Exploring the Adolescent Life Skill Outcomes of State 4-H Congress Participation and the Different Outcomes of Gender and Race Groups

Introduction

Although 4-H youth development programs are designed for youth ages 5-19, 4-H programs that involve teenagers may be particularly important for teaching leadership, citizenship, and life skills. Research suggests that the experiences that young people have during early adolescence provide the foundation on which they develop their personalities (Leffert, Saito, Blyth, & Kroenke, 1996). Transforming adolescence from a stagnant period of life into a period of positive development often requires young people to adopt a new way of thinking and a new way of viewing the world.

Unfortunately, many teenagers are not exposed to situations and environments that allow them to challenge their assumptions. Kielsmeier (1988) suggests that "instead of moving steadily to full adult responsibilities, many young adults are caught in an isolated, relatively unproductive period of life where little is expected of them except to prepare for the next, more useful stage." Residential 4-H programs may be communities in which such a transformation can occur.

Research suggests that residential programs and events may be particularly suited to affect youth participants in positive ways (Garst, Schneider, & Baker, 2001; Kielsmeier, 1988; Larzelere, Dinges, Schmidt, Spellman, Criste, & Connell, 2001). Residential programs and events, particularly those located outside of a participant's resident county/city, such as 4-H camp, state 4-H Congress and conferences, and national 4-H Congress and conferences, remove youth from their home communities and expose them to unique learning environments. In these novel contexts, youth may be more likely to "be themselves" and to explore new ways of thinking and behaving without the social constraints that might be present in their homes, schools, and communities (Garst & Johnson, 2005).

Many studies of the life skills outcomes of 4-H youth development have been conducted over the past several years (e.g., Fitzpatrick, Gagne, Jones, Lobley, & Phelps, 2005; Seevers & Dormody, 1995). These studies examined the life skill outcomes of specific 4-H delivery modes, including: 4-H clubs (Astroth, 1996; Cantrell, Heinsohn, & Doebler, 1989; Fox, Schroeder, & Lodl, 2003), 4-H camps (Ellerbusch, Calkins, & Schwarz, 2005; Forsythe, K., Matysik, R., & Nelson, K., 2004; Garst & Bruce, 2001; Loeser, Bailey, Benson, & Deen, 2004), and 4-H youth leadership retreats (Arnold, 2003).

Although several states conduct 1-week residential 4-H events that serve as the culmination of county/city and district 4-H competitions, few published studies have reported on the life-skill outcomes of this type of event. One exception was Stafford, Boyd, and Lindner's (2003) study of the Texas 4-H Roundup, in which the researchers explored whether or not a reflection component of a service learning experience offered during the Roundup influenced leadership life skills development.

Research Questions

Because few studies have reported on the life skill outcomes of a 1-week residential 4-H event such as State 4-H Congress, the study reported here sought to better describe the potential impacts of this type of program. The first objective of the study was to identify the short-term life skills outcomes of State 4-H Congress participation. The second objective was to identify whether or not differences existed in the life skill outcomes reported by racial groups (White and African-American participants) and gender groups (male and female participants).

Program Description

Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) conducts a 4-day residential 4-H event called "State 4-H Congress." State 4-H Congress is available to male and female youth ages 14-18. Although many Congress participants are senior 4-H members, 4-H membership is not a requirement of participation. County/city level 4-H Extension Agents determine the participation criteria for the youth in their unit.

Some agents require youth to participate or compete in 4-H related projects and programs in order to qualify to attend Congress. Other agents use Congress as a mechanism or "hook" to involve new youth into the 4-H program or to expose youth to new and novel environments and settings outside of their own communities. This reflects one of the essential elements of positive youth development settings--that youth are given the opportunity to develop a sense of hope in the future by being exposed to new environments and opportunities for learning (University of Arizona Institute for Children, Youth, and Families, 2003).

The current mission of State 4-H Congress is to provide competitive and non-competitive educational experiences to Virginia teens and the adults who work with them, helping them to develop leadership and life skills towards becoming contributing citizens in their communities. Table 1 describes the major components of State 4-H Congress, including State 4-H Competitions, Great Summer Showcase Workshops, Service Learning, Youth Issues Forum, Leadership Institute, Congressional Games, and 4-H All Star Tapping and Recognition.

Table 1.
Components of Virginia Cooperative Extension's State 4-H Congress

Component	Description
State 4-H Competitions	Individual and team 4-H members compete with peers from across the state in ten curricular areas. The Danish system of recognition is used.
Great Summer Showcase Workshops	Provides delegates with learning opportunities that highlight 4-H curriculum and exposure to Virginia Tech's academic departments. On-line registration allows delegates to choose among many hands-on, interactive workshops.
Service Learning	Provides delegates with the opportunity to be engaged in a service-based educational experience to meet the needs of communities surrounding Virginia Tech.
Youth Issues Forum	Serves as an alternate activity for those delegates not participating in competitions. The Forum focuses on a teen-centered issue. Forum topics have included bullying, HIV/AIDS, and cyber-safety.
Leadership Institute	Teaches delegates skills such as planning and organizing group projects, facilitating meetings, effective communication and partnership development. There is also an advanced track for those who participated in the Leadership Institute at a previous Congress.
Congressional Games	Delegates, organized according to their regional "Districts," compete against each other in a broad range of athletic games and cognitive challenges. This event begins with a Pep Rally and concludes with the awarding of a Congressional Games trophy.
4-H All Star Tapping and Recognition	4-H members are recognized for outstanding achievements by being tapped in to the Virginia All Stars organization.
Formal Recognition Banquet	The Banquet is a semi-formal event where Virginia 4-H program donors and state 4-H competition winners are honored.
Share the Fun Show	The Share the Fun show highlights outstanding performing arts acts. Delegates' families and other public are invited to attend.

One of the most important goals of the State 4-H Congress is to develop participant life skills. These life skills are conceptually located within the Head, Heart, Hands, and Health domains (Table 1). The life skills targeted (Hendricks, 1996) by Virginia's State 4-H Congress include:

• Decision-making (Cognitive)

• Critical thinking (Cognitive)

• Communication (Social)

• Sharing (Social)

• Community service (Vocational)

• Volunteering (Vocational)

• Leadership (Vocational)

• Personal Safety (Health/Physical)

• Self-responsibility (Health/Physical)

Participants and Methods

Participants in the study were youth ages 14-18 who completed a 4-day State 4-H Congress event conducted at Virginia Tech in June of 2004. All delegates were asked to complete a questionnaire on the last day of Congress. Questionnaires included questions related to program component ratings, life skills outcomes, and demographics. The life skills items were developed internally by state-level 4-H youth development specialists based upon the targeted life skills. Thus, evaluation for State 4-H Congress was a purposeful process whereby planning for evaluation occurred at the same time that the programs' targeted outcomes were identified. The pre-test portion of the questionnaire had a Cronbach's alpha of .89, and the post-test had a Cronbach's alpha of .92.

A retrospective pre-test (RPT) and post-test approach was used to examine life skills changes. With this approach, participants were first asked about their level of life skills after Congress participation and then they were asked to think back to their level of life skills before participating in Congress. RPT has been widely used in program evaluation across multiple disciplines. In addition to saving time and being more enjoyable to participants (they only have to complete one questionnaire), RPT also helps to avoid a response-shift effect (Howard, 1980), whereby a respondent's frame of reference or evaluation standard changes during participation in the program.

Results

Participant Demographics

A total of 530 male and female youth ages 14-18 completed the 4-day State 4-H Congress. Of these participants, a sample of 245 youth completed an end-of-the-week questionnaire for a response rate of 46%. Sixty-two percent were first-time participants. Sixty-three percent were female. The most prominent ethnic groups were White (64%) and African American (10%). The mean age was 16 years old.

Life Skill Outcomes

Ten items on the questionnaire asked Congress participants to identify the degree to which participation in State 4-H Congress helped them to acquire life skills. Comparisons were made between each of the "before Congress" and "after Congress" means using paired t-tests (Table 2). While significant differences were found (p<.05) between all of the "before Congress" and "after Congress" means, the greatest gains were found with the following items:

• Identify needs in their communities and work to meet those needs (.34)

• Think critically about their futures and set goals for their futures (.31)

• Have friendships with people who are different from them (.26)

• Clearly state my thoughts, feelings, ideas to others (.23)

• Use my time wisely (.21)

Table 2.
Life Skill Rankings of Virginia State 4-H Congress Participants Before and After the 4-H Congress Experience¹ (n=261)

Life Skill Item	N size	Before2 Congress Mean	SD	After2 Congress Mean	SD	Gain3
Clearly state my thoughts, feelings, ideas to others.	261	3.10	.799	3.33	.734	0.23
Use my time wisely.	261	3.01	.834	3.22	.820	0.21
Identify needs in my community and work to meet those needs.	261	2.81	.916	3.15	.878	0.34
Treat people who are different from me with respect.	261	3.35	.737	3.55	.703	0.20
Think critically about my future and set goals for my future.	261	3.19	.847	3.50	.731	0.31
Have friendships with people who are different from me.	261	3.30	.805	3.56	.703	0.26
Follow instructions as they are given me.	261	3.23	.776	3.33	.811	0.10
Contribute as a member of a team.	261	3.31	.793	3.47	.759	0.16
Choose activities that promote physical health and well-being.	261	3.15	.783	3.34	.783	0.19
Do what is right for myself when with a group.	261	3.29	.783	3.42	.793	0.13
Demonstrate the skills of a good leader	261	3.22	.935	3.40	.782	0.18
Be aware of my personal safety/act in a safe manner	261	3.28	.811	3.45	.807	0.18
1 Cronbach alpha for pre test = .89; post test = .92. 2 Participants were asked to rate their life skills before and after participation in the Virginia State 4-H Congress on a scale of 1-4, where 1 = never and 4 = always. 3 Paired t-test analysis found significant differences (p<.05) between all of the before and after Congress mean comparisons.

Life Skills Comparisons of Demographic Groups

The life skill gains of White delegates and African-American delegates were compared (Table 3). Both White and African-American delegates indicated that life skills gains were achieved in three of the same life skills areas (Table 3). However, African-American delegates indicated greater gains for the item, "demonstrate the skills of a good leader" (0.39) than White delegates (0.24). A one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to determine if there were significant differences between White and African-American delegates and reported life skill development as a result of Congress participation. Significant differences (p<.05) were not found for any item.

Table 3.
ANOVA of Life Skills by Race (White and African-American) for State 4-H Congress Participants

Items	White			African-American			F
	(n=180)			(n=25)
	Pre	Post	Gain	Pre	Post	Gain
Clearly state my thoughts, feelings, ideas to others.	3.09	3.30	0.21	3.14	3.33	0.19	.046
Use my time wisely.	3.05	3.25	0.20	3.25	3.48	0.23	1.583
Identify needs in my community and work to meet those needs.	2.85	3.21	0.36	2.85	3.29	0.44	.143
Treat people who are different from me with respect.	3.35	3.56	0.19	3.52	3.71	0.19	.986
Think critically about my future and set goals for my future.	3.23	3.55	0.32	3.38	3.76	0.38	1.941
Have friendships with people who are different from me.	3.30	3.59	0.29	3.30	3.70	0.40	.491
Follow instructions as they are given me.	3.29	3.44	0.15	3.35	3.35	0.00	.277
Contribute as a member of a team.	3.28	3.47	0.19	3.55	3.65	0.10	1.147
Choose activities that promote physical health/well-being.	3.17	3.40	0.23	3.11	3.32	0.21	.237
Do what is right for myself when with a group.	3.27	3.45	0.18	3.55	3.65	0.10	1.404
Demonstrate skills of a good leader2	3.17	3.41	0.24	3.35	3.74	0.39	3.343
Be aware of my personal safety/act in a safe manner	3.29	3.48	0.19	3.60	3.65	0.05	.928
*p<.05

The life skill gains of male delegates and female delegates were also compared (Table 4). Both male and female delegates indicated that significant life skills gains were achieved related to "identify needs in my community and work to meet those needs." However, there were several differences. Male delegates identified gains in the areas of "clearly state my thoughts, feelings, ideas to others" and "use my time wisely," and these gains were greater than the gains in the same items for females. Female delegates identified gains in the areas of "think critically about my future and set goals for my future" and "have friendships with people who are different from me," and these gains were greater than the gains in the same items for males. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to determine if there were significant differences between male and female delegates and reported life skill development as a result of Congress participation. Significant gender differences (p<.05) were not found for any items (Table 4).

Table 4.
ANOVA of Life Skills by Gender for State 4-H Congress Participants

Items	Male			Female			F
	(n=84)			(n=162)
	Pre	Post	Gain	Pre	Post	Gain
Clearly state my thoughts, feelings, ideas to others.	3.04	3.32	0.28	3.12	3.33	0.21	0.12
Use my time wisely.	3.01	3.29	0.28	2.99	3.18	0.19	.833
Identify needs in my community and work to meet those needs.	2.71	3.10	0.39	2.85	3.18	0.33	.392
Treat people who are different from me with respect.	3.09	3.36	0.27	3.48	3.66	0.18	8.963*
Think critically about my future and set goals for my future.	3.11	3.38	0.27	3.23	3.55	0.32	2.597
Have friendships with people who are different from me.	3.11	3.37	0.26	3.38	3.66	0.28	8.247*
Follow instructions as they are given me.	3.11	3.26	0.15	3.29	3.36	0.07	.746
Contribute as a member of a team.	3.25	3.37	0.12	3.33	3.52	0.19	1.819
Choose activities that promote physical health/well-being.	3.22	3.36	0.14	3.12	3.32	0.20	.104
Do what is right for myself when with a group.	3.21	3.30	0.09	3.32	3.48	0.16	2.519
Demonstrate the skills of a good leader	3.24	3.31	0.07	3.21	3.43	0.22	1.154
Be aware of my personal safety/act in a safe manner	3.19	3.39	0.20	3.33	3.47	0.14	.411
*p<.05

Conclusions

The results of the evaluation suggest that State 4-H Congress participation enhanced the life skills of teen delegates. Although these results support the value of State 4-H Congress, they also support the importance of purposeful programming. The greatest life skills gains (Table 2) appear to be related to the programmatic components of Congress (e.g., Great Summer Showcase Workshops Service Learning, Youth Issues Forum, Leadership Institute) that were specifically selected to target identified life skills. For example, the emphasis on service learning experiences at Congress may have influenced the gains in the life skill "identify needs in [my] community and work to meet those needs." Likewise, the exposure to educational experiences in novel environments may have influenced gains in the life skill, "think critically about [my] future and set goals for [my] future." Finally, the opportunities that Congress provided for delegates to interact with other youth from across the state in a wide variety of educational and social situations may have influenced the life skills gains related to, "have friendships with people who are different from [me]."

The results of the study failed to show a significant difference between the life skills gains according to race and gender. The lack of significant differences between males and females may contradict Stafford, Boyd, and Lindner's (2003) study of life skill development through community service, where females reported themselves as having more effective team skills than males. In the study reported here, male and female delegates were engaged in a community-service type experience during Congress, yet such differences were not found. This suggests that the Virginia State 4-H Congress was equally effective for enhancing the life skills of all delegates regardless of race and gender.

Implications

The study supports the important role that residential 4-H programs such as State 4-H Congress may play in the development of life skills towards positive youth development. Although many Congress-style programs and events emphasize activities such as 4-H competitions, it is important to recognize the related life skill development that these programs and events foster.

In an environment of increasing accountability, research projects that identify program outcomes are critical. Although many states conduct Congress-style programs and events, they may not have a purposeful evaluation process established to evaluate whether or not desired outcomes are achieved. These results remind us of the importance of being purposeful in our Extension efforts.

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