Influence of involvement in the girls on track program on early adolescent girls' self perceptions

The Model of Competence Motivation (Harter, 1978) highlights how self-perceptions are individual and soczalization factors. Using this model, the present study investigated, quantitatively with a present and posttest design (N = 34) and qualitatively via individual interviews (N = 8), how involvement in the Girls on Track program (GOT) influenced the perceived competence and self-worth of sixth-grade girls. GOT is a program that uses training for a 5-km race as a means to teach life skills. The self-perceptions, of the participants showed increasing trends frorn pre- to posttest at Interviewed girls discussed their acquisition of interpersonal skills awl of positive feelings about themselves The discussion emphasizes how program involvement can influence the development of self-perceptions in early adolescent girls.