A Process and Outcome Evaluation of the 4-H Mentoring/ Youth and ...

YFP/4-H Mentoring Evaluation
program staff and mentors and emailed on a quarterly basis to the Utah State University
Extension Office in Logan, Utah. In July 2007, the quarterly reports were replaced with a
password-protected online log; as of September 2007, all sites began using the online log.
Quarterly reports included individual-level information on participation in program activities,
mentor matches (names, date of match, and type of mentor) and trainings, reasons for referral to
YFP, and dates to track the signing or receipt of various forms for participants and mentors. In
addition, quarterly reports included site-level information on the themes of program activities,
youth demographics, donations received by the program, and narratives describing the impact of
YFP. Notably absent from the quarterly reports was information pertaining to when youths leave
the program or when a match with a mentor ends. JRSA contacted program staff to obtain
discharge and “unmatch” information. 7
With the exception of reasons for referral to YFP, all the
data collected via the quarterly reports are now submitted via the online log. In addition, the
online log contains fields for discharge dates, reasons for discharge, unmatch dates, and reasons
for unmatch.
Though 450 youths were in the study, program dosage data (on participation in program
activities) were available for 401 youths. That is, at least some dosage data are available on 89%
of youths admitted 8 to YFP from September 1, 2005 to September 30, 2008. Of the remaining
11% without dosage data, at least some information is available on their program involvement
(e.g., admit date, date of home visit by staff). Youths included in this analysis attended one or
7 The term “unmatch” is used by YFP to indicate that the relationship between the youth and the mentor has ended.
The best way to determine that youths were no longer involved in the program when using the quarterly reports was
their “disappearance” from those reports. When a mentor’s name was no longer listed in the table noting the youth’s
mentor, this served as an indication that a match had ended. JRSA followed up with program staff, as needed, to
obtain actual discharge dates, reasons for discharge, unmatch dates, and reasons for unmatch.
8 Missing quarterly report data is particularly problematic for three sites: Cache-Community, Cache-Latino, and
Iron-CYFAR.
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