Positive Youth Development Through Physical Activity – Graduate Assistantship

The Department of Kinesiology at Boise State University is accepting applications for a graduate assistantship position in Positive Youth Development Through Physical Activity beginning in Fall 2013 semester. The position includes a 9-month stipend and a tuition waiver.

The graduate assistant in this position will be working directly with Dr. Nicole Bolter, who specializes in sport and exercise psychology and positive youth development. The positive youth development approach suggests that children and adolescents can learn transferable life skills and attributes through participation in physical activity. Positive outcomes, such as social, cognitive, emotional, or character growth, are most likely to occur when young people participate in a desired activity and are surrounded by caring, supportive adults and peers. Thus, one of the main goals of positive youth development research in physical activity is to determine how such environments can be structured to maximize the benefits that young people gain from participation.

The graduate assistant in this position would help with several ongoing research projects focused on positive youth development through physical activity. Dr. Bolter has initiated a line of research focused on understanding how youth sport coaches influence athletes’ sportspersonship and character development. Depending on the student’s strengths and interests as well as the stage of the project, the graduate assistant may be involved in initiating literature reviews, conceptualizing study designs and methodology, completing data collection and analysis, writing manuscripts, and/or soliciting grant funding. This position offers a unique opportunity to not only learn how to conduct research but also about the psychosocial aspects of children’s and adolescents’ experiences in sport and physical activity.

This position carries a 20-hour per week commitment.

For more information about this assistantship, please contact Dr. Bolter at nicolebolter@boisestate.edu.

The application deadline for Fall 2013 is January 15th, 2013. Application details and instructions can be found on the Application webpage. For additional information about the application process contact Dr. Shelley Lucas, Graduate Program Coordinator at smlucas@boisestate.edu for more information.