4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. THE 4-H STUDY OF POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT: Implications of Developmental Change Across Grades 5, 6, and 7 Richard M. Lerner, Jacqueline V. Lerner, Erin Phelps, and Colleagues Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development Tufts University October 25, 2006

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. “TEAM TUFTS” Amy Alberts Aida Balsano Deborah Bobek Aerika Brittian Elise DiDenti Christiansen Alicia Doyle Dan Du Kristen Fay Yulika Forman Steinunn Gestsdottir Helena Jelicic Jacqueline V. Lerner Richard M. Lerner Yibing Li Lang Ma Maria Mallon Nancy Pare Jack Peltz Erin Phelps Christina Theokas Nicole Zarrett Stacy Zimmerman

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Goals of the Presentation  What is PYD?  Nature of Key Hypotheses  Design Features of the 4-H Study  Three times of measurement – 5th, 6th and 7th grade -- we now can look at developmental change  Identification of key results of our analyses to date  Implications of the results for 4-H practitioners  Structure of the Super Seminar

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Key Principles of the PYD Perspective 1. Because of the potential to change, all youth have strengths. 2. All contexts have strengths as well. These strengths are resources that may be used to promote positive youth development. 3. These resources are termed “developmental assets”: They are the “social nutrients” needed for healthy development.

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Key Principles of the PYD Perspective 4. These assets are found in families, schools, faith institutions, youth serving organizations, and the community more generally. 5. If the strengths of youth are combined with ecological developmental assets, then positive, healthy development may occur. 6. We may be optimistic that it is in our power to promote positive development among all youth.

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Three Key Hypotheses of the 4-H Study Hypothesis 1. PYD is constituted by “Five Cs:” The Five Cs  Competence  Confidence  Character  Caring  Connection Contribution

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. The Five Cs are Related to the “Four Essential Elements” * The Cs of PYDThe 4 Essential Elements Competence  MASTERY Confidence  INDEPENDENCE Connection  BELONGING Character &  GENEROSITY Caring *As presented by Dr. Cathann Kress

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Three Key Hypotheses of the 4-H Study Hypothesis 2. Across adolescence, positive youth development occurs (that is, youth “thrive”) when: The strengths of young people are aligned with the resources for healthy development (“developmental assets”) present in their communities.

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Three Key Hypotheses of the 4-H Study Hypothesis 3. Youth Development (YD) programs constitute key developmental assets promoting PYD. YD programs are marked by the presence of the “Big 3,” that is: 1. Sustained, positive adult-youth relations; 2. Skill building activities; and 3. Youth participation and leadership.

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Conceptual Model Guiding the 4-H Study Competence Confidence Character Caring Connection PYD Contribution Reduced Risk Behaviors Contextual Assets Individual Strengths

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Design of the 4-H Study  This is a longitudinal study: Youth are followed across time  Beginning in 5 th Grade, we are following some youth through 10 th Grade (and we hope past high school)  To adjust for youth who drop out of the study and to maintain our ability to conduct powerful statistical analyses, we have added new students in 6 th, 7 th, and 8 th grades

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Design of the 4-H Study  We are longitudinally studying these new students as well  A minimum of three times of measurement are needed to judge developmental change. We are reporting for the first time the results from three times of testing  Overall, we have sampled more than 4,000 youth from 25 states and more than 2,000 parents!

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Design of the 4-H Study  For comparative purposes, our sample includes 4-H youth and non-4-H youth. These groups of youth differ in several ways  Most importantly, our 4-H youth are less advantaged than the larger population of 4-H youth; they are also “paler” and more likely to come from rural areas  To judge the differences between 4-H youth and other youth we need to create a matched subsample  However, this limits our ability to apply the findings to all 4-H youth

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Across the Three Waves:  The 4-H Study of PYD has documented the validity of this strength-based view of youth development among diverse youth and communities in 25 states.  We summarize here some key results across the first three waves of testing of the participants: Grades 5, 6, and 7

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Result 1  The Five Cs can be measured with reliability and validity and they are highly related to one another.  Because of this, we have shown that the Five Cs can be combined into a single construct – PYD.

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Competence Confidence Character Caring PYD 5 Cs of PYD Connection

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Implications of Result 1  Practitioners (and researchers) can speak of overall PYD when discussing a thriving young person  A tool for measuring PYD – and Contribution as well – can be derived from the 4-H Study  The tool can be used to assess the status of young adolescents on these indicators of healthy development and of program success

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Result 2 – Part I  However, other findings complicate the practitioner’s role in supporting PYD.  Now that we have data from three waves (Grades 5, 6, and 7), we can look at patterns of change in PYD. A pattern of change is termed a trajectory.  Using trajectory analysis methods, we have identified 5 distinct patterns of change in PYD.

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. 29% High PYD

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. 29% 35% Medium High

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. 29% 35% 17% Declining

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. 29% 35% 17% 14% Increasing

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. 29% 35% 17% 14% 4% Low

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Result 2 – Part II  Development across early adolescence is diverse: Some youth show increases in positive behaviors and decreases in negative ones  However, for most adolescents the changes in these two sets of behaviors are more complicated: They may show increases or decreases in BOTH positive and problematic behaviors

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. High PYD Trajectory vs Risk Behaviors None Low, slight increase Increasing 1% 82%17% % of Youth in High PYD Trajectories who are in one of Three Risk Trajectories

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. High PYD Trajectory vs Depression Increasing Decreasing Low, stable % of Youth in High PYD Trajectories who are in one of Three Depression Trajectories 80% 15% 5%

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Implications of Result 2 – Parts I & II  4-H practitioners can assess the likely trajectories of change that youth will show across their early adolescent years  Even youth with high PYD may show risk behaviors, AND youth who are engaged in risk may also show high PYD.  Therefore, BOTH prevention and promotion must be pursued.  The goals of promoting PYD and Contribution are complicated by the fact that there is so much diversity in development among youth  Another finding makes this assessment even more complicated...

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Result 3 The positive and negative changes youth undergo across early adolescence vary in relation to sex, socioeconomic status (SES), race and ethnicity, and rural versus urban location. Today, we focus on the youth in the two highest PYD trajectory groups and ask:  What youth are in these groups overall?  How do 4-H youth fit? (We use a matched sample for this comparison)

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. 29% 35% 17% 14% 4% The two top groups are where we would like everyone to be. These groups comprise about 2/3 of the sample

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Gender:Males: 56% Females: 74% Race/Ethnicity: African American: 66% Asian American: 62% European American: 70% Latino/a: 58% Multi-ethnic/racial: 67% Residence: Urban: 67% Rural: 63% Suburban: 69% % of each group in the top PYD trajectories Result 3A – Demographics

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Single parent family: 59% Two parent family: 68% Youth hoping to graduate from college: 71% Youth not hoping to graduate: 39% Youth expecting to graduate from college: 73% Youth not expecting to graduate: 44% Percentage of each group in the top PYD trajectories

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Result 3B – PYD & 4-H 4-H youth are equally as likely as youth in other structured after school activities (SASAs) to be in the high PYD trajectory groups Activity participation: In 4-H: 68% In other YDP, but not 4-H: 69% In other SASAs: 72% (% of each group in the top PYD trajectories; matched sample) Youth who participate in no activities are a small very proportion of the sample, and so are not included here

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. 19% 14% 66% Result 3B -- Contribution Trajectories High

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Result 3B -- Contribution & 4-H 4-H youth are more likely than youth in other structured after school activities (SASAs) to be in the high Contribution trajectory group Activity participation: In 4-H: 21% In other YDP, but not 4-H: 14% In other SASAs: 12% (% of each group in the high Contribution trajectory; matched sample)

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Result 3C Girls and boys tend to show different patterns in some important ways Girls vs Boys High PYD: 74% vs 56% High Contribution: 15% vs 9% Low Risk Behaviors: 68% vs 44% Low Depression:75% vs 81%

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Implications of Result 3A – 3C  Practitioners cannot use a “cookie cutter,” or a “one size fits all,” approach to designing or implementing their programs  4-H programs need to be as rich and diverse as the developing youth engaged in these programs  Practitioners need to attend to BOTH promotion and prevention: There is not a simple inverse relation between PYD and risks/problems  Practitioners should be concerned about whether the sex differences in Grades 5 to 7 continue to exist across the rest of the adolescent period. How can we assure successful transition to adulthood for both males and females?

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Result 4  Across grades, the positive and negative changes youth undergo vary also in relation to participation in SASAs  4-H youth do not have higher PYD scores than do youth in other SASAs but, as noted, 4-H youth contribute more than youth in other YD programs or in other types of SASAs (e.g., sports, hobby clubs, and arts)  However, these benefits of 4-H are different for girls and boys

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Result 4A Sex differences are especially important when looking at the relationship between 4-H participation and PYD Activity participation:OverallGirlsBoys In 4-H: 68%78%49% In other YDP, but not 4-H: 69%74%62% In other SASAs: 72%76%68% (% of each group in the top PYD trajectories; matched sample) The boys in 4-H have the lowest percentage in the high PYD trajectory

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Result 4B 4-H participation and Contribution Activity participation:OverallGirlsBoys In 4-H: 21%25%14% In other YDP, but not 4-H: 14%15%12% In other SASAs: 12%13%10% (% of each group in the high Contribution trajectory; matched sample)

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Result 4C 4-H participation and Low Risk Behaviors Activity participation:OverallGirlsBoys In 4-H: 52%60%42% In other YDP, but not 4-H: 58%67%46% In other SASAs: 64%75%48% (% of each group in the low Risk Behaviors trajectory; matched sample)

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Result 4D 4-H participation and Low Depression Activity participation:OverallGirlsBoys In 4-H: 73%67%83% In other YDP, but not 4-H: 74%76%73% In other SASAs: 82%79%86% (% of each group in the low depression trajectory; matched sample)

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Implications of Result 4A – 4D  4-H practitioners can be proud that the implementation of their programs is related to youth contribution across the early adolescent years  However, some thinking and, perhaps, program revision needs to be done to address the sex difference that seems to exist in the association between program participation and youth contribution and PYD  In addition, issues of depression and engagement in risk behaviors need to be addressed

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Result 5  Across grades, youth participate in SASAs at a high level – fewer than 10% do not participate in any identified SASA  On average, youth participate in about three different types of activities each year  However, the array of activities changes across grades  It appears that the more SASAs in which youth participate at these ages, the better their PYD

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. In what activity groups do youth participate? Grade 5 Grade 6 Grade 7 None YD programs Sports Arts Clubs Service groups Dichotomized participation

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Breadth of activity participation: 5 th grade 3 types of programs 25.7 YDP, Sports, Arts12.0 YDP, Sports, Clubs.5 YDP, Sports, Service 1.5 YDP, Arts, Clubs 1.2 YDP, Arts, Service 1.6 YDP, Clubs, Service.1 Sports, Arts, Clubs 3.6 Sports, Clubs, Service.3 Sports, Arts, Service 4.5 Arts, Clubs, Service.4 No Programs 8.0 Single programs 23.7 YDP Only 2.8 Sports Only 9.3 Arts Only 9.3 Clubs Only.5 Service Only types of programs 24.3 YDP & Sports 4.9 YDP & Arts 4.1 YDP & Clubs.0 YDP & Service.5 Sports & Arts10.0 Sports & Clubs.5 Sports & Service 1.2 Arts & Clubs 1.3 Arts & Service 1.2 Clubs & Service.4 % of Youth who Participate in Various Combinations of Programs Dichotomized participation 4 types of programs: 13.4 YDP, Sports, Arts, Clubs 3.7 YDP, Sports, Arts, Service 6.4 YDP, Sports, Clubs, Service.3 YDP, Arts, Clubs, Service.7 Sports, Arts, Club, Service 2.3 All 5 types: 4.9

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Breadth of activity participation during 6 th grade 3 types of programs 24.3 YDP, Sports, Arts 13.7 YDP, Sports, Clubs.1 YDP, Sports, Service 1.5 YDP, Arts, Clubs.1 YDP, Arts, Service 1.0 YDP, Clubs, Service.0 Sports, Arts, Clubs 2.7 Sports, Clubs, Service.1 Sports, Arts, Service 4.6 Arts, Clubs, Service.4 No Programs9.3 Single programs 23.8 YDP Only 2.0 Sports Only 13.0 Arts Only 7.8 Clubs Only.2 Service Only.9 2 types of programs 33.4 YDP & Sports 5.5 YDP & Arts 3.7 YDP & Clubs.1 YDP & Service.4 Sports & Arts 19.2 Sports & Clubs.3 Sports & Service 1.9 Arts & Clubs.6 Arts & Service 1.6 Clubs & Service.0 % of Youth who Participate in Various Combinations of Programs Dichotomized participation 4 Types of Programs: 7.5 YDP, Sports, Arts, Clubs 1.5 YDP, Sports, Arts, Service 5.0 YDP, Sports, Clubs, Service.2 YDP, Arts, Clubs, Service.1 Sports, Arts, Club, Service.7 All 5 types: 1.7

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Breadth of activity participation during 7 th grade 3 types of programs 25.0 YDP, Sports, Arts 6.1 YDP, Sports, Clubs.2 YDP, Sports, Service2.9 YDP, Arts, Clubs.1 YDP, Arts, Service2.9 YDP, Clubs, Service.0 Sports, Arts, Clubs1.8 Sports, Clubs, Service.5 Sports, Arts, Service9.7 Arts, Clubs, Service.9 No Programs6.6 Single programs 16.8 YDP Only 1.0 Sports Only 6.2 Arts Only 7.8 Clubs Only.2 Service Only1.5 2 types of programs 25.9 YDP & Sports 2.1 YDP & Arts 2.9 YDP & Clubs.0 YDP & Service.6 Sports & Arts11.3 Sports & Clubs.1 Sports & Service 3.4 Arts & Clubs.6 Arts & Service 4.8 Clubs & Service.1 % of Youth who Participate in Various Combinations of Programs Dichotomized participation 4 types of programs 21.5 YDP, Sports, Arts, Clubs 1.3 YDP, Sports, Arts, Service 15.0 YDP, Sports, Clubs, Service.9 YDP, Arts, Clubs, Service.5 Sports, Arts, Club, Service 3.8 All 5 types of programs 4.2

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. % of Youth whose Participation Changed from 5 th to 7 th Grade Do youth participate in the same activities across 5 th, 6 th, and 7th grade? Dichotomized participation Activity Participation 5 th to 6 th Grade6 th to 7 th Grade 4-H Other YD Programs Non-YD Activities No Activities

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Do youth participate in the same activities across 5 th, 6 th, and 7th grade? % of Youth whose Participation Changed %

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Why Youth’s Participation In Multiple Activities Is Important  “More is better”: The more activities youth participate in the higher their PYD  This relationship is especially true for girls  Research suggests that this relation grows even stronger in the later adolescent years

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Implication of Result 5  In planning their work, and with a focus on what is best for youth, 4-H practitioners need to collaborate with practitioners involved in other SASAs  At any one time 4-H youth are involved in other programs and the nature, philosophy, message, and goals of these other programs can vary

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Implication of Result 5  In addition, the set of programs in which youth engage changes substantially from one year to the next  As a consequence, 4-H practitioners need to again “cast their net” broadly across the community to both track and find ways to get their message for youth effectively delivered

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Overall Implications and Next Steps  Participation in 4-H is linked to several positive outcomes for youth in the early portion of their adolescence. However, participation seems to be more beneficial for girls  As well, the positive development that 4-H seeks to enhance is occurring in a complex world of diverse developmental paths and youth engagement in many different types of programs  Nevertheless, in the midst of this complexity, 4-H seems to be launching young people on a life path marked in particular by community contributions

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. Overall Implications and Next Steps  Only longitudinal research could have identified these relations  With the continuation of the 4-H Study we will be able to tell a longer and richer story about the future development of 4-H youth and of their ultimate contributions to self, family, community, and civil society  The study is currently planned to continue through the 10 th grade

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al. The Super Seminar: Questions to be Addressed 1. Are there other implications of the research that the 4-H Study team have not identified? 2. What action steps are needed to address the implications of the findings for 4-H as an organization? What actions do you think are necessary for you to pursue? How might the 4-H Study researchers facilitate your work? 3. What next steps would you recommend for the researchers? What are the questions that need to be addressed from a research perspective that would guide your work?

4-H Wisconsin Meeting October 25, H Study of Positive Youth Development Richard M. Lerner, et al.  Jackie Lerner:  Tufts Website  Ase.tufts.edu/iaryd  4-hbrandnetwork.org