Winter 2008 - Vol. 3 No. 3 - National Association of Extension 4-H ...

section is a set of statements that are relevant to all project experiences and to youth of allages and backgrounds.” (Howard et al., 2001, p. 2).Second, nine Extension 4-H Agents from different districts in the state of Florida were asked toselect the life skills that their 4-H program targets. They were also encouraged to add to orrefine the list of life skills. Those items that had the greatest level of consensus were chosen forinclusion in the Life Skills Improvement Scale. The Cronbach alpha reliability coefficients for theLife Skills Improvement Scale was .88 above the typical conservative target of at least .80(Guion, & Rivera, 2006). The scale was also found to be face valid and had a very high contentvalidity index of 3.8 out of possible 4 (Guion, & Rivera, 2006). The last section of theevaluation instrument contained key demographic questions.A copy of the evaluation instrument is provided as an Appendix.ImplementationUsing a cross-sectional survey design, the instrument was administered at the beginning of aregular 4-H club meeting. Each 4-H Agent participating in the study was provided with consentforms that were signed by the parents, as well as detailed instructions and a script in order tomake administration of the instrument more consistent across sites. They were also providedpostage paid envelopes to return the survey.Findings and Implications for Practice and/or Further ResearchOpportunity to Engage In Different Learning Experiences that Foster YouthParticipation and LeadershipParticipants “frequently” engaged in different learning experiences that are integral to youthdevelopment. Opportunities for having fun was the most frequent (M=4.41, SD=.72) followedby opportunities to “feel like part of a group” (M=4.39, SD=.85). Only “sometimes” they hadthe opportunity to “be a leader” (M=3.44, SD=1.35) or “speak before a group” (M=3.56,SD=1.28) (See Table 1).Table 1Means and standard deviations of opportunities given to club membersHow often were you given the CHANCE TO... M SD Nhave fun 4.41 .72 126make new friends 3.89 1.07 126feel like part of a group 4.39 .85 125make decisions 3.91 1.06 126speak before a group 3.56 1.28 124be a leader 3.44 1.35 124do service projects 3.95 1.06 126learn record-keeping 3.73 1.15 126Use parliamentary procedure at club meetings 3.75 1.24 124Scale: 1) Never 2) Rarely 3) Sometimes 4) Frequently 5) AlwaysGiving youth the opportunity to develop leadership skills by providing him/her withopportunities to “be a leader” and “speak before a group” are important. These results suggest