2010-2011Children, Youth & Families at Risk | Annual Report

CYFAR LeadershipDr. Chris Boleman4-H and Youth DevelopmentProgram Director Dr. Toby Lepley 4-H and Youth Development Specialist Dr. Mat Duerden Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist Amy Dromgoole CYFAR Graduate Assistant

Alicia Erwin Student Technician

Harris CountySheryl Nolen CEA-UYDStephane Calderon CYFAR Program Assistant

Cameron CountyMarco Ponce CEA- 4-HThianna ReyesCYFAR Program Assistant

Texas 4-H and Youth Development was awarded a five year

USDA – CYFAR grant to implement programming for underserved

populations. The program involves a 4-H after school program

focused on science, engineering, and technology (SET) implemented

in Harris and Cameron counties. Emphasis included computers,

aerospace, photography, robotics, hypothesis testing, and

entrepreneurship. 4-H Clubs were established at each site in a holistic

approach to engage parents and youth in 4-H special interest project

and other family events hosted at each site. Each area targeted within

the counties has a high level of poverty, school dropout rates, and low

college attendance. By partnering with the public school system in

both counties, program outcomes aimed to increase the number of

graduating senior advancing to college from below 10% to 25% and to

impart soft skills that will allow all youth to be more employable.

Program Overview

Goals & Objectives

Employing the 4-H experiential learning delivery method, the

proposed CYFAR project targeted youth with the following goals:

• Improve science and technical skills to be competitive in academic

and work force settings;

• Improve demonstrable leadership life skills that would include

critical thinking skills, communication, teamwork, goal setting,

responsibility, lifelong learning and adaptation, positive attitude,

and positive work ethics;

• Apply science and math principles through 4-H experiential

learning strategies for the purpose of educational and career paths;

• Partner with teachers and other community volunteers to create

an atmosphere for family inclusiveness in the educational

readiness process.

Educational programs of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age, or national origin.The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating

Texas AgriLife Extension ServiceTexas 4-H and Youth Developmenttexas4h@ag.tamu.edu4180 State Highway 6 SouthCollege Station, Texas 77845

The evaluation was designed to answer the following questions about the program:

1. Do participants gain increased knowledge about science, engineering, and technology (SET) topics?

2. Are participants satisfied with the program and its activities?

3. Do participants develop increased positive attitudes towards the importance of higher education?

4. Do participants report increased interest in careers related to SET?

5. Does participation lead to a greater desire to take high school science courses?

6. Does participation lead students to develop a desire to form and attend their own 4-H clubs?

Evaluation Questions

MethodologyThe Youth Engagement, Attitudes and Knowledge Survey (YEAKS) was used to measure key indicators (e.g., decision making, critical thinking, etc.). Additional questions were added to address participant satisfaction and plans for high school SET courses.

Questionnaires were administered to students in the 4-H program at the Cobb 6th Grade and Sam Houston Elementary in Harris County at the beginning of the 2010 school year, again in December, and at the end of the program year during the spring of 2011. Surveys were administered to Cameron county participants at the beginning of 2011 and again in April 2011.

Mean scores were calculated for the following scales. All items employed a 4-item likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 4 = strongly agree). Table 1 provides a completed breakdown of scales, items, and reliability coefficients.

Scale Name Items αScience Skills I can use scientific knowledge to form a question I can ask a question that can be answered by collecting data I can design a scientific procedure to answer a question I can communicate a scientific procedure to others I can record data accurately I can use data to create a graph for presentation to others I can create a display to communicate my data and observations 0.88 I can analyze the results of a scientific investigation I can use science terms to share my results I can use models to explain my results I can use the results of my investigation to answer the questions I asked Program I like the 4-H program. Satisfaction I would tell other kids to sign up for the 4-H program. 0.91 I would sign up again for the 4-H program. Program I feel safe and respected Climate I am afraid I will be embarrassed or put down All kinds of kids are welcome Adults listen to what I have to say I feel comfortable going to adults for advice 0.77 Other kids care about me I feel like I can make a difference I am encouraged to take responsibility It is OK to make mistakes

All survey data was entered into a dataset and analyzed using SPSS 18. Descriptive statistics were run for all items.

FINDINGS

Before presenting the overall findings a number of key points deserve consideration. The small sample size and the unequal representation of the same individuals across waves of data collection make it difficult to confidently identify significant change scores between pre- and post-test administrations of the survey.

Sample information

During the first wave of data collection 31 surveys were received students in Harris County. Thirty-seven surveys were collected from Harris County and 24 from Cameron County during wave two. In the final wave 17 surveys were collected from Harris County and 16 from Cameron County. Table 2 provides a demographic overview of the two groups.

Table 2. Sample Demographics Sam Houston (n = 48) Cameron County (n = 24)Mean Age 10.2 17.6Male 23 7Female 25 17African American/Black 10 0Hispanic/Latino 26 19Native American 2 0White 0 4Other 2 1Multi-Racial 7 0

Table 3 provides information related to the amount of the program received as reported by the students on the final survey.

Table 3. Amount of SET Program Received How long have you How many hours do you spend

been in this program? in the program each week?

A month 2 to 4 5 to 7 8 months 1 hour or 1-3 3+ or less months months or more less hours hours Harris County 0% 12% 59% 29% 29% 59% 12% Cameron County 38% 25% 19% 19% 88% 13% 0%

Do participants gain increased knowledge about science, engineering, and technology (SET) topics?

A variety of questions were asked to better understand the impact of the program on participants’ perspectives of SET topics. These included items related to perceived SET skill levels and attitude towards science. In terms of perceived SET skills, participants reported mostly positive perceptions of their SET skills (see Figure 1).

Perceived SET Skills

Although Cameron county students reported a slight decline in perceived skills, Harris County scores increased across each data wave. As mentioned earlier, caution should be taken when interpreting the results because of the small sample sizes and because the same individuals did not always complete the survey each time.

Students were also asked to respond to a number of questions related to their attitudes towards science. See table 4

Table 4. Attitude Towards Science Harris County Cameron County Items T1 T2 T3 T2 T3I like science 94% 81% 94% 54% 56%Science is useful for solving 65% 83% 88% 78% 69%everyday problems

Students appear to have a mostly positive attitude towards science and its everyday importance.

Overall satisfaction with the program was high for students from both counties and satisfaction appears to have increased over the duration of the program (Figure 2).

Are participants satis ied with the program and its activities?f

Program Satisfaction

Students were asked to pick their top three favorite aspects of the program from a list of 10 options.

Harris County Cameron CountyActivities T2 T3 T2 T3I get to do hands-on activities and projects 3% 9% 16% 5%I get to spend time with my friends 0% 7% 4% 23%I can use tools and materials here that 3% 37% 7% 49%I don’t have at school or at homeI get to do community service 0% 35% 5% 16%I get opportunities to demonstrate things 19% 9% 18% 7%I have learned or made in front of others The adults are caring and kind (staff, leaders, volunteers) 25% 2% 21% 0%It is a place where I feel safe 28% 2% 23% 0%I like the curriculum/project book 0% 0% 9% 0%It is a group where I feel like I belong 11% 0% 0% 0%I get positive feedback from the adults and other kids 11% 0% 4% 0%

Do participants develop increased positive attitudes towards the importance of higher education?

Youth were asked to indicate how far they would like to continue on in school (Table 6). Higher scores indicate increased desire to obtain more secondary education.

Table 6. Educational Aspirations How far do you want to go in school? T1 T2 T3Harris County 3.90 4.11 4.41Cameron County --- 3.67 3.19

Table 5 provides a summary of the most frequently chosen program elements.

Do participants report increased interest in careers related to SET?

Interest in science related careers appeared to increase across the duration of the program among the sampled students (Table 7).

Table 7. Interest in SET Careers When I graduate from high school,

I would like to have a job related to science

T1 T2 T3Harris County 2.35 2.43 2.82Cameron County --- 2.25 2.31

Students were also provided list of potential careers and asked to select their most preferred. Table 8 provides a summary of the percentage of students who selected SET related careers.

Table 8. % of Students Who Expressed Interest in Specific SET Careers T1 T2 T3Harris County 16% 17% 24%Cameron County --- 2700% 2500%

Does participation lead to a greater desire to take high school science courses?

Students were asked how much they enjoyed science classes and if they planned on taking any science courses in high school. This second question was perhaps not as applicable to the Cameron County sample as they already were in high school.

Table 9. Interest in Science Classes Science is one of my I plan on taking science favorite subjects courses in high schoolItem T1 T2 T3 T1 T2 T3Harris County 3.06 2.89 3.29 2.97 2.90 3.31Cameron County --- 2.42 2.25 --- 3.17 2.94

Does participation lead students to develop a desire to form and attend their own 4-H clubs?

Results indicate student interest in starting a new 4-H Club increased over the course of the program.

Table 10. Interest in Starting a 4-H Club I would like to help start a new 4-H ClubItem T2 T3Harris County 2.69 3.35Cameron County 2.33 2.75

ConclusionAlthough these results provide some insights into the impact of the observed programs, as stated, the small sample size and number of program sessions offered between the testing periods make it difficult to make concrete impact statements. For example, although some increases are shown in a number of areas, it needs to be recognized that it was not always the same individuals who completed surveys at each collection period.

That being said, the overall scores are positive in that a majority of respondents appear satisfied with the program, confident in their SET skills, and have clear goals for post-secondary education. It is also encouraging to see that students felt positive about the overall climate of the program and a majority also expressed interest in starting their own 4-H Clubs.