Exploring Life Skill Development and Transfer: Experiences of Youth in a Community Sport-Based Positive Youth Development Program

Background

In response to the Grand Challenge of promoting the Healthy Development for All Youth, many community sport-based positive youth development (PYD) programs aim to promote life skill development and life skill transfer. Life skills are interpersonal and intrapersonal skills that enable individuals to manage the challenges of everyday life. These critical skills not only promote healthy development, but they also prevent behavioral health problems, including aggressive and violent behaviors. The development and transfer of life skills are critical for all youth, particularly youth of color who live in economically disadvantaged urban communities. As result of unjust social inequalities, these youth are recognized as being socially vulnerable and at-risk as they are disproportionately confronted with risk factors. While research has demonstrated that youth who are socially vulnerable and at-risk benefit the greatest from sport-based PYD programs, much remains unknown about the mechanisms that contribute to the development and transfer of life skills.

Methods

The study the explored mechanisms that contribute to life skill development and transfer. The 13 youth who engaged in the study participated in a community sport-based PYD program, completed pretest and posttest, entered the program with below-average life skills, and demonstrated growth in life skills pre-to-post program. The sample of youth included 7 boys and 6 girls, who identified as Black or African American (92.3%), were on average 11.08 years old, and 46.2% fell within 100% of the poverty line. The study was conducted in two parts, using two methods. Part I used semi-structured interviews to explore life skill development (Aim I). Part II used photo-elicitation interviews to explore life skill transfer (Aim II). Additionally, the photographs taken by youth for the photo-elicitation interviews were used to investigate how particular life skills were applied in specific transfer contexts (Aim III). Two separate thematic analyses were performed to analyze both sets of interview data (Braun & Clarke, 2006), while the photographs taken by youth were analyzed using a document analysis (Pershing, 2002).

Results

Findings revealed a variety of mechanisms contributed to the development and/or transfer of life skills. Antecedents were related to the individual learner, psychological processes, the learning context, transfer context factors, and other social agents. For instance, youth discussed developing life skills through overcoming challenging experiences and learning from mistakes/consequences (Aim I). Youth explained how program staff framed, facilitated, and debriefed activities to promote transfer (Aim II). Moreover, findings illustrated that youth transferred life skills to a variety of life domains. For example, youth transferred effort at school to work on assignments, while social responsibility was used at home to complete chores (Aim III). Together, findings indicate that life skill development and transfer might be most effectively promoted through a multi-systems approach.

Implications

With effectively programmed and facilitated community sport-based PYD programs, youth who are socially vulnerable and at-risk have a better opportunity to develop transferable life skills. By enhancing community sport-based PYD programs, social workers have another viable approach to ensure the healthy development of all youth, particularly youth who are socially vulnerable and at-risk.