title: Evaluation of The First Tee in Promoting Positive Youth Development: Group Comparisons and Longitudinal Trends.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This manuscript represents the 3rd in a series of articles documenting our longitudinal evaluation of The First Tee, a physical activity-based youth development program that uses golf as a vehicle for teaching life skills and enhancing developmental outcomes. Previous phases of our project: (a) established initial data-based evidence of effectiveness through cross-sectional and qualitative methods (Weiss, Stuntz, Bhalla, Bolter, & Price, 2013), and (b) provided validity and reliability for a measure of life skills transfer in 3 studies using mixed methods (Weiss, Bolter, & Kipp, 2014). The purpose of the present phase was to: (a) compare youth in The First Tee to youth in other activities on life skills transfer and developmental outcomes, and (b) examine change and stability across 3 years in life skills transfer among youth in The First Tee.
  
  
  METHODS
  In Study 1, youth participating in The First Tee (N = 405) and a comparison group (N = 159) completed measures of key constructs. In Study 2, a longitudinal sample of 192 youth participating in The First Tee completed the life skills transfer measure for 3 consecutive years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Study 1 revealed that youth in The First Tee compared favorably to youth in other activities on 5 of 8 life skills and 6 of 8 developmental outcomes, and Study 2 showed that scores improved or remained stable for life skills transfer over time.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results from both studies show that The First Tee is effective in teaching for transfer of life skills and promoting developmental outcomes.
authors.affiliation: a University of Minnesota.
authors.forename: Maureen R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.affiliation: b San Francisco State University.
authors.forename: Nicole D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Bolter
authors.affiliation: c Texas State University.
authors.forename: Lindsay E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Kipp
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D041923:Adolescent Development / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D002755:Choice Behavior; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006040:Goals; D006055:Golf / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D015397:Program Evaluation
keywords: Developmental; evaluation research; latent growth modeling; life skills