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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
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Articles 1 - 7 of 7
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Youth Sparks Via 4-H: Relations With Program Quality, Dosage, And Involvement, Alexandra Skrocki, Gary Ellis, Andrea Ettekal, Darlene Locke
Youth Sparks Via 4-H: Relations With Program Quality, Dosage, And Involvement, Alexandra Skrocki, Gary Ellis, Andrea Ettekal, Darlene Locke
Journal of Human Sciences and Extension
Using a statewide sample of participants in 4-H programs, we tested associations among youth sparks, program quality, program dosage, and four types of involvement (breadth of participation in out-of-school-time beyond 4-H, scope of learning strategies, degree of specialization, and cumulative program immersion). Participants were 180 Texas 4-H alumni who graduated from high school in 2013 and 2014 and had two or more years of involvement in Texas 4-H programs. Data were collected via an electronic questionnaire based on a database of former Texas 4-H members. Twelve hypotheses were tested, linking program quality to sparks through indirect and direct relations. Eleven …
Academic Performance Of Texas 4-H Alumni, Alexandra Skrocki, Darlene Locke, Gary Ellis, Montza Williams
Academic Performance Of Texas 4-H Alumni, Alexandra Skrocki, Darlene Locke, Gary Ellis, Montza Williams
Journal of Human Sciences and Extension
Academic achievement is one of the central outcomes targeted by all major models of youth development. Youth who succeed academically are well-positioned to thrive through meaningful careers, positions of community leadership, and fulfilling personal and family lives (Arnold, 2018). As such, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) has established a set of ambitious goals for the postsecondary education of Texas youth. Almost in tandem with the establishment of these goals, outcomes of academic achievement in relation to membership in Texas 4-H have become a keen interest for stakeholders. Through our study, we compared postsecondary academic achievement of Texas 4-H …
A Case Study Comparing The Life Skills Development And Knowledge In Youth Participants Of Horseless And Traditional Horse Programs In Utah, Haley M. Johnson, Kelsey L. Hall, Benjamin Scow
A Case Study Comparing The Life Skills Development And Knowledge In Youth Participants Of Horseless And Traditional Horse Programs In Utah, Haley M. Johnson, Kelsey L. Hall, Benjamin Scow
Journal of Human Sciences and Extension
This study compared four horseless and seven traditional horse participants from Washington County 4-H in Utah for horse knowledge gained and for the development of 10 life skills from Hendricks’s Targeting Life Skills Model: leadership, teamwork, self-responsibility, personal safety, problem-solving, decision-making, critical thinking, goal setting, communication, and concern for others. This study’s mixed methods design employed interviews to learn about life skill development and quantitative data from a 20-item horse knowledge quiz and demographic survey. The traditional horse youth showed greater development of leadership, self-responsibility, decision-making, goal setting, and communication than the horseless youth. Roughly half of the participants in …
Why Youth Leave 4-H After The First Year: A Multistate Study, Kendra M. Lewis, Sarah Hensley, Marianne Bird, Jeannette Rea-Keywood, Jolynn Miller, Car Mun Kok, Nancy Shelstad
Why Youth Leave 4-H After The First Year: A Multistate Study, Kendra M. Lewis, Sarah Hensley, Marianne Bird, Jeannette Rea-Keywood, Jolynn Miller, Car Mun Kok, Nancy Shelstad
Journal of Human Sciences and Extension
Enrollment in US youth development programs is decreasing annually. Research has shown that youth in the 4-H youth development program experience a broad range of positive youth development outcomes, including greater community contributions, healthier choices, higher academic competence, critical life and leadership skills such as problem-solving, goal setting, communication, responsibility, and a sense of belonging and purpose. Finding ways to retain youth in the program for more than a year or two can profoundly impact society due to the skills developed and opportunities provided to youth in 4-H. The purpose of this study was to understand why youth might leave …
A Youth Perspective: The 4-H Teen’S Leadership Identity Development Journey, Sarah Bush, Jeremy Elliott-Engel, Shannon Wiley, Tonya Price
A Youth Perspective: The 4-H Teen’S Leadership Identity Development Journey, Sarah Bush, Jeremy Elliott-Engel, Shannon Wiley, Tonya Price
Journal of Human Sciences and Extension
A current focus of youth-serving organizations is youth leadership development with an objective of helping youth become productive contributors to society. 4-H is a leading organization in the effort to expose youth to leadership opportunities. This study examined the leadership identity development of 4-H youth serving in statewide leadership positions. The Leadership Identity Development (LID) model and mentoring mosaic served as the conceptual framework in this study. The purpose of this qualitative study is to shed light on the question, how do 4-H teens describe their journey to leadership? Youth reflected on the experiences, examples, and influences that impacted their …
The Experience Of Learning: Early Adolescents In Organized Youth Programs, Jennifer A. Skuza
The Experience Of Learning: Early Adolescents In Organized Youth Programs, Jennifer A. Skuza
Journal of Human Sciences and Extension
Although researchers and policymakers have focused on school as the critical place in which learning occurs, organized youth programs offer different environments in which early adolescents can learn. However, early adolescent learning in organized youth programs is an under-researched area of learning, which may limit the ability of youth development practitioners to respond appropriately to early adolescent learning needs. The purpose of this article is to describe the experience of learning in an organized youth program by finding meaning in early adolescents’ lived experience through a phenomenological methodology. For youth in this study, learning in an organized program is an …
Building Life Skills And Interest In Stem Through Rural 4-H Robotics Camps, Rayna Sage, Jaymie Vandagriff, Janet Schmidt
Building Life Skills And Interest In Stem Through Rural 4-H Robotics Camps, Rayna Sage, Jaymie Vandagriff, Janet Schmidt
Journal of Human Sciences and Extension
Many rural communities are looking for inexpensive and innovative ways to engage youth in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). University Extension 4-H programs offer a unique platform to increase rural youth exposure to STEM and build important life skills. This study employed a mixed-methods approach to examine ways in which 47 youth in five rural robotics day camps grew in targeted 4-H life skills and enthusiasm for science. Campers perceived growth in their decision making and ability to use limited resources during these short day camps. Furthermore, participant observations and responses to open-ended prompts in their “science notebooks” provided …