Developmental Assets and Academic Performance of Adolescents in Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa

Abstract

Background Overall, youth well-being is crucial, particularly in developmental contexts, such as sub-Saharan Africa, which is experiencing the largest growth in the youth population internationally. The Positive Youth Development (PYD) framework considers the importance of positive experiences, positive relationships and positive environments regarding developmental (further distinguished as internal and external) assets. These assets are important for promoting positive outcomes among youth. Objective The objective of this study is to examine the importance of developmental assets for academic performance in three sub-Saharan African contexts, represented by Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa. Method In a cross-sectional study, youth from these three countries completed a questionnaire on sociodemographic measures, such as age, gender, parental education (as a proxy for socioeconomic status), measures of developmental assets and academic performance. We used Analysis of Variance to examine mean differences in developmental assets across countries and academic performance. Results Results indicated that Ghanaian students reported fewer assets than Kenyan and South African students and that across all countries, adolescents who perform academically better reported more developmental assets, in particular, internal assets. Conclusion This is one of the few studies, which consider developmental assets within the PYD framework beyond the Western context. While we found that mainly internal assets were associated with academic performance, it is important to reiterate that both internal and external assets are theoretically associated with positive outcomes, such as academic performance. Future research may benefit from testing interventions to improve academic performance in the sub-Saharan African contexts by fostering both types of assets. Research is needed to extend the framework to consider more culturally appropriate and contextually relevant assets.

Positive Youth Development Across Cultures: Introduction to the Special Issue

“…Results showed that Ghanaian students reported fewer assets compared to Kenyan and South African students, and across all countries, adolescents with good academic performance reported more developmental assets. Adams et al (2018) observed that students who drew on their internal assets relative to those who did not, were more likely to perform better in school, notwithstanding their country of origin.…”

“…The fourth contribution by Adams et al (2018) examined the importance of developmental assets for academic performance in three sub-Saharan African contexts: Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa. In a cross-sectional study, secondary school students in Ghana (n = 428), Kenya (n = 180), and South Africa (n = 184) were asked to complete a survey containing an adapted version of the Benson's (2007) 40 assets as well as provide information on their school grades.…”

Association Between Substance Use Behaviors, Developmental Assets and Mental Health: A Glance at Latin American Young College Students

“…PYD-related research outside the American context has involved samples from, for example, Western Europe Wiium et al, 2018;Gómez-Baya and Benítez-Montagut, 2019), Asia (Chen et al, 2016Chen and Han, 2017), and Africa (Adams et al, 2018). Despite the increasing interest in PYD, contexts, such as Latin American has barely featured in this research.…”

“…Notwithstanding, the optimism that these studies can create, they have been carried out mostly in the USA, and the link between assets and youth outcomes may vary depending on cultural and/or geographical context (Adams et al, 2018;Eichas et al, 2019;Soares et al, 2019). Contexts provide different relevant assets, thus potentially resulting in different outcomes.…”

Subjective Outcome Evaluation of a Positive Youth Development Program in Mainland China

“…Nevertheless, effective PYD programs have been identified mainly in Western contexts, especially among U.S. adolescent samples. Despite a recent growing interest in PYD research in non-Western contexts such as South Africa, Brazil, and Hong Kong (Adams et al, 2019; Schwartz et al, 2017; Zhu & Shek, 2020), validated PYD programs in non-Western contexts are few. With specific reference to mainland China, Shek and Yu (2011) concluded that the number of youth prevention programs was highly inadequate after a review of PYD programs in Asia countries.…”