs Impact Teachers? Findings from a Randomized Trial of an Integrated Classroom Management and Social-Emotional Program. Prevention Science, 17(3), 325–337. DOI: 10.1007/s11121-015-0618-z.
• Durlak, J.A., Weissberg, R.P., Dymnicki, A.B., Taylor, R.D., & Schellinger, K.B. (2011). The Impact of Enhancing Students’ Social and Emotional Learning: A Meta-Analysis of School-Based Universal Interventions. Child Development, 82(1), 405–432. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01564.x.
• Durlak, J.A., Weissberg, R.P., & Pachan, M. (2010). A Meta-Analysis of After-School Programs That Seek to Promote Personal and Social Skills in Children and Adolescents. American Journal of Community Psychology, 45(3–4), 294–309. DOI: 10.1007/s10464-010-9300-6.
• Elias, M.J., & Haynes, N.M. (2008). Social Competence, Social Support, and Academic Achievement in Minority, Low-Income, Urban Elementary School Children. School Psy¬chology Quarterly, 23(4), 474–495. DOI: 10.1037/1045-3830.23.4.474.
• Elias, M.J., Schulenberg, J.E., Weissberg, R.P., Frey, K.S., Greenberg, M.T., Haynes, N.M., Kessler, R., Schwab-Stone, M.E., & Shriver, T.P. (1997). Promoting Social and Emotional Learning: Guidelines for Educators. Alexandria: Association for Supervision and Cur-riculum Development.
• Erdem, G., DuBois, D.L., Larose, S., De Wit, D., & Lipman, E.L. (2016). Mentoring Relationships, Positive Development, Youth Emotional and Behavioral Problems: Investiga¬tion of a Mediational Model. Journal of Community Psychology, 44(4), 464–483. DOI: 10.1002/jcop.21782.
• Geldhof, G.J., Bowers, E.P., Mueller, M.K., Napolitano, Ch.M., Callina, K.S., & Lerner, R.M. (2014a). Longitudinal Analysis of a Very Short Measure of Positive Youth Development. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 43(6), 933–949. DOI: 10.1007/s10964-014-0093-z.
• Geldhof, G.J., Bowers, E.P., Mueller, M.K., Napolitano, Ch.M., Callina, K.S., & Lerner, R.M. (2014b). Longitudinal Analysis of a Very Short Measure of Positive Youth Development. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 43(6), 933–949. DOI: 10.1007/s10964-014-0093-z.
• Geldhof, G.J., Larsen, T., Urke, H., Holsen, I., Lewis, H., & Tyler, C.P. (2019). Indicators of Positive Youth Development Can Be Maladaptive: The Example Case of Caring. Journal of Adolescence, 71, 1–9. DOI: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2018.11.008.
• Ginwright, S., & Cammarota, J. (2002). New Terrain in Youth Development: The Promise of a Social Justice Approach. Social Justice, 29(4), 82–95.
• Holsen, I., Geldhof, J., Larsen, T., & Aardal, E. (2017). The Five Cs of Positive Youth Development in Norway: Assessment and Associations with Positive and Negative Outcomes. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 41(5), 559–569. DOI: 10.1177/0165025416645668.
• Kelly, P. (2006). The Entrepreneurial Self and ‘Youth at-risk’: Exploring the Horizons of Identity in the Twenty-First Century. Journal of Youth Studies, 9(1), 17–32. DOI: 10.1080/13676260500523606.
• King, P.E. (2008). Spirituality as Fertile Ground for Positive Youth Development. In: R.M. Lerner, R.W. Roeser, & E. Phelps (Eds.), Positive Youth Development and Spirituality: From Theory to Research (pp. 55–73). West Conshohocken: Templeton Foundation Press.
• Lerner, R.M. (2015). Promoting Positive Human Development and Social Justice: Integrating Theory, Research and Application in Contemporary Developmental Science. Interna¬tional Journal of Psychology, 50(3), 165–173. DOI: 10.1002/ijop.12162.
• Lerner, R.M., Lerner, J.V., Almerigi, J.B., Theokas, C., Phelps, E., Gestsdottir, S., Naudeau, S., Jelicic, H., Alberts, A., Ma, L., Smith, L.M., Bobek, D.L., Richman-Raphael, D., Simpson, I., Christiansen, E.D., & von Eye, A. (2005). Positive Youth Development, Participation in Community Youth Development Programs, and Community Contributions of Fifth-Grade Adolescents: Findings from the First Wave of the 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 25(1), 17–71. DOI: 10.1177/0272431604272461.
• Lewis, K.M., Vuchinich, S., Ji, P., DuBois, D.L., Acock, A., Bavarian, N., Day, J., Silverthorn, N., & Flay, B.R. (2016). Effects of the Positive Action Program on Indicators of Positive Youth Development among Urban Youth. Applied Developmental Science, 20(1), 16–28. DOI: 10.1080/10888691.2015.1039123.
• McClaren, M., & Hammond, B. (2005). Integrating Education and Action in Environmental Education. In: E.A. Johnson, & M.J. Mappin (Eds.), Environmental Education and Advocacy: Changing Perspectives of Ecology and Education (pp. 267–291). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Orson, C.N., McGovern, G., & Larson, R.W. (2020). How Challenges and Peers Contribute to Social-Emotional Learning in Outdoor Adventure Education Programs. Journal of Adolescence, 81, 7–18. DOI: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2020.02.014.
• Overton, W.F. (2010). Life-span Development: Concepts and Issues. In: W.F. Overton, & R.M. Lerner (Eds.), Handbook of Life-span Development. Vol. 1: Cognition, Biology, and Methods across the Lifespan (pp. 1–29). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
• Overton, W.F. (2015). Processes, Relations, and Relational‐Developmental‐ In: W.F. Overton, P.C. Molenaar, & R.M. Lerner (Eds.), Handbook of Child Psychology and Devel¬opmental Science. Vol. 1 (pp. 9–62). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
• Pendry, P., Carr, A.M., Smith, A.N., & Roeter, S.M. (2014). Improving Adolescent Social Competence and Behavior: A Randomized Trial of an 11-Week Equine Facilitated Learning Prevention Program. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 35(4), 281–293. DOI: 10.1007/s10935-014-0350-7.
• Peterson, C., Ruch, W., Beermann, U., Park, N., & Seligman, M.E.P. (2007). Strengths of Character, Orientations to Happiness, and Life Satisfaction. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 2(3), 149–156. DOI: 10.1080/17439760701228938.
• Phelps, E., Zimmerman, S., Warren, A.E.A., Jeličić, H., von Eye, A., & Lerner, R.M. (2009). The Structure and Developmental Course of Positive Youth Development (PYD) in Early Adolescence: Implications for Theory and Practice. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 30(5), 571–584. DOI: 10.1016/j.appdev.2009.06.003.
• Rauscher, L., & Cooky, C. (2016). Ready for Anything the World Gives Her? A Critical Look at Sports-Based Positive Youth Development for Girls. Sex Roles, 74(7–8), 288–298. DOI: 10.1007/s11199-014-0400-x.
• Ross, L. (2011). Sustaining Youth Participation in a Long-term Tobacco Control Initiative: Consideration of a Social Justice Perspective. Youth & Society, 43(2), 681–704. DOI: 10.1177/0044118X10366672.
• Roth, J.L., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (2016). Evaluating Youth Development Programs: Progress and Promise. Applied Developmental Science, 20(3), 188–202. DOI: 10.1080/10888691.2015.1113879.
• Santos, F., Strachan, L., & Pereira, P. (2019). How to Promote Positive Youth Development in Physical Education? The Experiences of a Physical Educator and Students through the Delivery of Project SCORE! The Physical Educator, 76(4), 1002–1025. DOI: 10.18666/TPE-2019-V76-I4-8975.
• Scales, P.C., Benson, P.L., Leffert, N., & Blyth, D.A. (2000). Contribution of Developmental Assets to the Prediction of Thriving among Adolescents. Applied Developmental Science, 4(1), 27–46. DOI: 10.1207/S1532480XADS0401_3.
• Seligman, M.E., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive Psychology. An Introduction. The American Psychologist, 55(1), 5–14. DOI: 10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.5.
• Shek, D.T.L., & Zhu, X. (2018). Self-Reported Risk and Delinquent Behavior and Problem Behavioral Intention in Hong Kong Adolescents: The Role of Moral Competence and Spirituality. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 430. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00430.
• Shek, D.T.L., & Sun, R.C.F. (2009). Development, Implementation and Evaluation of a Holistic Positive Youth Development Program: Project P.A.T.H.S. in Hong Kong. International Journal on Disability and Human Development, 8(2), 107–117. DOI: 10.1515/IJDHD.2009.8.2.107.
• So, K.M., & Shek, D.T.L. (2011). Elder Lifelong Learning, Intergenerational Solidarity and Positive Youth Development: The Case of Hong Kong. International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health, 23(2), 85–92. DOI: 10.1515/ijamh.2011.016.
• Tannock, S. (2001). Youth at Work: The Unionized Fast‐Food and Grocery Workplace. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
• Tehranchi, A., Neshat Doost, H.T., Amiri, S., & Power, M.J. (2018). The Role of Character Strengths in Depression: A Structural Equation Model. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 1609. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01609.
• Tevington, P., Chauveron, L.M., Urban, J.B., Gama, L., Glina, M., Quinn, J., & Linver, M.R. (2020). Emerging Evidence of Positive Youth Constructs and Purpose Development: Results from a Qualitative Approach. Journal of Early Adolescence, 41(5), 778–802. DOI: 10.1177/0272431620961459.
• Tolan, P., Ross, K., Arkin, N., Godine, N., & Clark, E. (2016). Toward an Integrated Approach to Positive Development: Implications for Intervention. Applied Developmental Science, 20(3), 214–236. DOI: 10.1080/10888691.2016.1146080.
• Tone, E.B., & Tully, E.C. (2014). Empathy as a “Risky Strength”: A Multilevel Examination of Empathy and Risk for Internalizing Disorders. Development and Psychopathology, 26(4pt2), 1547–1565. DOI: 10.1017/S0954579414001199.
• Trentacosta, C.J., & Fine, S.E. (2010). Emotion Knowledge, Social Competence, and Behavior Problems in Childhood and Adolescence: A Meta-analytic Review. Social Development, 19(1), 1–29. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9507.2009.00543.x.
• Tyler, C. P., Geldhof, G.J., Black, K.L., & Bowers, E.P. (2020). Critical Reflection and Positive Youth Development among White and Black Adolescents: Is Understanding Inequality Connected to Thriving? Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 49(4), 757–771. DOI: 10.1007/s10964-019-01092-1.
• Weissberg, R.P., & O’Brien, M.U. (2004). What Works in School-Based Social and Emotional Learning Programs for Positive Youth Development. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 591(1), 86–97. DOI: 10.1177/0002716203260093.
• Whipple, S.S., Frein, S.T., & Kline, K.A. (2020). The College Orientation Workshop as an Experiential, Positive Youth Development Program. Journal of Experiential Education, 43(2), 185–204. DOI: 10.1177/1053825920908292.
• Wright, P.M., & Li, W. (2009). Exploring the Relevance of Positive Youth Development in Urban Physical Education. Physical Education & Sport Pedagogy, 14(3), 241–251. DOI: 10.1080/17408980801974978.
• Zarrett, N., & Lerner, R.M. (2008). Ways to Promote the Positive Development of Children and Youth. Child Trends, 11, 1–5. Retrieved from: https://www.childtrends.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/2008-11PositiveYouthDev.pdf.

Identifiers

DOI

10.15804/kie.2021.04.08

Biblioteka Nauki

1931983