Positive Youth Development Across Three Kenyan Contexts: An Inductive Approach

• In Event: Contextual Influences on Youth Character Development: Evidence from Kenya, Brazil, and Canada

Abstract

Formal discussions of positive youth development (PYD) gained prominence among researchers and practitioners in WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) contexts during the late 20th and early 21st centuries (e.g., Benson et al., 2004; Catalano et al., 2002; Eccles & Gootman, 2002; Lerner et al., 2005; Roth & Brooks-Gunn, 2003. PYD has only “gone global” in the last decade (e.g., Dimitrova & Wiium, in press; Lehman, Smith, & Petersen, 2017). As van de Vijver (2018) noted, one of the greatest risks faced by the globalization of PYD ideas is an inappropriate dominance of, and reliance upon, WEIRD perspectives. Operationalizations of PYD endemic to the WEIRD world will likely need adaptation before they can be applied successfully to other contexts.
The present study explores what it means for a young person to thrive according to youth and adults (i.e., teachers, social workers) in three Kenyan contexts: rural schools, urban schools, and rehabilitation centers for youth living on the streets. A collaborative team of U.S. and Kenyan researchers took an inductive approach to identify salient components of positive youth development via face-to-face interviews with 78 youth (ages 11 to 22) and 15 adults from these contexts.
We restrict the present findings to focus on three interview questions: (a) How do you define character? (b) What do you think are the most important attributes for youth to have? (c) What are the most important skills for you have to have/learn? Interviews were transcribed verbatim and translated into English by the interviewers in collaboration with a professional translator. Data analysis followed a two-stage process that included a content analysis and a subsequent thematic analysis.
The English word “character” does not have a direct analogue in Swahili, and the content analysis found that participants typically discussed character in terms of promoting good behaviors (e.g., being disciplined, obedient, loving) while also reducing bad behaviors (e.g., stealing, fighting using drugs). To a lesser extent, participants described character as a set of defining values. Regarding skills, the content analysis indicated that youth should keep themselves morally clean, be disciplined, hard-working, loving, and willing to give back to their communities. In terms of skills, PYD was described in terms of youth nurturing their talents, learning life skills such as critical thinking and assertiveness, learning communication skills, and having clear professional goals.
The thematic analysis (see Figure 1) set these codes into a cohesive framework: In order to thrive, a young person must exhibit a combination of personal qualities and good behaviors while avoiding bad behaviors. The young person must then build the social and job-related skills needed to become successful so they can give back to their community.
This narrative shares many similarities with existing models of PYD (e.g., the Five Cs model indicates that youth who exhibit the five Cs should then be contributing members of the community). We discuss implications for future research and practice as well as differences and similarities that emerged between the three contexts.

Authors

• G. John Geldhof, Oregon State University - Corvallis
  Presenting Author

• Jey Blodgett, Oregon State University - Corvallis
  Non-Presenting Author

• Kelly D Chandler, Oregon State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Edmond P Bowers, Clemson University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Kennedy K Onyiko, Maassai Mara University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Lawrence Allen, Clemson University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Candice W Bolding, Clemson University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Sam McQuillin, University of South Carolina
  Non-Presenting Author

• Alexis E Merculief, Oregon State University - Corvallis
  Non-Presenting Author

• Daria Thompson, University of South Carolina
  Non-Presenting Author