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MELÉNDEZ, ANTHONY, Ph.D. Descriptive Study of TPSR Values and Life Skills Acquired in Project Effort and through Other Sources and How They Have Guided Former Participants’ Lives. (2011) Directed by Dr. Tom Martinek. 207 pp. The social and educational problems of underserved children and youth have become more apparent during the past decades in the United States. The youth development field has emerged as one of the most promising responses to challenges that underserved youth faces on a daily basis. Among physical activity curricular models used in the youth development field, the Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR) model has been widely incorporated in many underserved youth community and school physical education programs around the United States and the world (Hellison, 2011). Project Effort is an extended day program that uses the TPSR model as a framework. Literature has shown that TPSR programs and Project Effort have had a positive impact on the life of the participants. However, TPSR and Project Effort studies, like many youth sport development research, do not provide an understanding on how programs have influenced the lives of former participants. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate what TPSR values and life skills former participants’ have acquired in Project Effort and through other sources, and how they have guided their lives. A multiple-case design was implemented to understand this phenomenon. The findings showed that former participants considered that most of the TPSR life skills and two TPSR values (i.e. respect, helping others) were really important to their lives. Participants reported that they learned the TPSR value of helping others and leadership in Project Effort. Also they mentioned that they acquired the TPSR life skills of being reflective, teamwork, and goal setting in Project Effort. The TPSR value of helping others, and the TPSR life skill of being reflective acquired in Project Effort were most useful to the participants. Participants learned the TPSR life skill of self-direction and the TPSR values of respect and caring. DESCRIPTIVE STUDY OF TPSR VALUES AND LIFE SKILLS ACQUIRED IN PROJECT EFFORT AND THROUGH OTHER SOURCES AND HOW THEY HAVE GUIDED FORMER PARTICIPANTS’ LIVES by Anthony Meléndez A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate School at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Greensboro 2011 Approved by Committee Chair APPROVAL PAGE This dissertation has been approved by the following committee of the Faculty of The Graduate School at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Committee Chair Committee Members ________________________________ Date of Acceptance by Committee Date of Final Oral Examination ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my gratefulness to my parents, family and friends for all the support that they have given me during this journey at UNCG. My eternal gratitude and love to my mother that has been the stability of my life and without her this learning experience would not have been possible. Also, I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Shala Davis for giving me the opportunity to study in the United States. She believed in me when nobody else did. She is a big part of everything that I have accomplished after graduating from East Stroudsburg University. I will always be in debt with her. My gratitude also extends to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) for giving me the opportunity of being part of this magnificent institution. UNCG has provided me with many experiences that have helped me grow as a professional, but most importantly as a person. Honestly, I cannot think of another university that was a better fit for me. I owe a great deal of thanks to my committee members for guiding me during this journey that has been one with ups and downs. Their time, dedication, encouragement, and feedback helped me finish this process. Also, I will like to express my gratitude to all the current and former members of Project Effort. They were my primary source of education during the four years that I was at UNCG. I only hope that they have learned from me as much as I have learned from them. iii Finally, I will like to thank Dr. Tom Martinek for giving me the opportunity to study at UNCG, but most importantly, for being my friend and mentor. He is my role model in life because of the way that he treats and interacts with people. I will always admire him for his passion when working with children. Regardless of the career pathway that this world has for me, I promise to keep his legacy alive by working with underserved children. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... ix CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................1 Purpose of the Study ....................................................................................7 Limitations ...................................................................................................8 Assumptions .................................................................................................8 Definition of Terms......................................................................................8 II. LITERATURE REVIEW ...................................................................................11 Youth Development ...................................................................................11 Youth Development and Sport/Physical Activity ......................................21 Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility Model (TPSR) ...................25 Project Effort ..............................................................................................33 Theoretical Framework ..............................................................................37 III. METHOD ...........................................................................................................44 Positionality ...............................................................................................44 Constructivist Paradigm .............................................................................49 Pilot Study ..................................................................................................50 Research Design.........................................................................................53 Site and Participant Selection ....................................................................55 Procedures ..................................................................................................60 Data Collection ..........................................................................................61 Data Analysis .............................................................................................65 Trustworthiness ..........................................................................................66 v IV. INDIVIDUAL CASE FINDINGS ......................................................................68 Case 1—Bob ..............................................................................................68 Case 2—Gino .............................................................................................83 Case 3—Elizabeth ......................................................................................98 Case 4—Duke ..........................................................................................114 Case 5—Tamika.......................................................................................130 V. CROSS-CASE FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ............................................144 Research Question 1—Participants’ Perceptions of TPSR Values and Life Skills .........................................................................144 Research Question 2—Influence of Project Effort in Participants’ Lives ..............................................................................151 Research Question 3—Other Influences in Participants’ Lives ....................................................................................................161 VI. IMPLICATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS ........................................................168 Implications of the TMR Linkages ..........................................................168 Implications for Methodology .................................................................173 Conclusions ..............................................................................................174 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................176 APPENDIX A. MODIFIED QUESTIONS (SESSION ONE) .......................................195 APPENDIX B. MODIFIED QUESTIONS (SESSION TWO) ......................................196 APPENDIX C. INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD FOR THE PROTECTION OF HUMAN SUBJECTS ......................................197 APPENDIX D. CONSENT FORM ................................................................................198 APPENDIX E. DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONNAIRE ................................................200 APPENDIX F. FIRST INTERVIEW SESSION ...........................................................202 vi APPENDIX G. SECOND INTERVIEW

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