| Session Title: Enhancing Youth Development Programs Through Program Evaluation |
| Multipaper Session 808 to be held in Suwannee 12 on Saturday, Nov 14, 11:50 AM to 12:35 PM |
| Sponsored by the Extension Education Evaluation TIG |
| Chair(s): |
| Janet Fox, Louisiana State University, jfox@agcenter.lsu.edu |
| Abstract: The field of youth development is expanding rapidly. As programs strive to respond to the request of funders at local, state, and national levels, the need to report program outcomes and impacts becomes more critical. As more rigorous evaluations are conducted, the importance of program improvement is also highlighted. This highlights the need for a dynamic process that is built on a solid foundation of program development and evaluation. This session will highlight the synergistic process of program development and evaluation for program improvement and program outcome and how the process has informed changes in teaching and learning in community-based youth development programs. |
| Developing Team Process Skills: The Effects of Theory-Driven Program Development and Evaluation |
| Melissa Cater, Louisiana State University, mcater@agcenter.lsu.edu |
| Kimberly Jones, Louisiana State University, kyjones@agcenter.lsu.edu |
| Lisa Arcemont, Louisiana State University, larcemont@agcenter.lsu.edu |
| The need for life skills is often reiterated by employers who point to the need for employees to understand the work of an individual as part of a collective, as opposed to the pursuit of individualistic goals. Many 4-H programs identify teamwork as a life skill developed through members' collective 4-H experiences. Louisiana 4-H created an innovative camp aimed at 7th and 8th graders with the stated goals of developing youth skills to work together in teams, to make group decisions, and to communicate effectively in groups. These camps focus on the specific skills of planning and task coordination (generating ideas together, developing a group plan, and distributing tasks), collaborative problem solving (group problem solving and decision making), and communication skills (active listening and verbal communication). This paper will discuss the process used to align the curriculum with program theory and its impact on program improvement and outcomes. |
| Using Reflection in Service-Learning as a Tool for Outcome Evaluation |
| Janet Fox, Louisiana State University, jfox@agcenter.lsu.edu |
| Karol Osborne, Louisiana State University, kosborne@agcenter.lsu.edu |
| Lanette Hebert, Louisiana State University, lghebert@agcenter.lsu.edu |
| Todd Tarifa, Louisiana State University, tatarifa@agcenter.lsu.edu |
| Mark Tassin, Louisiana State University, mgtassin@agcenter.lsu.edu |
| Youth-led service-learning projects can make a significant contribution to any long-term, sustainable agenda for youth development organizations. Not only do the youth organization and community benefit from the impacts of service-learning, young people experience a wide variety of gains as a result of service-learning projects. Critical, structured reflection is essential to high-quality service-learning. As a critical evaluation methodology, reflection experiences guide youth toward discovering, exploring, and evaluating relationships between the subject matter and their service experiences. Reflection thus ensures service-learning is a dynamic, integrative process that develops students' awareness, aspirations, knowledge, and skills. This presentation will highlight reflection lessons learned from multi-site service-learning programs. Based on the foundation laid through research by Eyler, Giles and Schmiede (1996), participants will learn practical techniques to promote high quality reflection results while dealing with real-world constraints. |