Positions

Research Areas research areas

Overview

  • Kendra is the State Specialist for Youth & Family Resiliency. She previously worked for Cooperative Extension in California as the Academic Coordinator for Evaluation for 4-H Youth Development, in which she coordinated the statewide evaluation of 4-H programming and collaborated with Extension staff on research projects. She has a background in human development, a proficiency in program evaluation, and a passion for social emotional learning. Kendra has also taught courses such as research methods, program development, issues in child development, contemporary families, issues in parenting, family studies, and family stress and coping for Oregon State University, California State University, Chico and California State University, Sacramento.

    Kendra earned her PhD and MS from Oregon State University in Human Development and Family Studies, and BA from California State University, Chico in Child Development.
  • Selected Publications

    Academic Article

    Year Title
    2024 Identification of Important Factors When Measuring School Climate: Latent Construct Validation and Exploration.Journal of School Health.  94:69-79. 2024
    2022 Mechanisms of Influence on Youth Substance Use for a Social-Emotional and Character Development Program: A Theory-Based Approach.Substance Use and Misuse.  57:1854-1863. 2022
    2021 Data parties engage 4-H volunteers in data interpretation, strengthening camp programs and evaluation processCalifornia Agriculture.  75:14-19. 2021
    2020 Youth in 4-H Latino Initiative programs achieve similar outcomes to youth in 4-H community clubsCalifornia Agriculture.  74:40-45. 2020
    2019 Childhood protective factors and a prevention program reduce later problem behaviorsJournal of Applied Developmental Psychology.  65:101063-101063. 2019
    2018 Developing a Common Evaluation Tool for CampsJournal of Youth Development.  13:306-315. 2018
    2018 The Effects of Positive Action on Preschoolers’ Social–Emotional Competence and Health BehaviorsEarly Childhood Education Journal.  46:141-151. 2018
    2017 Meeting the Challenges of Longitudinal Cluster-Based Trials in Schools: Lessons From the Chicago Trial of Positive Action.Evaluation and the Health Professions.  40:450-482. 2017
    2017 Effects of a School-Based Social-Emotional and Character Development Program on Self-Esteem Levels and Processes: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled TrialSage Open.  7:2158244017713238. 2017
    2017 Can Universal SEL Programs Benefit Universally? Effects of the Positive Action Program on Multiple Trajectories of Social-Emotional and Misconduct Behaviors.Prevention Science.  18:214-224. 2017
    2017 The Positive Action family program: A pilot randomized trial and replicationAdvances in Pediatric Research2017
    2016 Youth and Adult Perceptions of a New Technology in California 4-H: The Online Record BookJournal of Youth Development.  11. 2016
    2016 Effects of a School-Based Social-Emotional and Character Development Program on Health Behaviors: A Matched-Pair, Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of Primary Prevention.  37:87-105. 2016
    2016 Effects of the Positive Action Program on Indicators of Positive Youth Development Among Urban Youth.Applied Developmental Science.  20:16-28. 2016
    2015 Adolescent Substance Use Following Participation in a Universal Drug Prevention Program: Examining Relationships With Program Recall and Baseline Use Status.Substance Abuse.  36:359-367. 2015
    2014 A pilot evaluation of thePositive Actionprekindergarten lessonsEarly Child Development and Care.  184:1978-1991. 2014
    2013 Effects of Positive Action on the emotional health of urban youth: a cluster-randomized trial.Journal of Adolescent Health.  53:706-711. 2013
    2013 Using social-emotional and character development to improve academic outcomes: a matched-pair, cluster-randomized controlled trial in low-income, urban schools.Journal of School Health.  83:771-779. 2013
    2013 Problem behavior and urban, low-income youth: a randomized controlled trial of positive action in Chicago.American Journal of Preventive Medicine.  44:622-630. 2013
    2012 Child care assistance for families involved in the child welfare system: Predicting child care subsidy use and stabilityChildren and Youth Services Review.  34:2454-2463. 2012
    2012 Direct and Mediated Effects of a Social-Emotional and Character Development Program on Adolescent Substance Use.International Journal of Emotional Education.  4:56-78. 2012
    Exploring the relationship between program experience and youth development outcomesJournal of Human Sciences and Extension.  9:68-106.

    Teaching Activities

  • Youth Facing Adversity Taught course
  • Children at Risk Taught course 2023
  • Children at Risk Taught course 2022
  • Human Development Taught course 2021
  • Parenting Across the Life Span Taught course 2021
  • Human Development Taught course 2020
  • Full Name

  • Kendra Lewis