Class
Article
College
Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services
Department
Psychology Department
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Abstract
Through using a Positive Youth Development framework and culturally based education program, Konaway Nikka Tillicum Native American Youth Academy aspires to mentor and prepare Native youth through high school and on to higher education. This community-based participatory research partnership investigated cultural identity, self-esteem, and academic optimism of Native American youth attending the academy. The variables examined were found to be significantly related to one another and to have increased significantly from baseline to post-intervention. Additionally, none of the measured factors were predictive of participants overall GPA at baseline. Lastly, the relationship between cultural identity and academic optimism appeared to be explained through the indirect effect of self-esteem. The results of this study suggest that culturally based education and positive youth development programs such as Konaway are efficacious in increasing positive factors among Native American youth. Additionally, targeting self-esteem at the intervention level appears to be particularly meaningful for increasing academic optimism.
Location
Room 154
Start Date
4-10-2019 12:00 PM
End Date
4-10-2019 1:15 PM
Included in
Konaway Nikka Tillicum Native American Youth Academy: Cultural Identity, Self-Esteem, Academic Optimism
Room 154
Through using a Positive Youth Development framework and culturally based education program, Konaway Nikka Tillicum Native American Youth Academy aspires to mentor and prepare Native youth through high school and on to higher education. This community-based participatory research partnership investigated cultural identity, self-esteem, and academic optimism of Native American youth attending the academy. The variables examined were found to be significantly related to one another and to have increased significantly from baseline to post-intervention. Additionally, none of the measured factors were predictive of participants overall GPA at baseline. Lastly, the relationship between cultural identity and academic optimism appeared to be explained through the indirect effect of self-esteem. The results of this study suggest that culturally based education and positive youth development programs such as Konaway are efficacious in increasing positive factors among Native American youth. Additionally, targeting self-esteem at the intervention level appears to be particularly meaningful for increasing academic optimism.