Investigating the impact of participation in alternative education from a positive youth development perspective : A case study of the School for Student Leadership
- Authors: Joyce, Susan
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
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- Description: The School for Student Leadership (SSL) has existed since 2001 as an alternative residential educational setting for Year 9 students in Victoria, Australia. It was designed in response to growing calls for more effective ways of engaging middle school students. A review of the literature illustrated a dearth of research regarding alternative programs and schools, particularly from a positive youth development (PYD) perspective, and relating to long term effects of participation. This study investigated student participants’ perceived development in relation to the Five Cs - Confidence, Competence, Character, Connection and Care, concepts derived from the framework of PYD. It also examined differences in perceptions of students attending a shorter five-week program, compared to the standard nine-week program, as well as differences between male and female participants. This case study was undertaken utilising a mixed methods approach, using pre and post program surveys and interviews. Between 2013 and 2014, 385 students were surveyed and 58 interviews conducted over nine program offerings. The participants were then followed up one year post program, with 172 surveys returned and 14 interviews conducted. With the assistance of computer software programs, both the quantitative and qualitative data was analysed and then triangulated to form the findings. Participants’ ratings for each of the Five Cs were higher at the end of the program, and effect sizes, though generally small, when combined with the qualitative data indicated the program as having a significant positive impact, although this diminished slightly one year post program. Little discernible difference was found between the five- and the nine-week programs, and only slight differences between the two genders. The set of recommendations that emanated from this research should be of assistance for both the SSL and other schools, particularly in relation to enhancing attributes such as the Five Cs.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Experimenting with time : The five-week program
- Authors: Joyce, Susan
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Surviving, thriving and reviving in adolescence : Research and narratives from the school for student leadership Chapter 10 p. 153-172
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: In 2013, due to a longer term and other extraneous circumstances, an opportunity arose to offer a number of 5-week programs at the School for Student Leadership, as opposed to the regular offering of a 9-week program. This created an opportunity to conduct research into the impact of the program length on student outcomes. These outcomes were measured from a positive youth development perspective, utilising a mixed methods longitudinal research design. The research involved interviewing and surveying student participants in both the 5-week and 9-week programs at three separate stages—the beginning, end and 1 year post program. The findings illustrated that the program had impacted positively on aspects of participants’ development, regardless of the length of the program. This chapter provides an outline of the research project investigating the experimentation with time in the SSL programs, which was conducted as part of a larger Ph.D. study.