2007 Summer of Learning Draws to an End [07/30/2007]

by Denise O'Brien

Since 2004, the USF Collaborative for Children, Families and Communities has hosted this program, which is funded by a gift from a private foundation in memory of former FMHI staff member Amy Kohlberg Quinlan, a social worker at the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute. This year’s summer research focus was on Positive Youth Development.

When asked for any final thoughts about the program, Alexis Magnan-Calloway quickly answered, “Make it longer!” Heads around the table nodded in affirmation, acknowledging that the first six weeks of the 2007 went by way too fast for the students participants of the 2007 Amy Kohlberg Quinlan Summer Internship program.

The students were assigned both a research and a field project, which were focused on Positive Youth Development ("PYD"). In preparation for the field research, participants spent the first week learning about PYD, which is a new approach to student development.  PYD focuses on identifying one’s own personal assets as well as identifying external assets in one’s environment that positively contribute to youth development.

Week Two of the program exposed students to learning about the theory of research, how to conduct it, and how to be critical consumers of research. Additionally, some students spent several hours honing their survey questions by interviewing each other, revising questions to eliminate ambiguity and improve clarity. In the remaining weeks, the students spent their time in the community, conducting field surveys and interviewing youth of all ages to collect data which was later entered into a database and analyzed. Projects included:

Connecting with Community: Exploring Awareness and Use of Neighborhood Resources among Families in the Prodigy Cultural Arts Program in Tampa. Students analyzed data that was collected from surveys done with Prodigy program families that measured their awareness of the local community services and programs that were available to them.

The Role of Student-Teacher Relationships in Early Adolescents’ Happiness. Students analyzed focus group data that examined the correlation between how middle school student/teacher relationships contributed overall to the students’ happiness.   

Assessment of Community Social Capital and Collective Efficacy for Youth Development in Tampa. Students developed surveys among all age groups in East Tampa to assess their knowledge and satisfaction of their community’s programs and services.

Know How 2 Go. Students made presentations to and conducted focus groups with area youth to determine the most effective way to share information that will assist and motivate students who would be the first in their families to attend college.

Corporation to Develop Communities (CDC) of Tampa. Interns assisted the program by facilitating activities for youth participating in a community-based summer program.

When asked what their most memorable program experience was, it was clear that several students found the research portion to be of great interest. The process of taking something intangible and turning it into tangible information – i.e., of learning how to formulate questions, refining those questions to capture responses quantitatively, and then analyzing the data to prove or disprove a hypothesis - was clearly thought-provoking for many of the students.

“The best part for me was the time spent directly working with the interns” said Renee Corbett, program coordinator and 4th year USF graduate student in School Psychology. “It was great challenging them with questions and listening to their diverse but thoughtful responses.” Several of the program participants have already referred other students to the program for next year – indicating another perfect ending to a summer of learning.

The USF Collaborative is a recognized central point of contact, facilitator and matchmaker for new partnerships between University faculty and students, nationally known researchers, local government, service organizations and professionals to build a better Tampa Bay community. For more information about the Collaborative and its programs, visit http://www.usfcollab.usf.edu or contact the Collaborative director, Judi Jetson, at 813-974-7318, or Jetson@usfcollab.usf.edu.