REACH Harlem: young urban boys’ experiences in an after-school PA positive youth development program

Background: After-school approaches offer a viable solution to the current challenge of physical inactivity among many adolescents; however, availability, cost, transportation, and interest limit many youths’ choices during non-school hours [Roth, Brooks-Gunn, Murray, and Foster 2003. “Youth Development Programs: Risk, Prevention and Policy.” Journal of Adolescent Health 32 (3): 170–182]. In addition to these limitations, safety concerns in urban communities act as barriers to participation in both after-school programs [Sanderson and Richards 2010. “The After-School Needs and Resources of a Low-income Urban Community: Surveying Youth and Parents for Community Change.” American Journal of Community Psychology 45: 430–440] and physical activity [Moore, Roux, Evenson, McGinn, and Brines 2010. “A Qualitative Examination of Perceived Barriers and Facilitators of Physical Activity for Urban and Rural Youth.” Health Education Research 25 (2): 355–367].

Purpose: This year-long qualitative case study sought to explore young urban boys’ experiences in an after-school program that aimed to empower young men through the sport of basketball.

Method: Two coaches facilitated weekly sessions for 5–20 young men of color in an urban, public school after-school program in Harlem, NY. The program recruited young men to an after-school program that offered basketball instruction in a safe space. During the program, students worked on basketball skills as well as reflective reading and writing through weekly journals and immersive conversations that revolved around weekly themes such as sportsmanship, culture, power, and communication. At the conclusion of the study seven boys aged 10–14 agreed to be interviewed about their experiences in the REACH program. Sources of data include journals, interviews, and observations. These data were coded by two independent coders, peer reviewed by a third researcher and analyzed using the constant comparative method.

Findings: Theme one: Shooting guns (violence) is a barrier to shooting hoops at local courts. Analysis of the data highlighted violence as an always-present barrier to playing basketball, specifically, and physical activity, generally speaking. Theme two: Future plans, the NBA. The vast majority of boys discussed joining the NBA, either directly from high school or after a year at a college. The NBA dream operated as a perceived pathway to a safer future and higher education. Theme three: Having and being role models. Analysis of the data also pointed to participants both being and/or having a role model. These relationships impacted them in a variety of ways and not only helps us better understand their experiences in the program but also elucidates how barriers to physical activity were alleviated. The young men who participated in this after-school program were able to engage in interest-based physical activity and academic learning tasks, thus creating a peaceful space to develop positive associations between school, physical activity, and community.

Conclusion: Closely examining the lived experiences of the REACH participants is significant for understanding their barriers to physical activity and how REACH, as a PYD sport program, alleviated those barriers. Examining the data around these issues also expands on the need for PYD programs [Wright and Li 2009. “Exploring the Relevance of Positive Youth Development in Urban Physical Education.” Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy 14 (3): 241–251] and extends understandings of the PYD framework put forth by Holt et al. [2017. “A Grounded Theory of Positive Youth Development Through Sport Based on Results From a Qualitative Meta-Study.” International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology 10: 1–49]. Specifically, our study demonstrates the reciprocal and iterative nature of PYD climate, life skills focus, and PYD outcomes. Our study also expands on the understandings of PYD climate, extending the focus beyond relationships to also including participants’ experiences and perceptions.     

Economic globalization: which side are we on?

Economic globalization is a powerful force which changes the relationship between markets and states, and places the world economy ahead of national economies. In this article, I explore the globalization doctrine and describe the impact of economic globalization on Canada. I suggest a role for university adult educators and call for university extension and continuing education staff to become more vocal in their opposition to inequality.     

From restoration to transitions: delineating the reforms of education inspection in China

This article examines the reforms of basic education inspection in China since 1977, which is accomplished by drawing from a historical institutionalism approach. The empirical analysis is based on policy documents and laws and is supplemented with interview materials. Throughout this work, we have identified three distinct periods: the restoration stage from 1977 until the 1990s, the formalization stage from the 1990s until 2007, and the transition stage from 2007 onwards. The changes of education inspections indicate there is a perceptible path dependency, especially in the change from the first stage to the second one, where the expansion of education inspections was to consolidate the selected path by enhancing its jurisdictive power and promoting its disposition in the educational system. Reforming these inspections to some extent proves the historical stance of “positive feedback” as coined by Pierson (2004) for the growing stage of an organization, but in fact, the expansion of the system appears also to be significantly more problematic or complex than a linear development that is based on positive feedback. From the transition stage, interaction with global players is increasing, with implications for the development of the school inspection system. The finding shows that by 2015, the collaboration with global players influenced the development of Jiance system—a large-scale assessment of students’ academic achievement at grade four and eight—which the inspection sector managed to incorporate into itself. The article argues that this decision to extend the spectrum of education inspection to assessment practices reflects the aspiration of the inspection authorities to reinforce the capacities to survive and thrive in the changing local and global environments of educational quality assurance and evaluation.     

Thinking skills intervention for low-achieving first graders

This paper reports the results of the improving thinking skills (ITS-1) intervention study on the thinking skills of low-achieving first graders. The intervention programme consists of 12 lessons, each lasting for 45 min. Lessons offer enriched-discovery learning activities and tasks to be solved through inductive reasoning. We used a quasi-experimental approach, with pre-, immediate post- and delayed post-tests conducted among intervention and control groups. The following groups were formed from a total of 149 first graders on the basis of the thinking skills measure: low-achieving (SD) intervention group (LowI) (n = 9) and two control groups, comprising both low-achieving (LowC) (n = 18) and well-performing (≥?1 SD) groups (WellC) (n = 122). Thinking skills, mathematical skills, listening comprehension skills and reading fluency were measured. The results showed that in the beginning of the study, there were differences in thinking skills, mathematical skills, listening comprehension skills and reading fluency between the LowI and WellC groups, but the LowI group was able to reach the level of their well-performing peers at the end of the intervention in all measures. The discussion focuses on the implications of intervention research, educational practice and responsiveness to intervention.     

Contributions of data mining for psycho‐educational research: what self‐organizing maps tell us about the well‐being of gifted learners

This article explores applications of the Self‐Organizing Maps method (SOM) to psycho‐educational data. The study examines the psychological well‐being, self‐regulatory and motivational styles of pupils at elementary and middle school (N 795). The presentation of the method appears in cases which are related to general education, special needs and giftedness. The aim of this article is to show that SOM provides a unique means with which to visualize, comprehend and interpret psycho‐educational data. The SOM method is a convenient method used to identify and study exceptional subgroups and non‐linear correlations, as well as to examine theoretical assumptions. The results showed that high academic achievement is related to anxiety, as well as to external and internal pressure, in some gifted subgroups. Such a result is obviously socially constructed and for this reason calls for further study.     

INVESTMENT IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE FINNISH EXPERIENCE

This article begins with an examination of the opening up of higher education to market forces and the main channels of funding. It then turns to an examination of Finnish higher education expenditure, and the allocation systems for financing it, stressing the funding of research. A basis is thus provided for a discussion of the current debate within the Finnish universities on the relationship between investment and results, and on the absence up to now of opportunities for market competition. Finally, the article comments on the transformation of studying into a form of salaried employment and of teaching into routine labour.