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

YFP/4-H Mentoring Evaluation
in YFP on the interview forms, we did not use identifying data to link youths to their responses.
A copy of the “Program Implementation Assessment for Youth” is available in Appendix A.
Data Limitations
The data used for the analyses here contain some notable limitations that should be kept
in mind when reviewing the results. These limitations, some of which are discussed in other
parts of this report, include:
• It was not uncommon for information to be missing from quarterly reports or the online
log. Some fields were more likely to be completed than others, and entire reports were
missing for some sites. Though we can only base our assessment of “compliance” with
program guidelines on the information available, it is possible that discrepancies
observed may be the result not of non-compliance, but imprecise recordkeeping and
reporting.
• The site coordinators’ descriptions of site operations collected via interviews and
questionnaires included those elements perceived by JRSA to be the most critical to
understanding variation across sites. It is possible that other cross-site variations in
design and implementation exist.
• The distribution of participation in data collection by site coordinators, mentors and
youths was likely non-random. For example, it is possible that sites with better reporting
were also those sites that implemented the program with greater fidelity. Consequently,
the reader should keep in mind that the findings presented here may be affected by nonrandom
variation in participation in data collection.
• The number of interviews conducted and surveys completed for youth and mentors was
small. In designing the evaluation, information from mentors and mentees was not
35