Impact of a 4-H Youth Development Program on At-Risk Urban Teenagers

Dynamic programs that integrate science literacy and workforce readiness are essential to today's youth. The program reported here combined science literacy (gardening and technology) with workforce readiness to assess the impact of program type, prior program participation, and behavior/punctuality on knowledge gain. Findings show that past participation in a similar program positively impacted knowledge gain. Further, the results indicate that behavior/punctuality also increased knowledge gain. Of particular interest to Extension educators, this article discusses the implications of examining only mean scores to assess program effectiveness, especially where prior programs have been attended by students. Introduction Science literacy, as defined by the National Research Council (1996), is ''the knowledge and understanding of scientific concepts and processes required for personal decision making, participation in civic and cultural affairs, and economic productivity'' or understanding basic science skills. Science literacy in this context is more than just traditional science because technology and gardening programs can be important facets within the educational environments of schools. As noted by Goodman (2003), integration of technology has made a mark on school based education. Further, there is a technology divide among lowand higher-income families (Wilhelm, Carmen, & German Cutz Extension Educator Sustainable Families and Communities Bethel, Connecticut german.cutz@uconn.e du Benjamin Campbell Assistant Professor and Extension Economist Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics Storrs, Connecticut ben.campbell@uconn. edu Karen K. Filchak Extension Educator Family & Consumer Science/Residential Water Quality Brooklyn, Connecticut Karen.filchak@uconn. edu Edith Valiquette Extension Educator Youth Development Educator Bethel, Connecticut edith.valiquette@ucon n.edu Mary Ellen Welch Extension Educator Family and Consumer Sciences Norwich, Connecticut mary.welch@uconn.ed u University of Connecticut Megan, 2002), implying the need to teach and increase access of technology to at-risk youth. Gardening, on the other hand, has been shown to provide opportunities to, among many others, learn science literacy (Fusco, 2001; Blair, 2013; McFarland, Glover, Waliczek, & Zajicek, 2013), decrease sedentary behavior (Phelps, Hermann, Parker, & Denney, 2010) and serve as a protective factor against youth delinquent and risk behavior while at the same time enhancing youth educational achievement and civic engagement (McFarland et al., 2013; Adedokun & Balschweid, 2009). In addition, research has found that more than 25% of youth do not have the skills to be prepared for work and that 21% do not have the skills to be workforce-ready (Fields, Brown, Piechocinski, & Wells, 2012; Cochran, Catchpole, Arnett, & Ferrari, 2010) and that 4-H programs should help close the workforce skills gap. However, researchers have not yet systematically evaluated knowledge gains when at-risk urban teens are exposed to a combination of science literacy topics such as gardening, technology, and workforce readiness. This article serves to fill this gap in the literature while also providing a positive educational experience for at-risk urban teens. Further, we discuss the implications for gardening and science programs on youth development. A 4-H Teen Urban Gardening Project was implemented in two urban cities: Bridgeport and Windham, Connecticut. The project consisted of three components: gardening, technology, and workforce readiness. Preand post-tests were administered to measure the before and after knowledge of teens who participated in gardening and technology programs. Further, a workforce-readiness component included an employer-employee simulation, where participating teens earned a stipend (money) based on points accumulated throughout the semester for work ethic (observed punctuality), communication (positive participation), and team work. Work ethic, communication, and team work have been identified as key workforce readiness elements (Cochran, et. al., 2010; O'Neil, Allred, & Baker, 2014). These soft skills, punctuality and attitude are commonly noted by employers as being lacking of high school and common graduates (Olsen, 2007; Palmer, 2012). Purpose and Objectives This article focuses on four main questions: 1. How much knowledge do at-risk urban teens gain when exposed to science literacy and technology programs? 2. Does past program participation (attending a program over subsequent years) influence knowledge gain among urban teens? 3. What differences in knowledge gains can be found when urban teens learn gardening and technology under the same project? 4. What is the impact of workforce readiness skills (punctuality and positive participation) have on knowledge gains? Methods Feature Impact of a 4-H Youth Development Program on At-Risk Urban Teenagers JOE 53(4) ©2015 Extension Journal Inc. 1 The outreach program was conducted with two 5th to 8th grade (10-13 years old) at-risk urban teen groups participating in after-school programs devoted to urban gardening (such as gardening and composting) and technology. The program was conducted at two sites, one located at Barnum Elementary School in Bridgeport and another at Windham Middle School in Willimantic, Connecticut. Children within these schools meet many of the characteristics associated with at-risk, notably increased levels of poverty and household characteristics such as non-English speaking household and residential mobility (Robbins, Stagman, & Smith, 2012). Data were collected from students enrolled from summer 2012 through fall 2013. All participating teens qualified for school free lunch, which has been used as a poverty indicator or risk factor. Enrollment was on a first-come first-serve basis, and students needed to complete a registration package signed by their parents or legal guardian. Both sites taught the same content and used the same data collection instruments. Students met from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. twice per week.