Youth

YouTube is a de facto learning environment for athletes seeking fast, actionable nutritional guidance, yet platform dynamics may favor simplified or testimonial narratives over evidence-aligned messages. This study maps Spanish-language sports-nutrition videos to clarify who is most visible, how advice is framed, and what users encounter first. We conducted a cross-sectional, mixed-methods study of 558 YouTube videos on pre/post-exercise nutrition and supplementation. Data was coded for video types (divulgation/testimonial), claim presence, evidence links, and creator status (professional/non-professional). Exposure-adjusted metrics (View Ratio, Viewer Interaction) and nonparametric tests summarized distributions. An undirected network generated centrality rankings to select qualitative samples. Thematic analysis of titles and descriptions identified recurring rhetorical patterns and discourse modes. Divulgation videos predominated (97.3%). Evidence links were rare (0.2%). Exposure and interaction were right-skewed, indicating concentrated visibility. Non-professionals produced most videos, with older uploads and higher daily view accrual; however, interaction per view was similar across groups. Qualitative synthesis revealed two dominant discourse modes, scientific–cautious and experience–testimonial. Oversimplification and motivational cues clustered in testimonial/non-professional items; instructional language and scarce evidence links concentrated in professional/divulgation items. In Spanish sports-nutrition content, visibility is concentrated, and creator identity shapes advice framing. Evidence-aligned messages can compete when expressed with clear athletic framing, explicit caveats, and links to trustworthy sources. Full article

Background: Youth with disabilities remain among the most overlooked groups in global sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) discourses, including in sub-Saharan Africa. Yet, their SRHR needs are often ignored. This reflexive article aims to illuminate and recenter the experiences and perspectives of youth with disabilities living in Gulu City and Gulu District, Northern Uganda, exploring what matters to them regarding SRHR and their broader life aspirations. Methods: We adopted a qualitative, reflexive and participatory approach. Data were collected among six Ugandan young co-researchers with different disabilities (physical, visual, hearing, and albinism), who interacted with two Ugandan research assistants and a Canadian researcher involved in a larger SRHR research project. They engaged in in-person and virtual WhatsApp and Microsoft Teams exchanges over weeks, with the support of three Ugandan Sign Language interpreters. We thematically analyzed data, informed by the Intersectionality-based Policy Analysis and Structural Health Vulnerabilities and Agency frameworks. Results: Our analysis revealed four main findings: (1) the persistent feeling of social discrimination, stigma, and exclusion, including from parents, (2) inaccessible SRHR information and services, and knowledge gaps, (3) gender- and disability-based violence, and (4) youth with disabilities’ aspirations for SRHR and in life. Conclusions: The voices of youth with disabilities in Gulu underscore the value of disability equity-focused research. They reminded us that they are intelligent, capable, and thoughtful citizens with agency whose SRHR and broader well-being must be acknowledged and respected. Their perspectives carry critical implications for SRHR programming, policy, and research. Full article

Social inclusion of ethno-cultural minorities is a global concern which an acknowledged backlash against multiculturalism challenges. In Australia, some politicians and sections of the media have fuelled this backlash against refugee and minority culture young people by portraying them as involved in public violence. This article explores intersectional youth engagement and social change action. A school-based intercultural understanding initiative in a regional Northern NSW government primary school demonstrates how building intersectional connections and engaging in social change action can address ethno-cultural prejudice and discrimination within the school and wider community. The case study highlights a social change initiative where Indigenous Australian and Yazidi primary school students, their families, and school staff go out On Country together to progress intersectional intercultural understanding, networking, reciprocity, and solidarity. This initiative aimed to promote intersectional social inclusiveness while respecting and supporting diversity. The Together For Humanity Foundation, a non-profit provider of holistic schools-based intercultural understanding programmes, provided the resources to support the school’s partnership initiative. Drawing on Lundy and Cuevas-Parra’s intersectional framework, this article analyses the outcomes of the project from the perspectives of students and teachers. Full article

This study examined the association between bullying and cyberbullying, both in victims and aggressors, and students’ perceived competence in English as a foreign language. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 444 Spanish students (50.00% boys, mean age = 13.27 ± 1.64 years). Perceived English competence was assessed using the Questionnaire of English Self-Efficacy (QESE), while involvement in bullying and cyberbullying was measured with the European Bullying Intervention Project Questionnaire (EBIP-Q) and the European Cyberbullying Intervention Project Questionnaire (ECIP-Q). Associations were analyzed using ANCOVA and binary logistic regression, controlling for age, BMI, maternal education level, and weekly physical activity. The results showed that cyberbullying victimization was consistently associated with lower self-perceived competence in all English skills, particularly among boys, who reported scores up to 12.1% lower and were up to 6.3 times more likely to report low self-efficacy in writing. Girls also showed a higher risk, with up to 5.6 times more likelihood of low scores in oral expression. As for aggression, boys involved in both traditional and cyberbullying showed significant reductions in all language domains, especially in writing and reading. Girls demonstrated a more specific pattern, with negative associations mainly in cyberaggression, showing significantly lower self-efficacy competence in all four skills. These findings highlight the need for gender-sensitive interventions that promote emotional safety and reinforce students’ self-efficacy in language learning. Educational programs involving students, teachers, and families are recommended to foster confidence, reduce fear of errors, and create supportive environments for communicative practice. Full article

This article explores how ideologies and discourses of school safety and policing operate within the U.S. educational system and shape broader understandings of safety, punishment, and mass incarceration. Guided by corpus-assisted discourse studies (CADS) and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), it examines three questions: how different educational community members define safety (and for whom), how policing is constructed as safe or unsafe, and how these narratives position certain students as threats. Analyzing school board meetings, online public comments, and conversations with students within the context of a 2020 local decision to remove School Resource Officers from Eugene, Oregon, public schools, the study identifies common and contested discursive strategies about policing and youth across social and historical contexts. A central finding is the role of adultism in sustaining links between schools and prisons, normalizing compliance, silence, and the disappearance of youth who challenge adult authority. These adultist discourses position students as belonging to adults and construct dissent as danger, enabling surveillance, policing, and incarceration to circulate as commonsense approaches to “community safety.” From these findings, the article introduces YouthCrit as an emergent conceptual framework grounded in youth analyses of adultism. In turn, YouthCrit offers a framework for scholars, educators, and practitioners to challenge deficit narratives about students while centering youth presence and perspectives in school-based research and within social movements for community safety. Full article

Background: Grit is often celebrated as a predictor of youth success in sport, but little is known about how it develops over time through social and relational contexts. This study explores how grit forms among youth powerlifters through two developmental trajectories: an externally driven pathway shaped by structured adversity (Outside-In) and an internally driven pathway fueled by self-motivation (Inside-Out). Methods: This analytical autoethnographic study draws on multi-year coaching journals, field notes, and reflective narratives involving four Malaysian youth athletes. Through thematic coding and narrative synthesis, key developmental patterns were identified, and a dual-pathway conceptual model was constructed. Results: The findings revealed that youth from lower-autonomy backgrounds often developed grit through coach-led discipline and adversity (Outside-In), while others showed early self-regulation and purpose-driven persistence (Inside-Out). Both pathways could converge toward internalized grit. The coach–athlete relationship was central in mediating this growth. Some youths later turned outward to uplift others, indicating broader developmental impacts. Conclusions: Grit in youth sport is a socially embedded process. The Dual Pathway Model offers a framework for coaches and educators to cultivate perseverance in diverse youth through both relational support and autonomy development. Full article

Believed by many to be the “silver bullet” that will bring an end to educational inequality, AI technologies continue to proliferate within schools and classrooms, promising to bolster academic achievement, spark student engagement, and ensure campus safety while lessening the burden of overworked and systemically underpaid teachers. Despite this hype, a growing body of critical research is revealing that many of the AI technologies used in schools are rife with algorithmic biases that exacerbate, rather than remediate, educational inequity for historically marginalized students. We extend the work of scholars who have called attention to the rise of tech-mediated racism and the New Jim Code to consider how the proliferation of AI technologies into K-12 schools has worked to hide, speed up, and automate educational inequities for Black students, giving rise to a techno-educational carceral apparatus. To do so, we analyze youth interviews, youth-generated video blogs, and weekly journal reflections of 46 Black students that participated in a critical technology summer course. Full article

Gender-Based Violence (GBV) represents a major public health and social concern, with evidence linking persistent sexist beliefs to a higher likelihood of experiencing or perpetrating GBV, particularly among young adults. This study aimed to examine attitudes towards GBV among university students in Castilla-La Mancha, providing insight into ongoing gender inequalities within higher education. A total of 399 undergraduate and double-degree students at the University of University of Castilla-La Mancha completed the 47-item Gender and Violence Attitudes Questionnaire (GVAQ), and data were analyzed using descriptive and correlational methods. The results indicate the persistence of sexist beliefs and justifications for violence, with significant differences according to sex, age, and academic discipline: men scored higher overall on the GVAQ (M = 101.69) than women (M = 83.82), students in Engineering and Architecture scored higher (M = 100.89) than those in Arts and Humanities (M = 83.22), and younger students (≤25 years) scored slightly higher (M = 89.63) than older students (≥26 years) (M = 85.91). These findings highlight the urgent need for targeted educational programmes integrating a gender perspective to challenge entrenched sexist attitudes and reduce GBV in university contexts, fostering safer and more equitable learning environments. Full article

This article presents the development and validation process of a qualitative data collection instrument aimed at analysing natural sciences teachers’ perceptions of practical work in lower secondary education (third cycle) in Portugal. The methodological approach combined a systematic literature review following PRISMA guidelines with an analysis of relevant curricular frameworks and legal documents. Based on the triangulation of these sources, a semi-structured interview guide was constructed, validated by a panel of five experts from four Portuguese public universities, and tested through a pilot interview. The final instrument comprised seven dimensions and fourteen subdimensions, totalling 44 items. It demonstrated methodological rigour and practical applicability for qualitative data collection and analysis. Findings indicate that the instrument enables a comprehensive exploration of teachers’ practices and perceptions regarding practical work, offering a valuable contribution to the research on didactics of science and to the professional development of teachers. Also, the application of this instrument will enable teachers and researchers to characterise the dynamics of practical work carried out with young students in natural sciences education across seven structuring dimensions: (1) Conceptual; (2) Limitations; (3) Advantages; (4) Evaluative; (5) Operationalisation; (6) Textbook; and (7) Curricular. Full article

This mixed methods study explored perspectives from volunteer coaches and team parents involved in one sport-based youth development program, Junior Giants. The purpose was to (a) compare multiple perspectives on program impact and (b) investigate processes behind program impact and intentions to return. The sample (N = 11,638) included 1541 volunteer coaches, 861 team parents, and 9236 caregivers who completed an online survey assessing perceptions of players’ character development, antibullying, and league organization. Coaches and team parents also responded quantitatively and qualitatively about attending the initial training, use of practice plans, and intentions to return. Coaches reported significantly higher perceptions of participant change in character development and antibullying compared to caregivers (effect sizes were small), and team parents’ perceptions were not significantly different from coaches or caregivers. Perceptions of program outcomes did not differ by sport type (baseball v. softball), binary gender, age, or years in Junior Giants. For process variables, coaches were significantly more likely to attend the training and use the practice plans than team parents (small effects). Several themes emerged from open-ended questions, including not attending the initial team meeting due to schedule conflicts or signing up late to coach, not using practice plans due to limited time or needing modifications, and not intending to return due to child aging out or time commitment. Results suggest Junior Giants is perceived to have a positive impact and offer advice for supporting volunteers in sport-based youth development programs. Full article

Early detection of suicidal risk in adolescents requires valid tools adapted to the clinical and educational context. However, there are currently no observational scales developed specifically for use by significant people in the adolescent’s environment. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to design, validate and apply to a pilot sample an observational scale to identify behavioural and emotional signs of suicidal risk in adolescents, from the perspective of adolescents, parents and teachers. Validation study of an Observational Adolescent Suicide Risk Scale (EORSA) based on a theoretical review and expert consensus. Content validity was evaluated through expert judgement by professionals with recognised experience in mental health, psychometrics, and suicide prevention. The scale was subsequently applied to a sample of adolescents, parents and teachers, analysing the mean scores per item in each group. The final scale included 19 items with a high level of agreement among experts (content validity index > 0.80). When applied to the pilot sample, significant differences were observed in the items considered most frequent by each group. The EORSA is a valid and potentially useful tool for identifying signs of suicidal risk in adolescents from an observational perspective. Its design and application allow for a contextualised and multidimensional assessment, favouring preventive interventions adapted to each setting. Full article

Youth workers within non-profit organisations in South Africa play a vital role in supporting the government’s agenda to mainstream positive youth development through the delivery of youth services. This study aims to examine the motivations that drive youth workers to get involved in youth work practice and the challenges they experience while performing their roles in non-profit organisations in South Africa. This qualitative study purposively sampled 10 youth workers. Two methods of data collection were employed, which are the Qualitative Online Survey (QOS) and online interviews through WhatsApp telephonic conversations. Data collected were analysed through reflectivity thematic analysis. This study is informed by Self-Determination Theory (SDT), which highlights the intrinsic and extrinsic motivational sources that drive individuals to act or pursue specific goals. The findings indicate that wanting to gain practical work experience as well as the desire to make a difference in young people’s lives is a major drive for youth workers’ involvement in youth work practice within the NPO sector. The study further found that youth workers experience a variety of challenges that affect their productivity and their work in general, including lack of funding, absence of training, orientation and workshops as part of professional development, as well as community resistance. To address some of these challenges and encourage youth workers’ involvement in youth work practice within the NPO sector, this study recommends an urgent need for structured and continuous professional development pathways to strengthen youth workers’ skills, enhance programme effectiveness and support the professionalisation of youth work in South Africa. Full article

This paper is concerned with the sexual rights of homeless adolescents. After a brief presentation of the ethical foundation of these rights in the capabilities approach and noting the relevance of the concept of relational autonomy, an ethical analysis of a specific problem is performed, namely the risky sexual behavior of homeless adolescents. It is argued that although these young people have moral agency it is not fully developed and thus they cannot be held to the same standards of responsibility as are adults. Thus, we can see the importance of interventions that empower homeless youth to protect their own sexual health through risk-avoidance or harm reduction strategies. Full article

A triathlon is a multi-sport event that consists of three simultaneous events: swimming, biking, and running. This sport has experienced significant growth in the past few decades, with colleges and universities now participating. This exploratory mixed-methods study examined the motivations and perceived health benefits of college triathletes during the COVID-19 pandemic, using the Means-Ends of Recreation Scale and the Perceived Health Outcomes of Recreation Scale (N = 29), as well as semi-structured interviews (N = 4). Results indicate no difference in motives or health outcomes between male and female survey respondents. The thematic analysis of open-ended interview questions highlighted lived experiences. The results obtained provide preliminary evidence of the importance of motivation and health outcomes of college triathletes during the pandemic. Full article

Whilst there has been substantial attention to care-experienced parents’ needs and experiences in the academic literature internationally, understandings of nascent services, their characteristics and implementation processes are more limited. With an overarching socioecological resilience systems framing and drawing on an innovation perspective, we aim to develop understanding of how to design and develop innovations to enable care-experienced parents’ successing. We conducted a narrative literature review that included 33 sources published internationally between 2017 and 2025. We conducted thematic analysis to identify adversities experienced by and innovations developed for care-experienced parents. We authenticated the themes in a workshop with members of the practice community and developed frameworks to represent the themes. Findings are represented in three sections. First, we consider parental needs, with an overview of adversities experienced by care-experienced parents together with individual protective factors and required service responses, framed by psychological, social and structural domains. Second, drawing upon such understanding, we consider intervention design, with a focus on exemplar innovations and the characteristics that are represented by five service delivery models: therapeutic; social; partnership; advocacy; and co-production. Third, with a need to ensure that service intervention is effective, we examine the process of developing service innovations and consider five dynamic ingredients that enable implementation success: shared leadership; receptivity of context; co-production; learning and adaption; and outcome measurement. Our review contributes new understanding to inform processes of designing and implementing innovations to enable care-experienced parents’ successing. We offer a framework that represents a starting point towards enabling care-experienced parents’ successing that can be applied in policy and practice, although more research is needed. Full article

Restorative Practices (RP) are increasingly adopted in U.S. pre-K-12 schools as an alternative to punishment, yet research less frequently examines student perspectives on this transition. This qualitative study centers alumni student voices in the implementation of RP at Riverdale High School (RHS), an urban-emergent high school, through semi-structured interviews with 13 alumni who attended before, during, and after RHS’s shift from punishment to RP. Using the Social Discipline Window (SDW) as a conceptual framework, the study explores students’ perceptions of their relationships with teachers and administrators. Findings indicate four distinct experiences in both disciplinary practices and relational dynamics: (1) punitive “To” experiences, where adults exerted expectations without support, (2) neglectful “Not” experiences, where students experienced neither expectations nor support, (3) permissive “For” experiences, where adults offered support without expectations, and (4) restorative “With” experiences, where students experienced high expectations and high support from adults. Some students, however, described harmful experiences unrepresented by the SDW, leading to the proposal of an Emergent Social Discipline Window, which includes “Against” experiences, representing situations where students experienced harm from adults. Findings underscore the need to prioritize student voices in RP implementation, ensuring students are centered in decision-making processes. Full article

Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) are perceived as safer than conventional smoking, but there is limited knowledge about their risks. This quasi-experimental study aimed to evaluate the perceived usefulness and acceptability of an innovative information strategy concerning the potential harms of e-cigarettes among university students in oral health programs in Mexico and Colombia. The methodology involved implementing a three-phase strategy, utilizing an interactive, self-managed educational game (bowling game) developed on the Genially digital platform and anchored in scientific evidence. Of the 230 invited students, 213 consented to participate in the initial phase. High engagement was demonstrated in the second phase, with 94.8% (n = 203) of students using the game for an average of 5 min and 16 s, and 25.62% answering all embedded knowledge questions correctly on the first attempt. Results from the acceptability phase (n = 36) were highly positive, with 72.2% of IUVA students and 19.4% of BUAP students agreeing the strategy was both entertaining and useful for knowledge improvement. The findings suggest that gamified and interactive digital learning strategies are highly accepted and strengthen academic commitment and knowledge acquisition regarding the public health risks of e-cigarettes. Further longitudinal studies are necessary to evaluate the sustained impact of these digital educational tools. Full article

Peer role models are an important factor in supporting academic achievement, social development, and mental health, particularly in out-of-school-time (OST) programs that emphasize character and leadership. This mixed-methods study explored whether Scouts’ racial/ethnic identity was associated with identifying a peer role model and examined the character assets youth valued in those role models. We purposively sampled 104 Scouts (aged 11–18), 89% male and 70% White, with additional racial diversity across all U.S. regions. Interviews were analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Most Scouts identified a peer role model, and there were no significant differences in identification or valued characteristics across racial/ethnic groups. Scouts most frequently valued character assets related to caring, contribution, and connection. These findings point to the value of structured, youth-led, multi-age OST environments, indicating that program policies which embed opportunities for peer role modeling may help promote character development across diverse backgrounds. Full article

Positive eating behaviors may be linked to improved health outcomes, but reliable assessment tools are scarce. This study aims to translate the Positive Eating Scale (PES) into Chinese (PES-C), culturally adapt it, and examine its psychometric properties and its relationship with psychological symptoms among Chinese college students. A two-stage cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2024 to April 2025. A total of 800 valid questionnaires were collected in Stage 1 and 1882 in Stage 2. PES-C showed good structural validity (CFI = 0.991, RMSEA = 0.067) and high internal agreement (Cronbach α = 0.963), with measurement invariance established across gender and ethnicity. Correlation analysis showed that PES-C score was significantly negatively correlated with depression (PHQ-9, r = −0.24) and anxiety (GAD-7, r = −0.22), positively correlated with the frequency of vegetable consumption (r = 0.13–0.18), and negatively correlated with beverage consumption (r = −0.01–−0.17). These findings indicate that positive eating attitudes help improve psychological symptoms and may also affect food choices. PES-C is a dependable and effective tool for assessing the eating behaviors of Chinese university students, offering both theoretical and practical support for campus nutrition and mental health promotion programs. Full article