Enhancing the Transfer of Life Skills from Sport-based Youth Development Programs to School, Family, and Community Settings

Abstract

When designed intentionally, sport-based youth development programs engage youth in physical activity, sport, and exercise as a way to concurrently pursue goals related to socioemotional and physical development (Holt et al., 2017). One such application of this is the Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR) model (Hellison, 2011) which has the ultimate goal of students transferring lessons learned within the sport setting to other areas of their life, including family, community, and school. However, once youth leave the program setting, they become vulnerable to challenges from external systems working to support or hinder their transfer of life skills (Martinek & Lee, 2012). Therefore, we propose that (in)congruence among family, school, community and program systems influence the extent to which lessons learned can transfer to other areas of their lives. Specifically drawing from the frameworks of Collective Parental Engagement (Alameda-Lawson & Lawson, 2016) and Students Multiple Worlds’ model (Phelan, Davidson, & Cao, 1991), we argue that skills and competency transfer is best facilitated when social settings which comprise youth’s social systems share similar values and expectations for desired behavior. Practical strategies for enhancing the transferability of lessons learned in TPSR programs through the congruence approach are shared.

Implementation and perceived benefits of an after-school soccer program designed to promote social and emotional learning

“…Many of the best practices for program implementation recommended in the literature were identified in this program, including recruitment, selection, and training procedures for coaches as well as extensive program materials and ongoing support (Durlak & Dupre, 2008;Dusenbury et al, 2003;Petitpas et al, 2005). The correspondence between program integrity and perceived quality was similar to that seen in other SBYD studies (Gordon, Jacobs, & Wright, 2016;Jacobs, Lawson, Ivy & Richards, 2017;.…”

“…Motivated use represents the behavioral component of transfer that describes youth applying the desired behavior in a context that is not required, or intending to use the behavior while weighing that decision against conflicting or supporting environmental factors (Jacobs, Lawson, Ivy, & Richards, 2017).…”

“…The effectiveness of SBYD programs designed for and implemented with minority youth attending urban schools has been substantiated in practice for decades (Hellison, 2011;Hellison & Walsh, 2002;Petitpas et al, 2005;Wright, Li, Ding & Pickering, 2010). Research on several after-school SBYD programs has shown improvements in students' responsibility and social skills in the program setting as well as reports of life skill transfer (e.g., self-control, persistence, goal-setting) to the classroom setting (Gordon, Jacobs, & Wright, 2016;Jacobs, Lawson, Ivy & Richards, 2017;Martinek, Schilling & Johnson, 2001;Walsh, Ozaeta & Wright, 2010).…”

Lessons Learned from an After-School Program: Building Personal and Social Responsibility

“…It is understood, however, that the environments experienced outside of the program share different expectations for youth, which can make it difficult to transfer TPSR goals as they are taught (Gordon & Doyle, 2015). Toward this end, we encourage ALs to learn about the communities in which their children live to better facilitate these conversations and find ways goals can be transferred safely and appropriately (Jacobs, Lawson, Ivy, & Richards, 2017).…”

“…One potential reason for this challenge is that the program has yet to develop a meaningful mechanism that can help youth reconcile some of the value conflicts that exist between and within their various social worlds. Our observational data have repeatedly uncovered inconsistencies in expectations for youth behavior across settings, which may limit the transferability of lessons learned in the program (Jacobs et al, 2017).…”