Descriptive study of TPSR values and life skills acquired in Project

218 Pages·2011·1.42 MB·English

MELÉNDEZ, ANTHONY, Ph.D. Descriptive Study of TPSR Values and Life Skills
Acquired in Project Effort and through Other Sources and How They Have Guided
Former Participants’ Lives. (2011)
Directed by Dr. Tom Martinek. 207 pp.

The social and educational problems of underserved children and youth have
become more apparent during the past decades in the United States. The youth
development field has emerged as one of the most promising responses to challenges that
underserved youth faces on a daily basis. Among physical activity curricular models used
in the youth development field, the Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR)
model has been widely incorporated in many underserved youth community and school
physical education programs around the United States and the world (Hellison, 2011).
Project Effort is an extended day program that uses the TPSR model as a framework.
Literature has shown that TPSR programs and Project Effort have had a positive impact
on the life of the participants. However, TPSR and Project Effort studies, like many
youth sport development research, do not provide an understanding on how programs
have influenced the lives of former participants. Therefore, the purpose of this study was
to investigate what TPSR values and life skills former participants’ have acquired in
Project Effort and through other sources, and how they have guided their lives. A
multiple-case design was implemented to understand this phenomenon. The findings
showed that former participants considered that most of the TPSR life skills and two
TPSR values (i.e. respect, helping others) were really important to their lives. Participants
reported that they learned the TPSR value of helping others and leadership in Project
Effort. Also they mentioned that they acquired the TPSR life skills of being reflective,
teamwork, and goal setting in Project Effort. The TPSR value of helping others, and the
TPSR life skill of being reflective acquired in Project Effort were most useful to the
participants. Participants learned the TPSR life skill of self-direction and the TPSR
values of respect and caring.
DESCRIPTIVE STUDY OF TPSR VALUES AND LIFE SKILLS ACQUIRED IN

PROJECT EFFORT AND THROUGH OTHER SOURCES AND HOW THEY

HAVE GUIDED FORMER PARTICIPANTS’ LIVES

by

Anthony Meléndez

A Dissertation Submitted to
the Faculty of The Graduate School at
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Doctor of Philosophy

Greensboro
2011

Approved by

Committee Chair
APPROVAL PAGE

This dissertation has been approved by the following committee of the Faculty of
The Graduate School at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Committee Chair

Committee Members

________________________________

Date of Acceptance by Committee

Date of Final Oral Examination
ii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to express my gratefulness to my parents, family and friends for all
the support that they have given me during this journey at UNCG. My eternal gratitude
and love to my mother that has been the stability of my life and without her this learning
experience would not have been possible.
Also, I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Shala Davis for giving me the
opportunity to study in the United States. She believed in me when nobody else did. She
is a big part of everything that I have accomplished after graduating from East
Stroudsburg University. I will always be in debt with her.
My gratitude also extends to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro
(UNCG) for giving me the opportunity of being part of this magnificent institution.
UNCG has provided me with many experiences that have helped me grow as a
professional, but most importantly as a person. Honestly, I cannot think of another
university that was a better fit for me.
I owe a great deal of thanks to my committee members for guiding me during this
journey that has been one with ups and downs. Their time, dedication, encouragement,
and feedback helped me finish this process.
Also, I will like to express my gratitude to all the current and former members of
Project Effort. They were my primary source of education during the four years that I was
at UNCG. I only hope that they have learned from me as much as I have learned from
them.
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Finally, I will like to thank Dr. Tom Martinek for giving me the opportunity to
study at UNCG, but most importantly, for being my friend and mentor. He is my role
model in life because of the way that he treats and interacts with people. I will always
admire him for his passion when working with children. Regardless of the career pathway
that this world has for me, I promise to keep his legacy alive by working with
underserved children.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... viii

LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... ix

CHAPTER

I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................1

Purpose of the Study ....................................................................................7
Limitations ...................................................................................................8
Assumptions .................................................................................................8
Definition of Terms......................................................................................8

II. LITERATURE REVIEW ...................................................................................11

Youth Development ...................................................................................11
Youth Development and Sport/Physical Activity ......................................21
Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility Model (TPSR) ...................25
Project Effort ..............................................................................................33
Theoretical Framework ..............................................................................37

III. METHOD ...........................................................................................................44

Positionality ...............................................................................................44
Constructivist Paradigm .............................................................................49
Pilot Study ..................................................................................................50
Research Design.........................................................................................53
Site and Participant Selection ....................................................................55
Procedures ..................................................................................................60
Data Collection ..........................................................................................61
Data Analysis .............................................................................................65
Trustworthiness ..........................................................................................66

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IV. INDIVIDUAL CASE FINDINGS ......................................................................68

Case 1—Bob ..............................................................................................68
Case 2—Gino .............................................................................................83
Case 3—Elizabeth ......................................................................................98
Case 4—Duke ..........................................................................................114
Case 5—Tamika.......................................................................................130

V. CROSS-CASE FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ............................................144

Research Question 1—Participants’ Perceptions of TPSR
Values and Life Skills .........................................................................144
Research Question 2—Influence of Project Effort in
Participants’ Lives ..............................................................................151
Research Question 3—Other Influences in Participants’
Lives ....................................................................................................161

VI. IMPLICATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS ........................................................168

Implications of the TMR Linkages ..........................................................168
Implications for Methodology .................................................................173
Conclusions ..............................................................................................174

REFERENCES ................................................................................................................176

APPENDIX A. MODIFIED QUESTIONS (SESSION ONE) .......................................195

APPENDIX B. MODIFIED QUESTIONS (SESSION TWO) ......................................196

APPENDIX C. INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD FOR THE
PROTECTION OF HUMAN SUBJECTS ......................................197

APPENDIX D. CONSENT FORM ................................................................................198

APPENDIX E. DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONNAIRE ................................................200

APPENDIX F. FIRST INTERVIEW SESSION ...........................................................202
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APPENDIX G. SECOND INTERVIEW SESSION ......................................................204

APPENDIX H. CATEGORIZATION OF ANALYTICAL UNITS
USING THE TPSR LIFE SKILL OF EFFORT AS
AN EXAMPLE ...............................................................................207
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LIST OF TABLES

Page

Table 3.1. Overview of Data Source ...............................................................................62
Table 5.1. Importance of TPSR Values on Participants’ Lives .....................................145
Table 5.2. Importance of TPSR Life Skills on Participants’ Lives ...............................148
Table 5.3. TPSR Values Learned in Project Effort ......................................................152
Table 5.4. TPSR Life Skills Learned in Project Effort ..................................................153
Table 5.5. TPSR Values and Life Skills Learned through an Experiential
Approach .................................................................................................154
Table 5.6. TPSR Values and Life Skills Learned through Listening ............................156

Table 5.7. TPSR Values and Life Skills Learned through an
Observational Approach ..........................................................................157
Table 5.8. TPSR Values Acquired in Project Effort that Have Been
Useful in Different Contexts of Participants’ Lives ................................158

Table 5.9. TPSR Life Skills Acquired in Project Effort that Have Been
Useful in Different Contexts of Participants’ Lives ................................160
Table 5.10. TPSR Values and Life Skills Sources ..........................................................162
Table 5.11. TPSR Values Acquired Outside Project Effort that Have
Been Useful in Different Contexts of the Participants’ Lives .................165
Table 5.12. TPSR Life Skills Acquired Outside Project Effort that Have
Been Useful in Different Contexts of the Participants’ Lives .................167
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