Impact of youth program membership on youth program life skills development, youth program experiences, adult community participation, and personal characteristics related to 4-H volunteerism
Abstract
It was the general purpose of this study, a part of a nationwide effort entitled The 4-H Alumni Study (Ladewig and Thomas, 1987) to investigate the variables (youth life skills, personal characteristics, and community participation) that influence 4-H alumni to become 4-H volunteer leaders. A telephone survey was developed to measure respondent perceptions of their 4-H and/or youth program experience. A path model was developed for 4-H alumni, non 4-H alumni, 4-H alumni who belonged to no other youth organizations and 4-H alumni who belonged to both 4-H and another youth program membership, and another youth organization. Standardized regression coefficients were used for comparisons between different variables within a causal model applied to a mutual group of respondents. The following is a summarization of the major multiple regressions findings: (1) youth leadership programs (4-H and others) are effective/visible means of developing/contributing/responsible/ involved adult members of a community, (2) being a club officer or committee member develops youth life skills, (3) attending youth program club meetings and participating in a community service project develops competency and contributory life skills, (4) those 4-H alumni who developed youth life skills tended to enter the program at an earlier age and have a longer period of membership, (5) for those who have been involved in the 4-H program, 4-H program experiences developed competency life skills while sources of 4-H project information tends to develop contributory and social life skills, (6) those 4-H alumni who developed competency life skills tended to participate in community organizations as an adult, (7) those 4-H alumni who develop coping and contributory life skills tended to use the services of the Cooperative Extension Service, and (8) the interaction with a county Extension agent is a critical variable in the development of interpersonal and social life skills in 4-H youth.
Description
Typescript (photocopy).Subject
Major adult and extension education1987 Dissertation S3465
4-H clubs
United States
Experiential learning
Youth
Societies and clubs
United States
Collections
Citation
Schlutt, Edward Frederick (1987). Impact of youth program membership on youth program life skills development, youth program experiences, adult community participation, and personal characteristics related to 4-H volunteerism. Texas A&M University. Texas A&M University. Libraries. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /DISSERTATIONS -746833.