User:Kef4d/sandbox

Italic text

Testing. Testing.

Practicing bold]]

PYD Hypotheses
The main hypothesis is: "if the strengths of youth can be aligned with the resources for positive growth found in families, schools, and communities, then young people's healthy development may be optimized"

Hypothesis 1 is: PYD is comprised of Five C's

Hypothesis 2 is: Youth-Context Alignment Promotes More specifically, "if the strengths of youth are aligned with resources for healthy growth present in the key contexts of adolescent development--the home, school, and the community, then enhancements in positive functioning will be more likely to occur" C's

The Five C's Model
The Five C's Model is framed by developmental systems theories and the plasticity of development is often the focus within these theories. The model suggests that the youth develop positively if their strengths are aligned with positive, growth promoting resources. These resource are also known as "developmental assets", The Five C's of this model is the result of operationalizing the positive development. Additionally, the Five C's are well known terms used to describe the characteristics of a "thriving youth". It is suggested that an adolescent that uses the Five C's over time is more likely to be on a life trajectory of a beneficial person that contributes to self, family, community, and civil society; and less likely to be on a life trajectory of risk and problem behavior.

The Five C's are defined below :


 * Competence - Positive view of one's actions in domain specific areas, including social, academic, cognitive, and vocational.


 * Confidence - An Internal Sense of overall positive self-worth and self-efficacy' one's global self-regard, as opposed to domain specific beliefs.


 * Connection - Positive bonds with people and institutions that are reflected in bidirectional exchanges between the individual and peers, family, school, and community in which both parties contribute to the relationship.


 * Character - Respect for societal and cultural rules, possession of standards for correct behaviors, a sense of right and wrong (morality), and integrity.


 * Caring and Compassion - A sense of sympathy and empathy for others.

The Developmental Assets Model
The Developmental Assets Model was designed by the Search Institute in 1990. It is a framework of 40 'developmental assets' that are identified as skills, experiences, relationships and behaviors that enable positive youth development. It is suggested that the more developmental assets acquired by youth, the more likely they are to succeed academically and as contributing members of their community and society. Additionally, youth who acquire more assets were less likely to report engaging in risky behavior, including alcohol use, tobacco use, and other drugs. Alongside reducing risk, more developmental assets are related to increased protective factors. The 40 assets were derived from a comprehensive synthesis of over 800 studies of adolescent development, prevention, risk reduction, protective factors, and resilience.

The 40 assets are identified below:

Internal Assets:

(Support)
 * Family support
 * Positive family communication
 * Other adult relationships
 * Caring neighborhood
 * Caring school climate
 * Parent involvement in schooling

(Empowerment}
 * Community values youth
 * Youth as resource
 * Service to others
 * Safety

(Boundaries and Expectations)
 * Family boundaries
 * School boundaries
 * Neighborhood boundaries
 * Adult role models
 * Positive peer influence
 * High Expectations

(Constructive Use of Time)
 * Creative activities
 * Youth programs
 * Religious community
 * Time at home

External Assets:

(Commitment to Learning)
 * Achievement motivation
 * School engagement
 * Homework
 * Bonding to school
 * Reading for pleasure

(Positive Values)
 * Caring
 * Equality and social justice
 * Integrity
 * Honesty
 * Responsibility
 * Restraint

(Social Competencies)
 * Planning and decision-making
 * Interpersonal competence
 * Cultural competence
 * Resistance skills
 * Peaceful conflict resolution

(Positive Identity)
 * Personal power
 * Self-esteem
 * Sense of purpose
 * Positive view of personal future

The 4-H Study
The 4-H study was the first study to define and measure positive youth development. The study was conducted by Drs. Richard M. Lerner and Jacqueline V. Lerner and the Tufts University team at the Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development. Together they worked with faculty across America's land-grant colleges and universities.

This study was a longitudinal study that started in 2002 and was repeated over eight years. Over 7,000 adolescents were surveyed across 42 states. Additionally, the study was designed to determine whether empirical evidence could be found for the process through which PYD is thought to emerge; which is the process of a reciprocal relationship between the individual and context. An assessment of the Five C's also occurred in this study. This study resulted in the first report of empirical reality of the Five C's. Thus the Five C's gained support as PYD constructs and vocabulary.

The research also showed that youth involved in 4-H excelled beyond their peers. More specifically, youth excelled in the areas of contribution/civic engagement, academic achievement and healthy living.

Some of the specifics about the areas are included below:
 * 4-H youth are 4 times more likely to make community contributions
 * 4-H youth are 2 times more likely to be civically active
 * 4-H youth are 2 times more likely to participate in science programs out of school
 * 4-H youth are 2 times more likely (10th grade) and 3 times more like (12th grade) to participate in science programs compared to girls in other out of school activities
 * 4-H youth are 2 times more likely to make healthier choices

Theresa's Notes
I think this is a really great start! The information you have is very clear and I think the public will find this very helpful. I have only a few notes:

1)	It may be helpful to discuss developmental system theory separately so you can explain what it is and what the plasticity of development is. It’s seems a little out of place as it is now. 2)	The article we read from learner focuses on human development theory, which is a big theory behind pyd. 3)	I think it may be helpful to further define what “youth develop positively” means. I big component of pyd is that it’s very different from deficit models. 4)	Under the developmental assets model, you focus on research of outcomes. This may not be “neutral” since it’s only providing one perspective and is not a synthesis (I think). Maybe something like “Additionally, youth who acquire more assets are thought to….(or reported to…). If the outcomes are from a synthesis, I would consider stating that. 5)	I would consider retitling the 4-H study as “Examples of PYD” or something like that and give an overview of the program model and the results of the study. I would also consider focusing on what you’ve already included – you have a lot of great information!  (I would double check with Dr. Williams about her expectations – you don’t want to take on too much work and there may be a lot of research!)

If you have any questions or if you'd like me to take a look at another draft please just email me. I'm happy to read it again :)