Date of Award

January 2015

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Health and Kinesiology

First Advisor

Meghan H McDonough

Committee Member 1

James LeBreton

Committee Member 2

Bonnie Blankenship

Committee Member 3

William Harper

Abstract

Positive youth development (PYD) programs offer enriching experiences that help young people discover and develop skills that will help them become productive, successful, and healthy adults (Damon, 2004; Lerner, von Eye, Lerner, & Lewin-Bizan, 2009). The social context within PYD programs serves as a mechanism in this process and program staff are often responsible for creating a social environment where youth feel safe and supported while participating in activities designed to foster growth (Benson, Scales, Hamilton, & Sesma, 2007; Larson, 2006). Basic psychological needs theory conceptualizes that staff-youth interactions will lead to well-being in youth to the degree that they provide autonomy support, involvement, and structure (Deci & Ryan, 1991). The purpose of this dissertation was to examine social relationships between staff and youth in a physical activity-based PYD program through a randomized controlled trial of a theory-based staff training, youth perceptions of staff and well-being, and staff perceptions on how they build relationships that foster well-being in youth and on the training they received.

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