A Developmental Intervention Science Outreach Research Approach to Promoting Positive Youth Development

Critical Evaluation and Life Course Change: The Development of the Critical Problem-Solving Skills Scale – Qualitative Extension

“…As Rinaldi et al (2011) have noted, the use of qualitative free-response measures in developmental research broadens the scope of the investigation beyond the examination of properties identified as theoretically meaningful prior to conducting the research, i.e., as is usually done under cross-sectional and longitudinal quantitative research designs using fixed-response measures (Eichas et al, 2010). Although there are many advantages to the use of such methods of data collection, an important limitation of their use is that fixed-response measures rule out in advance the possibility of detecting response properties that are uniquely meaningful (ordinary language meaning, theoretical meaning, or both) within a specific population not previously studied, qualitatively transformed, or involving temporal change (e.g., developmental, historical, longitudinal, or intervention change) resulting in newly emergent properties in a previously studied population (Rinaldi et al, 2011).…”

“…Although there are many advantages to the use of such methods of data collection, an important limitation of their use is that fixed-response measures rule out in advance the possibility of detecting response properties that are uniquely meaningful (ordinary language meaning, theoretical meaning, or both) within a specific population not previously studied, qualitatively transformed, or involving temporal change (e.g., developmental, historical, longitudinal, or intervention change) resulting in newly emergent properties in a previously studied population (Rinaldi et al, 2011).…”

The Development of a Qualitative Extension of the Identity Dimensions of Emerging Adulthood (IDEA) Measure Using Relational Data Analysis (RDA)

“…In RDA, the STC that are created in the TOC process provide a conceptual framework (e.g., a visual tool) for reporting the structural organizations and also facilitate the identification of theoretical categories during the open coding process (see Appendix A for the RDA CT used in this study). Additionally, as previously described, RDA extends the standard system theory hierarchical structural organization model to include a fourth, non-hierarchical, nonstructural, non-organizational component: a temporal component, which depicts change over time (represented by T1T2…), focusing on a specific pattern of change and successive change over time that can be characterized as developmental in nature (i.e., developmental change; Rinaldi, 2011). Drawing on the extensive identity development literature (Adams et al, 2001;Erikson, 1968;Grotevant, 1987;Hernandez, Montgomery, & Kurtines, 2006;Kidwell, Dunham, Bacho, Pasterino, & Portes, 1995;Marcia, 1980;Kurtines, Montgomery, Eichas, et al, 2008;Montgomery, Hernandez, & Ferrer-Wreder, 2008;Waterman, 1999), the theoretical coders identified as theoretically meaningful a developmental progression (represented in the STC as T1T2…) consistent with the theoretical identity literature hypothesized movement from exploration to commitment.…”

“…Indeed, there has been a growing body of literature on promoting identity formation; however, the majority of this research has focused on adolescents in adolescents (Enright, Ganiere, Buss, Lapsley, & Olson, 1983;Ferrer-Wreder, Montgomery, & Lorente, 2003;Berman, Schwartz, Kurtines, & Berman, 2001;Rinaldi, 2011;Eichas, 2010) and there has been a paucity of research on promoting positive adult identity development with emerging adults (Markstrom-Adams, Ascione, Braegger, & Adams, 1993;Schwartz, Kurtines, & Montgomery, 2005;Berman, Kennerly, & Kennerly, 2008). Schwartz, Kurtines, and Montgomery (2005) conducted a quasi-experimental study that evaluated the impact of two intervention strategies (cognitive-focused and emotion-focused) in a sample of 90 emerging adult university students and found that cognitive-focused intervention strategies were most efficacious in affecting the self-constructive identity processes whereas emotion-focused strategies were most efficacious in affecting the self-discovery identity processes, concluding that identity interventions should include both types of strategies to target both processes.…”

“…Additionally, RDA extends the standard system theory hierarchical structural organization model to include a fourth, non-hierarchical, non-structural, nonorganizational component: a temporal component, which depicts change over time (represented by T1T2…), focusing on a specific pattern of change and successive change over time that can be characterized as developmental in nature (i.e., developmental change; Rinaldi, 2011). Consistent with this theory, theoretical coders in this study found such a developmental progression of the Exploring to Committed categories and their subcategories.…”