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thesis entitled
THE DEVELOPMENT, IMPLEMENTATION, AND EVALUATION

OF THE MICHIGAN 4-H NEW VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION AND TRAINING
PROGRAM: A RESEARCH-BASED RATIONALE

presented by

Jennifer Ann Wagester

has been accepted towards fulﬁllment
of the requirements for

M.S. degree in Agricultural & Extension
Education

 

   

Major professor

Date August 26, 1999

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THE DEVELOPMENT, IMPLEMENTATION, AND EVALUATION OF THE
MICHIGAN 4-H NEW VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION AND TRAINING PROGRAM:
A RESEARCH-BASED RATIONALE

By

Jennifer Ann Wagester

A THESIS
Submitted to
Michigan State University

in partial fulﬁllment of the requirements
for the degree of

MASTER OF SCIENCE
Agricultural and Extension Education

1999

ABSTRACT
THE DEVELOPMENT, IMPLEMENTATION, AND EVALUATION OF THE
MICHIGAN 4-H NEW VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION AND TRAINING PROGRAM:
A RESEARCH-BASED RATIONALE
By

Jennifer Ann Wagester

4-H is the youth development program of Michigan State University Extension.
Its success is attributed to over 21,000 volunteers who devote their time to helping
Michigan youth develop into healthy, productive citizens. An orientation and training
program is proposed for new 4-H volunteers to more effectively train them for their roles
in 4-H. The program also will strive to meet the needs of the new volunteers, thereby
increasing new 4-H volunteer satisfaction. Increased satisfaction should increase new
4-H volunteer retention and provide a base of competent volunteers to lead 4-H into the
next millennium. The orientation and training program is based upon methods validated
through research and possesses three facets that will help ensure its success. First, the
program is longitudinal, which means participants will attend multiple sessions over time.
Secondly, the program provides on-going, carefully structured opportunities for the
participants to exchange thoughts and ideas. Finally, the program has been developed
within a comprehensive, research-based evaluation framework. The Michigan 4-H New
Volunteer Orientation and Training Program should, therefore, serve as a model to help
people who design longitudinal volunteer-oriented training programs to successfully

develop, implement, and evaluate those programs.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................ iv
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................. 1
Objective ................................................................................... 2
LITERATURE REVIEW ......................................................................... 2
The History of 4-H Volunteer Training and Development ........................... 2
Michigan 4-H Volunteer Training and Development ................................ 5
Increasing Volunteer Tenure ............................................................. 6
Evaluation — A Key Component of Program Planning ............................... 8
Kirkpatrick’s F our-Level Model .............................................. 10
Stufﬂebeam’s CIPP Model .................................................... l4
Phillip’s Complete Results-Based Human Resources Development
Model ................................................................... 16
Phillip’s Strategies for Isolating the Effects of Training .................. 17
Summary .................................................................................. 17
THE MICHIGAN 4-H NEW VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION & TRAINING
PROGRAM ....................................................................................... 18
THE FRAMEWORK FOR THE EVALUATION OF A LONGITUDINAL
TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM ........................................... 23
DISCUSSION ..................................................................................... 24
The Program is Longitudinal ........................................................... 24
The Participants are Given a Means to Contact Other Participants and
Mentors to Exchange Thoughts and Ideas ................................... 26
The Program Will Be Evaluated Using a Research-Based Evaluation
Framework ....................................................................... 27
APPENDICES .................................................................................... 29
Appendix A
4-H Training Materials: Section 1 - Overview of 4-H ..................... 30
Appendix B
4-H Training Materials: Section 7 - Effective Teaching Methods ....... 48
Appendix C
The Framework for the Evaluation of a Longitudinal Training and
Development Program ......................................................... 61
References ......................................................................................... 65

iii

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Guidelines for Evaluating Kirkpatrick’s Four-Level Model (Kirkpatrick,
1998, p. 26, 40, 49, 61) .................................................................... 13

Table 2. The Relevance of Four Evaluation Types to Decision-Making &
Accountability (Stufﬂebeam & Shinkﬁeld, 1998, p. 164) ........................... 15

Table 3. A Complete Results-Based Human Resource Development Model (Phillips,
1997, p. 52) ................................................................................. 16

Table 4. The Content of the Michigan 4-H New Volunteer Orientation and Training
Program ...................................................................................... 20

iv

INTRODUCTION

4-H is the youth development program of Michigan State University Extension.
This non-formal, educational program is conducted by the United States Department of
Agriculture, Michigan State University, and county governments. It combines the work
of federal, state, and local Extension staff and volunteers. Nationally, its mission is to
assist youth in acquiring knowledge, developing life skills, and forming attitudes that will
enable them to become self-directing, productive, and contributing members of society.

The mission of Michigan 4-H Youth Programs is to work together with
communities to create environments that build strong, healthy youth who are proactive in
a complex and changing world. Its success is attributed to over 21,000 volunteers who
devote their time to helping Michigan youth develop into healthy, productive citizens
(Rasmussen, 1989; Wessel & Wessel, 1982; Vines & Anderson, 1976). 4-H volunteers
provide an economically feasible way to reach youth in every local community. In 1998,
Michigan 4-H volunteers donated approximately $65 million in time to 4-H'. They also
offer insight into community issues and opportunities, promote 4-H to their neighbors,
and enrich 4-H with their knowledge and experiences.

Throughout its history, Michigan 4-H has contributed signiﬁcant resources to the
recruitment and training of 4-H volunteers. If new 4-H volunteers served 4-H for a
longer period of time, less time and money would be spent recruiting and training
volunteers. Retaining volunteers for a longer period of time can also increase the quality

of 4-H programs (Gamon, 1978). Volunteers who have served for multiple years are

 

I $65 million was determined by multiplying the number of Michigan 4-H volunteers (Michigan State
University Extension, 1998) by the average number of hours spent volunteering per year and the dollar
value of each hour of service (Independent Sector, 1999): 21,067 4-H volunteers x 218.4 hours per year x
$14.30 per hour = $65,794,769.04

familiar with current programs and opportunities, have some training, and possess
experience in 4-H volunteer activities such as leading groups of people, helping youth
develop, and providing a positive role-model. Therefore, it is in the best interest of 4-H
to invest in an orientation and training program for new 4-H volunteers to conserve
valuable resources and maintain quality 4-H programs. The objectives of this thesis are
to document the research foundation for the creation of a 4-H volunteer orientation and
training program, to provide an example of a pilot orientation and training program for
new 4-H volunteers, and to suggest a framework for its evaluation.

LITERATURE REVIEW

The History of 4-H Volunteer Training and Development

 

In the mid-1950’s Extension looked at trends related to volunteer satisfaction and
retention. A study conducted by Laurel Sabrosky, in the western region of the US,
indicated that Extension would have to expend prodigious effort to upgrade volunteer
training so that it would meet the needs of the volunteers. Many of the training sessions
focused on increasing the volunteers’ knowledge level in ﬁelds such as agriculture and
home economics, instead of teaching the volunteers how to solve their problems or how
to educate others. Sabrosky judged these training sessions as inadequate for preparing
leaders for the challenges that they would encounter in 4-H (Wessel & Wessel, 1982).

In 1959, Kelly and Sabrosky proposed a training model to guide 4-H agents in
providing more effective leadership training for volunteers (Wessel and Wessel, 1982).
They noted that it was not necessary to train every volunteer individually or to expect
every volunteer to receive training in every subject since many of the volunteer roles

were specialized. They believed that training conducted over a period of years would

eventually provide the county with a large group of excellent leaders. The leaders and
other resource persons in the community could be called upon to conduct training
sessions and provide programs that would be developed for volunteers by volunteers.
The study also recommended that staff should be consistent with the 4—H motto “learn by
doing” and make active learning the basis for volunteer leadership training programs.
(USDA, 1959 as cited by Wessel and Wessel, 1982). McKeachie (1994) supported their
suggestion to train 4-H volunteers with techniques that encouraged active learning. His
research indicated that active learning tends to be better than lectures in producing
retention, comprehension, application, synthesis, and participant enthusiasm and
satisfaction.

In 1960, Extension offered a series of week-long national forums for volunteer
leaders. The leader forums were not intended to replace local training. Their purpose
was to supplement the work of local agents in professionalizing the volunteer force. The
program combined classes, tours of the nation’s capital, meetings with Extension
ofﬁcials, and time for volunteers from across the country to get to know one another.
Results of participant feedback showed that the most important part of the program was
providing volunteers with opportunities to exchange ideas, to improve their own
techniques, and to feel a sense of belonging to a larger organization that was prepared to
support their local efforts (National 4-H Council, 1961 as cited by Wessel & Wessel,
1982). These opportunities helped fulﬁll volunteers’ needs for social interaction,
achievement, and afﬁliation.

In 1964, Sabrosky tried to ﬁnd relationships between the activities of 4-H leaders

and the causes for dropout. She attempted to determine the variables that would help

predict why some volunteers dropped out after one year or less of volunteer service. It
was found that volunteers who continued their service were not signiﬁcantly different
demographically from those who discontinued. However, former 4-H volunteers
indicated that lack of training headed the list of reasons for dropping out. These
volunteers apparently felt isolated and uncertain about their role in 4-H. Most had little
training in educational principles and could not conﬁdently plan or conduct a meeting.
The study concluded that a volunteer’s perception of his or her role was a signiﬁcant
factor in retaining the volunteer for a second year (Sabrosky, 1964).
In 1971, Dr. Milton Boyce presented ISOTURE, a leadership development model.
This model, when applied to volunteer development programs, consists of the following
steps (Safrit et al., 1993):
0 Identifying volunteer opportunities within the organization and developing
appropriate written job descriptions for them.
Selecting (recruiting) volunteers best qualiﬁed for the volunteer opportunity.
Orienting volunteers to both the total organization and the speciﬁc volunteer
responsibility.
0 Training volunteers in developing additional knowledge, attitudes and skills
that will help them be successful in ﬁilﬁlling their volunteer responsibility.
1» Utilizing the volunteers’ knowledge, attitudes, and skills in contributing to the
success and growth of the organization.
0 Recognizing volunteers for the positive contributions they make to the
organization.
0 Evaluating the individual’s performance as a volunteer, professional support
of volunteers, and the total volunteer development program.
In the early 1990’s, two program development curriculums and a new leadership model
were published. BLAST (Building Leadership And Skills Together) and TAXI (Taking
Anybody into Expanded Involvement) are two curriculums that use the principles

presented in ISOTURE. The Ohio 4-H BLAST! Program is a research-based, pragmatic

curriculum designed to support professionals and middle managers in developing,

supporting, and maintaining volunteer development programs (Safrit et al., 1993). TAXI
is a curriculum that offers compatible tools for speciﬁc stages of volunteer program
development. It is a step-by-step guide to creating a middle management system for local
volunteer programs (Adkins, 1994). A leadership model called L-O-O-P (Locating,
Orienting, Operating, and Perpetuating) was also developed. It is a structured model that
helps program planners guide volunteers (Penrod, 1991).
Michigan 4-H Volunteer Training and Development

At this time, Michigan 4-H does not have a uniform new 4-H volunteer
orientation program (Chapin, 1999). In 1997 and 1998, Julie Chapin, the current
Michigan State 4—H Program Leader, conducted eleven focus group meetings consisting
of Michigan 4-H volunteers and paid staff. Each group represented a different region of
the state of Michigan and consisted of people who had different lengths of service to 4-H,
roles in 4-H, gender, age, and race. The purpose of these meetings was to gather input on
volunteer training and development needs. These groups responded that Michigan 4-H
volunteers desired information that would be useful and applicable to their roles as 4-H
volunteers, support of their volunteer activities, and opportunities to interact with other
4-H volunteers. They also thought that current resources were not able to provide
adequate training needed by new 4-H volunteers. When asked if an in-depth orientation
program could meet 4-H volunteers’ needs, 4-H volunteers and staff members stated that
they thought it could.

Chapin also found that new 4-H volunteers have many of the same characteristics

that volunteers of the 1960’s did, as noted by the Sabrosky study in 1964. They feel

isolated and uncertain about their role in 4-H, have little training in educational
principles, and cannot plan or conduct a meeting with conﬁdence.
Increasing Volunteer Tenure
Motivation, satisfaction, and training and development were identiﬁed in the

literature as factors affecting the tenure of volunteers. Motivation is deﬁned as the
combination of forces that prompt people to behave as they do (Cayne & Lechner, 1992).
Atkinson and Feather (1966) and McClelland (1962) identiﬁed achievement, power, and
afﬁliation as three categories of motivation. Achievement motives inﬂuence individuals
to feel gratiﬁcation from accomplishments and from attaining excellence. Power motives
cause individuals to seek to control their environment. Afﬁliation motives inﬂuence
people to be concerned with building and maintaining relationships with other people,
and being accepted by others. Henderson (1981) found most 4-H volunteers are
motivated by afﬁliation. Culp and Pilat (1998) conﬁrmed this ﬁnding. They stated that
4-H volunteers are primarily motivated to continue volunteering due to afﬁliation
motives.

In 1983, Francies compiled various motivational need theories and identiﬁed
seven different needs people have. They are:
The Need for Experience.
The Need to Express Feelings of Social Responsibility.
The Need for Social Contact.
The Need to Respond to the Expectations of Others.
The Need for Social Approval.

The Need for Future Rewards.
The Need to Achieve.

NP‘P‘PP’NT‘

F rancies used these needs to develop a Volunteer Needs Proﬁle to determine which of the

seven needs volunteers possessed in the greatest amounts. The results of the Volunteer

Needs Proﬁle enabled volunteers to be placed in roles that were compatible to their
needs. This allowed the needs of the volunteers to be fulﬁlled, which increased volunteer
satisfaction.
Balenger, Sedlacek, and Guenzler (1989) proposed the Expectancy Theory. It
states that people are motivated by expected outcomes. If the outcomes do not meet the
volunteers’ expectations, volunteers may terminate their service. This phenomenon was
supported by Culp in 1996. He found that leaders who left 4-H devoted more time per
week to volunteering, but they rated their clubs as failing to meet their expectations.
Culp concluded that the volunteers may have discontinued their service because the
outcomes of their service did not meet their expectations.
The relationship between turnover rates and employee satisfaction is perceived to
be strong. Julia Gamon wrote in 1978, “reducing worker turnover means increasing job
satisfaction” (p. 6). In 1983, F rancies showed that when volunteers’ satisfaction
increased, their likelihood of continuing service was increased. Therefore, to decrease
employee or volunteer turnover rates, organizations must increase overall employee or
volunteer satisfaction.
Satisfaction can be achieved in various ways. For volunteers, satisfaction is
generally achieved by one or more of the following:
1. The volunteers’ experiences met or exceeded their expectations (Keaveney et
al., 1991; Balenger et al., 1989).

2. Volunteers were provided with training and opportunities for advancement
(Gamon, 1978).

3. The volunteers had an opportunity to do something that made them feel good
about themselves (Danoff & Kopel, 1994).

4. The experience offered the volunteers an opportunity to do something

worthwhile (Briggs, 1982).
5. Volunteers experienced positive social interaction (Culp & Schwartz, 1999).

6. The volunteers felt they were respected and valued by their organization
(Briggs, 1982).

7. The volunteers were able to do something new (Francies, 1983).
8. The volunteer roles were compatible with the volunteers’ needs (F rancies,
1983)
Each of these events is able to fulﬁll certain needs that volunteers may have. By
fulﬁlling needs that volunteers have, satisfaction among volunteers can be increased,
which leads to an increase in volunteer tenure (Francies, 1983).

Training and development programs can increase volunteer retention when they
meet the needs of the volunteers. This occurs when the information that the training and
development program provides is perceived as useful, applicable, hands-on, and desired
by the volunteers (Culp, 1995). When a training and development program meets the
needs and desires of its participants, it increases their tenure in the organization.

Adult education research has conclusively shown that programs, which are
initiated and developed by the participants, are more successﬁrl at meeting the
participants’ needs (Knowles, 1980). Participants express a need and desire for the
program when they initiate it. They are then more apt to participate in the program and
have a more positive experience (Balliette and Smith, 1990). This is because programs
based upon the participants’ input more accurately identify and meet the participants’
needs.

Evaluation — A Key Component of Proggam Planning
In many cases, programs that are designed with participants’ input are not

systematically evaluated. The failure of program planners to incorporate a rigorous,

research-based evaluation component precludes any true assessment of program efﬁcacy

and impact. Evaluation is an integral component of adult program planning because it
can:

1. determine the worth, value, or meaning of a program (Phillips, 1997).

2. provide feedback that can be used to improve the program (Rothwell &

Cookson, 1997).

3. show the participants that their thoughts and feelings matter (Levine, 1999).
Determining the worth, value, or meaning of a program allows the program planner to
justify the existence of the program by showing how it contributes to the organization’s
objectives and goals and to decide whether to continue or discontinue the program
(Kirkpatrick, 1998). Improving future programs promotes the efﬁcient and effective use
of available resources and paying attention to the participants’ input can increase the
participants’ satisfaction by making them feel valued (Briggs, 1982).

Evaluation is not just the act of gathering data. It is a coordinated process that
consists of making judgements about planned programs based on established criteria and
known, observable evidence (Boone, 1985). In 1971, Stufﬂebeam suggested the
mechanics of program evaluation. They are:

Developing a climate that is supportive of evaluation.
Planning and focusing the evaluation.

Selecting or constructing appropriate measuring instruments.
Collecting and processing data.

Analyzing, interpreting, and reporting information.
Assisting decision makers in utilizing evaluation information.

QMPPPT‘

These mechanics provide a model that program planners can follow to carryout the
process of evaluation.

Extension educational programs are generally evaluated after the completion of
the program to assess whether or not speciﬁc objectives were met (Bush et al., 1995).

This practice, however, does not utilize the process of evaluation to its full potential. The

process of evaluation must begin before the program takes place (Suskie, 1992). Suskie
stresses that before evaluation is carried out these questions must be addressed:

1. Why is the evaluation being done?

2. What does evaluation need to measure?

3. What resources are available to carry out the evaluation process?

The answers to these questions determine the method(s) that will be used to implement
the evaluation process.

Suskie is not alone in believing that evaluation is a process that should begin
before the implementation of the program. Kirkpatrick (1998), Phillips (1997),
Grotelueschen et al. (1974), and many others propose that evaluation should be a
forethought and not an afterthought. Grotelueschen et a1. (1974) may have put it best:
“The problem might be alleviated if educators were to think about their evaluation needs,
and the needs of others, before conducting the evaluations. In short, evaluations might be
better if they were planned” (p. 1).

Many leaders in the ﬁeld of evaluation have developed models and frameworks
that guide program planners through each stage of the evaluation process. They offer
insight into the processes that need to take place before, during, and after the program.
Several of the models and frameworks are relevant to the evaluation of the Michigan 4-H
New Volunteer Orientation and Training Program. The four most relevant are reviewed
below before suggesting the framework that will be used to evaluate the pilot program.
Kirkpatrick’s F our-Level Model

In 1959, Kirkpatrick published his four-level model for the ﬁrst time. It has since

been cited and republished numerous times and remains a prominent model for the

evaluation of training and development programs (Kirkpatrick, 1998). This model

10

consists of four levels: (1) Reaction — Did the participants like the program? (2) Learning
-— How much did the participants learn? (3) Behavior - How well did the participants use
what they learned during the program? (4) Results — What return did the program
investment yield? The program planner starts by evaluating level one and then
progressively evaluates levels 2, 3, and 4 as time and resources allow.

Parry (1997) based his approach on Kirkpatrick’s four-level model but expanded
on what the program planner needs to assess before, during, and after the program takes
place. Parry suggests that the evaluation process should begin with the needs analysis
that generally precedes training programs. This will allow the program planner to
determine factors that will affect the ultimate success of the program. These factors may
include:

1. What do the learners want to know and expect to get from the training

program?

2. What do the learners need to know and obtain ﬁom the program?

3. What factors in the outside environment will help or hinder the desired

performance?

4. What outcomes are expected? Are they realistic, desirable, and measurable?

5. What resources exist to facilitate learning?

6. What are the costs of training relative to the estimated beneﬁts?

Once the program is in place, it is important to use formative evaluation so that
the program can be continually modiﬁed to meet the participants’ needs. Formative
evaluation is the evaluation of a program while it is in progress. It helps identify
problems immediately, so that they may be solved during the program instead of after it
is over. It also can determine what the program may be lacking, what parts of the

program should be expanded, and if the format or presentation styles should be changed.

Parry suggests evaluating the following:

11

Are your participants comfortable? Assess seating, lighting, temperature,
ventilation, breaks, pacing, mixture of theory and practices, etc.

Are your participants learning? Use criterion tests and short quizzes to
evaluate their acquisition, and practice exercises to assess their skills.

Is your content relevant? Can your participants relate the new knowledge,
attitudes, and skills to their own needs? Can they provide examples of its
practical application in their jobs? Are they active or passive throughout the
course?

Is the training enjoyable? Learning is much more effective and the transfer of
training from workshop to workplace is more complete when the learners
enjoy the experience and contribute to its success with good participation.

Finally, once the program is completed, the impact of the program must be

evaluated. This is determined by performing a summative evaluation. Summative

evaluation is evaluation that takes place at the end of the program. It evaluates the entire

program and may ask:

SQMPS’I’NT‘

To what degree are the participants meeting the desired terminal behavior?
What factors are helping or hindering their performance?

What can be done to strengthen the reinforcers and reduce the constraints?
What aspects of our training proved to be most and least relevant?

What changes in performance can be seen from pre-training to post-training?
What is the dollar value of these changes?

How does the value of the improvements compare with the cost of training?

Tools to evaluate Kirkpatrick’s four levels are also discussed by Parry. He

suggests using rating sheets to evaluate reaction and tests and simulations to evaluate

learning throughout the training program. Performance measures for behavior are

quantiﬁed by the participants themselves or by others and can be performed whenever

appropriate during the program. Pre-training and post-training comparisons can be used

to evaluate the results of the program. In some cases, cost-beneﬁt analyses may be used

as well.

In 1998, Kirkpatrick offered guidelines for evaluating each of the four levels of

his model (Table 1). These guidelines provide insight into the evaluation of each level

12

and are useful tools for the program planner. They may not ﬁt the evaluation needs of

every program, but they do provide a framework from which the program planner may

work.

Table 1. Guidelines for Evaluating Kirkpatrick’s Four-Level Model (Kirkpatrick, 1998,
p.26,40,49,61)

 

Level

1 - Reaction

2 - Learning

3 - Behavior

4 - Results

Guidelines

WSQMPPNS‘

Nu—t

NQ‘SAPP’NT‘ P‘S‘PP’

MPP’NZ‘

Determine what you want to ﬁnd out.

Design a form that will quantify reactions.

Encourage written comments and suggestions.

Get 100 percent immediate response.

Get honest responses.

Develop acceptable standards.

Measure reactions against standards, and take appropriate action.
Communicate reactions as appropriate.

Use a control group if practical.

Evaluate knowledge, skills, and/or attitudes both before and after
the program.

Use a paper-and-pencil test to measure knowledge and attitudes.
Use a performance test to measure skills.

Get a 100 percent response.

Use the results of the evaluation to take appropriate action.

Use a control group if practical.

Allow time for behavior change to take place.

Evaluate both before and after the program if practical.
Survey and/or interview those in contact with the participants.
Get 100 percent response or a sampling.

Repeat the evaluation at appropriate times.

Consider cost versus beneﬁts.

Use a control group if practical.

Allow time for results to be achieved.

Measure both before and after the program if practical.
Repeat the measurement at appropriate times.

Be satisﬁed with evidence if proof is not possible.

 

13

Stufﬂebeam’s CIPP Model
Another four-level approach is the CIPP Model, developed by Stufﬂebeam in the

1960’s (Stufﬂebeam & Shinkﬁeld, 1985). CIPP is the acronym for the four basic types
of evaluation in the model. They are context, input, process, and product.

Context evaluation deﬁnes the relevant environment, identiﬁes needs and
opportunities, and diagnoses speciﬁc problems. A needs analysis is a common example
of context evaluation (Phillips, 1997).

Input evaluation provides information to determine how resources can be best
used to meet program goals. Information from input evaluation helps determine the
general strategy for program planning and design, and if outside assistance is necessary.
Common results of input evaluation are policies, budgets, schedules, proposals, and
procedures (Phillips, 1997).

Process evaluation provides feedback to the individuals responsible for
implementation. It is accomplished by monitoring potential sources for failure, providing
information for preplanned decisions during implementation, and describing what
actually occurs. Reaction sheets, rating scales, and analysis of existing records are
approaches used in data collection (Phillips, 1997).

Product evaluation measures and interprets the results of objectives, including
both intended and unintended outcomes. Evaluation at this level can take place both
during and after the program, and any traditional evaluation procedure may be used at
this level (Phillips, 1997).

In 1985, Stufﬂebeam and Shinkﬁeld developed a table that documented the

relevance of the four evaluation types to decision-making and accountability (Table 2).

14

Formative evaluation is used as a proactive approach to evaluate for decision-making.
Summative or retroactive evaluation is used for accountability issues.

Table 2. The Relevance of Four Evaluation Types to Decision-Making & Accountability

(Stufﬂebeam & Shinkfreld, 1985, p. 164).

 

 

Type of E valuation Context Input Process Product
Decision-Making Guidance for Guidance for Guidance for Guidance for
(formative) choice of choice of implementation termination,

objectives program consultation,
and strategy modiﬁcation,
assignments Input for or installation
of priorities speciﬁcation
or
procedural
design
Accountability Record of Record of Record of the Record of
(summative) objectives and chosen ' actual process attainments
bases for their strategy and and recycling
choice along design and decisions
with a record reasons for
of needs, their choice
opportunities, over other
and problems alternatives

 

At the time the CIPP model was implemented, it was novel in its idea to provide

ongoing evaluation services to the decision-makers for the program. Stufﬂebeam wrote

that “it is based on the View that the most important purpose of evaluation is not to prove

[refening to accountability] but to improve. . .it sees evaluation as a tool by which to help

make programs work better for the people they are intended to serve” (Stufﬂebeam &

Shinkﬁeld, 1985).

This model, however, is not meant for evaluating programs that take place over a

short period of time. CIPP provides a framework for dealing with the decisions

15

necessary in programming over a span of time (Steele, 1973). Continually improving the
program by using the formative approach is difﬁcult to do when the program may only be
a few hours to a day in length. It is therefore recommended that this method be used with
longitudinal programs.
Phillip’s Complete Results-Based Human Resource Development Model

Phillips (1997) recognized the need for evaluation before, during, and after a
program. To help program planners more effectively conduct the process of evaluation,
he proposed the Complete Results-Based Human Resource Development Model for
evaluation (Table 3). This model incorporates the processes of program planning and the
processes of evaluation into one, comprehensive process. It includes eighteen steps, ten
of which directly involve evaluation.

Table 3. A Complete Results-Based Human Resource Development Model (Phillips,
l997,p.52)

 

Model

 

Conduct a Needs Assessment and Develop Tentative Objectives
Identify Purposes of Evaluation

Establish Baseline Data, If Available
Select Evaluation Method/Design
Determine Evaluation Strategy

Finalize Program Objectives

Estimate Program Costs/Beneﬁts

Prepare and Present Proposal

Design Evaluation Instruments

10. Determine and Develop Program Content
11. Design or Select Delivery Methods

12. Test Program and Make Revisions

13. Implement or Conduct Program

14. Collect Data at Proper States

15. Analyze and Interpret Data

16. Make Program Adjustments

17. Calculate Return on Investment (R01)

18. Communicate Program Results

PWNP‘V‘PP’N.‘

 

16

This model may need to be modiﬁed to ﬁt the needs of the program.
Some programs may not need as many steps, so the model can be condensed. Others
may feel that they need to add sub-steps to clearly deﬁne their evaluation process. It is
important to note that the steps are meant to be followed in a linear fashion. This can
cause some difﬁculties for program planners who have programs that need a less
structured model.
Phillip’s Strategies for Isolating the Effects of Training
Phillips (1997) also explored several strategies for isolating the effects of the

training program. He recommended identifying outside factors that could inﬂuence the
participants’ knowledge, attitudes, and skills; using control groups; creating a trend-line
analysis; asking for the participants’, management’s, and experts’ estimates of the
training’s impact; and calculating the impact of other factors. All of these do not have to
be used to accurately determine how much of the participants’ knowledge, attitudes, and
skills were attributed to the training program. Phillips recommended selecting more than
one because two sources are usually better than one. Considering a few issues can help
pick the strategies that are best for the program. They include:

1. Feasibility of the strategy.

2. Accuracy provided by the strategy.

3. Credibility of the strategy with the target audience.

4. Speciﬁc cost to implement the strategy.
5. Time needed to implement a particular strategy.

Summag
Identifying the successes and failures of past and present 4-H training sessions,
asking Michigan 4-H volunteers what they need, and reviewing what is known about

increasing volunteer retention and evaluation, led to these conclusions:

17

l. 4-H volunteers believe that a training and development program could meet
their needs.

2. Programs can meet the needs of the participants by offering training that has

been identiﬁed and developed by the participants.

Meeting 4-H volunteers’ needs will increase their satisfaction.

Increased satisfaction leads to increased retention.

Training and development programs have the ability to increase retention by

meeting the needs of the participants.

6. Michigan 4-H would beneﬁt from increasing the retention of new 4-H
volunteers.

SAP.“

These conclusions indicate that an orientation and training program, designed for
new 4-H volunteers, has the potential to beneﬁt both Michigan 4-H programs and the 4—H
volunteers.

THE MICHIGAN 4—H VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION & TRAINING PROGRAM

The idea of implementing an orientation and training program for 4-H volunteers
with less than two years of service was ﬁrst initiated by the Michigan 4-H Recognition
Task Force. Through its review of recognition opportunities offered by Michigan 4-H,
the task force determined that little recognition and support is provided to volunteers in
their ﬁrst three years of service. Traditionally, 4-H volunteers are welcomed with a ﬁrst-
year 4-H pin, and then ﬁve years later they receive a pin recognizing their ﬁve years of
service. The task force believed that the lack of attention paid to new 4-H volunteers
contributed to their feeling isolated and uncertain about their roles in 4-H.

To provide the 4-H volunteers with more attention and support throughout their
ﬁrst years of service, the task force determined that a 4-H volunteer orientation program
should be developed. Michigan 4-H, however, cannot feasibly reach every new 4-H
volunteer at the statewide level due to (1) lack of resources to train all of Michigan’s new
4-H volunteers and (2) the amount of travel and time commitment it would require of the

volunteers. It was therefore determined that a new 4-H volunteer orientation program

18

should be piloted at the state level and ultimately serve as a model for new volunteer
orientation and training programs at the regional and county levels.

To determine the content and format for the new 4-H volunteer orientation
program, it was necessary to identify the needs of new Michigan 4-H volunteers. Julie
Chapin, the Michigan State 4-H Program Leader, ﬁrst consulted the 4-H Volunteer and
Clubs Programming Committee, which consists of Michigan 4-H volunteers and staff, to
address this issue. The committee developed a list of general topic areas that could
address the pertinent and “real-life” issues that new 4-H volunteers face in their ﬁrst two
years of service.

The general topics were then presented to focus groups of 4-H volunteers, 4—H
staff, 4-H program committees composed of staff and volunteers, and participants in a
staff development workshop. Eleven separate groups, each consisting of 20 or more
Michigan 4-H staff and 4-H volunteers, reviewed the general list. They provided input
that helped determine whether the topics were relevant to the needs of new 4-H
volunteers and then added subtopics to each general topic. The list of topics and
subtopics provides the content for the new 4-H volunteer orientation program (Table 4).
The items in bold italics were those selected as the most important by almost all of the
4-H staff and volunteers that were interviewed. The ones that are not in bold were

identiﬁed as important, but not as important as those in bold italics.

l9

Table 4. The Content of the Michigan 4-H New Volunteer Orientation and Training
Program.

 

Number. General Topic
'2' Subtopic bold italic items (very important)
0 Component of Subtopic not bold items (important)

 

1. Overview of 4-H
°3s National historical perspective
03° Understanding MS U Extension
0 Relationship to Michigan State University
0 Relationship to USDA
0 Relationship to 4-H Youth Programs
Vision and Mission of Michigan 4-H Youth Programs
Demographics of Michigan 4-H Youth Programs
° Understanding your County 4-H Program
0 Demographics
0 Program priorities and scope
0.0 Educational programs and opportunities
Overview of Project materials
Regional and Statewide opportunities
Educational Trips
Kettunen Center and KBS Training
Exploration Days, etc. . .

0°.

0
’0’ 0

0°.

2. Role of Volunteers in Michigan 4-H (especially clarifying the multiple roles
people can play in 4-H)
03° Club Leaders
'2' Resource Volunteers
03° Short-term Volunteers
'3' Relationships/Connection to County staff
'3' Educational and recognition opportunities for volunteers

3. Youth Development

°°° Ages and Stages of Youth Development

Working with children effectively, including special needs children,

mixed age groups, 5 -8 year olds, early adolescents, and older teens

'20 E ﬂective youth recognition (include a listing of awards and recognition
opportunities that can be promoted with kids)

'2' Understanding the Life Skills Model

°2° Asset Development

0

O
0.0

20

4. Club/Group Development and Management

Purpose of 4-H Clubs

Understanding the leader role in a club

Youth leadership development strategies

Planning effective club meetings

Involving parents in club activities

Planning an annual calendar

Effective Delegation

Parliamentary Procedure and other methods of conducting meetings
Financial Management and Reporting Requirements
Insurance and Liability Issues

Conﬂict Management

0
.0

O
0.0 O

.0

’9

’0

’0

O O
0.0 0.0

O
.0

O

.0

’0

O
0.0

.0

’0

O
.0

O

5. Communication Skills
02° Group decision-making
0:0 Problem solving
0:0 Consensus building

6. Personal Coping Skills
03° Time management
02° Stress management
4° Working with difﬁcult people

7. Effective Teaching Methods
4° Projects as vehicles for youth development
03° Trips and tours as educational experiences
'3' Understanding the Experiential Learning Model
03° Facilitation Skills

 

21

Materials for each topic were compiled from existing sources that included
previously written 4-H materials such as bulletins and newsletters, books about 4-H and
Extension, and validated practices used by professionals and experts in the corresponding
topic area. New materials were also created based upon the published literature on the
subject. Some materials were published over 20 years ago and had to be up-dated. All of
the materials were tailored to ﬁt the needs of the 4-H volunteers.

Drafts of the pilot materials will be reviewed by 4-H staff members and ﬁfteen
4-H volunteers to ensure that they will meet the needs of new 4-H volunteers. Once the
reviewers agree that the materials are satisfactory, they will be compiled into a three-ring
binder. Pilot materials for subtopics of section 1 and section 7 are included in the
Appendix as Appendix A and Appendix B, respectively.

The materials will be distributed to the 4—H volunteers over a one-year period.
Each training session will focus on a new set of topics. The facilitators will give the
corresponding materials to the volunteers during the session.

The order in which the materials will be presented and the delivery methods that
will be used will be determined by Mrs. Julie Chapin and 4-H staff. These individuals
will also determine the logistics of the training sessions, i.e., when and where will they be
held, how far apart they should be, how long each session should be, etc. The tentative
plan involves:

l. bringing the volunteers together for an overnight experience at the Kettunen

Center for the ﬁrst session in November 1999.

2. sponsoring two or three day-long training sessions at various locations within
the state in January and March 2000.
providing e-mail as a vehicle for interaction between the volunteers.
hosting a second overnight session at Kettunen Center in April 2000.

offering a graduation experience held at the 4-H Children’s Gardens on the
Michigan State University campus in July 2000.

SAP?”

22

At the beginning of the training and development program, the new 4-H
volunteers will be provided with resources that will help them access 4-H agents and
other 4-H volunteers across the state. These resources will include e-mail accounts, a
telephone and address directory, etc. This will allow volunteers to interact with their
peers between the training sessions and also after the program is ﬁnished. It is believed
that the interaction will provide the new 4-H volunteers with a sense of belonging, a peer
support group, and the ability to ﬁnd solutions to their problems and to share knowledge
with others.

The long-tenn goals of the program are to:

1. increase new 4-H volunteers’ satisfaction with their experiences in 4-H.

2. increase the retention of new 4-H volunteers.

3. improve existing 4-H programs by developing a large base of competent,

trained volunteers to lead 4-H into the next millennium.
THE FRAMEWORK FOR THE EVALUATION OF THE MICHIGAN 4-H NEW
VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION AND TRAINING PROGRAM

A framework for the evaluation of the Michigan 4-H New Volunteer Orientation
and Training Program was developed by:

1. reviewing the current evaluation literature.

2. identifying evaluation models that were successfully implemented in similar,

longitudinal, volunteer-oriented training and development programs.

3. selecting the components of the identiﬁed models that were clearly compatible

with the goals, objectives, and implementation of the Michigan 4-H New
Volunteer Orientation and Training Program.

4. incorporating the selected components into a comprehensive, evaluation

framework.

The evaluation framework focuses on the processes that are needed to effectively

evaluate any longitudinal, volunteer-oriented training program and consists of:

23

l. a pre-evaluation component, which establishes why the evaluation is being
done, how it will be accomplished, and what baseline data exists.

2. a formative component that monitors the effectiveness of each session of the
program and allows for changes to be made before the program is completed.

3. multiple summative components to provide feedback that may be used to
improve the program and to justify the program’s existence.

4. multiple follow-up components that will determine the overall impact of the
program. These results may also be used to improve the program and to
justify the program’s existence.

Using various components and methods for the collection of data helps to ensure
that the results will be detailed and accurate. It is important to note that the proposed
evaluation framework is ﬂuid, not ﬁxed. If, during any stage of the process, but
especially during the formative evaluation phases, researchers ascertain that revisions in
the model are necessary, then changes can be incorporated into the model. To view the
entire evaluation framework please see Appendix C.

DISCUSSION

There are three speciﬁc facets of the Michigan 4-H New Volunteer Orientation
and Training Program that set it apart from other such training programs. They are:

1. The program is longitudinal.

2. The participants are provided with a means to contact other participants and

mentors to exchange thoughts and ideas.

3. The program will be evaluated using a research-based evaluation framework.
These three facets will help to ensure the program’s success.

The Proggam is Longitudinal

Many programs only meet once. Usually the programs do not allow enough time

for the participants to form peer groups, process the information that is presented, and

practice their new skills. The programs are often completed before the participants have

questions or comments, which makes it difﬁcult for the participants to ﬁnd answers or

24

provide valuable input. Participants may also feel that they are overwhelmed by a large
amount of information “crammed” into one session.

To avoid these pitfalls, it is necessary to provide the participants with a program
that holds multiple sessions throughout a year-long period. This enables participants to
interact with their peers and form lasting relationships; practice the new knowledge,
attitudes, or skills that were presented; and ask questions whenever they arise. The
multiple sessions allow the content to be presented at a moderate pace, so that the
participants are not overwhelmed.

Providing multiple sessions, however, does possess some negative aspects.
Offering more sessions means that more resources are needed to implement the program.
Participants may also ﬁnd that they are able to attend some sessions but not others, so
attendance is sporadic. This can greatly reduce the participants’ opportunities to build
lasting relationships and a strong peer group. A lengthy program may also intimidate
participants. Some may feel as though they cannot commit the time and effort needed to
participate in the program.

These obstacles need to be addressed when planning to offer a longitudinal
program. Certain strategies can be used to compensate for these factors such as planning
the sessions so that they are very convenient to attend. Consulting the target audience
can also alleviate many of the negative affects. For example, your target audience may
tell you that they are willing to commit the time and energy to attend a longitudinal
program only if it is held on Friday nights once a month for six months. Thus, the
program will be well attended and bypass some of the negative aspects of providing a

longitudinal program, if it follows the recommendations of its target audience.

25

The Participants are Given a Means to Contact Other Participants and Mentors to

Exchange Thoughts and Ideas
The Highlander Folk School, founded by Myles Horton, is based upon the ideal

that people all have background experiences that can be shared to educate and help
others. By providing the participants with opportunities to communicate, the program is
facilitating the transfer of knowledge. Such an ideal has been quite successful in the ﬁeld
of adult education (Levine, 1999). New volunteers may share their experiences raising
children. More experienced volunteers, serving as mentors, may share how those
experiences can be related to the new volunteers’ roles in 4-H.

In 1997, Bill Rogers, an Oregon State University Extension Agent, observed that
when a mentoring program was implemented, retention of new volunteers increased. The
mentors stated that they developed friendships with new volunteers quicker than they
would have otherwise. New 4-H volunteers stated that the program provided them with
excellent support. Several participants even mentioned that it should be a model for all
adult education.

The success of the Highlander Folk School is due to encouraging the participants
to share their knowledge, thoughts, and experiences. The success of the Oregon State
University Extension Mentoring Program is due to providing an opportunity for
experienced volunteers and new volunteers to interact. The Michigan 4-H New
Volunteer Orientation and Training Program does both, which is why the program should
be successful in achieving its long-term goals.

Bringing people together, however, does not mean that their interactions will be

positive or productive. It is advised to take precautionary actions that will help facilitate

26

the desired interactions. Providing a comfortable atmosphere in which the participants
can meet each other, putting together ice-breakers or fun activities that are
noncompetitive, or stimulating engaging and non-threatening conversation on relevant
topics are things that can be done to enhance participants’ communication. The program
planner or facilitator should also communicate to the participants that their peers will be
some of their greatest assets and encourage them to share their knowledge freely. This
will help to establish an environment for the positive, productive interaction that is
desired.
The Program Will Be Evaluated Using a Research-Based Evaluation Framework
Rothwell and Cookson (1997) noted that many program planners do not follow

a model or strategy when designing programs. Since most planning models include
evaluation as a key component, it can be deduced that many program planners do not
follow a model or strategy to carryout the process of evaluation. As previously
mentioned, Grotelueschen et a1. (1974) stated “The problem might be alleviated if
educators were to think about their evaluation needs, and the needs of others, before
conducting the evaluations. In short, evaluations might be better if they were planned”
(p. 1). These words indicate that just by planning the evaluation process, a program
planner can improve the chances of the program being successful.

The framework included for the evaluation of the Michigan 4-H New Volunteer
Orientation and Training Program provides such a plan. It also includes evaluation
methods that have been supported by research, which will help ensure that the evaluation

will be performed correctly.

27

As the competition for limited resources rises, it will become increasingly more
important to possess a solid evaluation plan. A plan that includes research-based
methods can yield valid results that may be used to justify the existence and the
continuation of the program. Program planners will be able to demonstrate whether or
not their programs made an impact on the participants and also on the environment
around them.

The three facets:

1. The program is longitudinal.

2. The participants are provided with a means to contact other participants and

mentors to exchange thoughts and ideas.

3. The program will be evaluated using a research-based evaluation framework.
set the Michigan 4-H New Volunteer Orientation and Training Program apart from other
programs. They will assist the program in reaching its long-term goals of:

1. increasing new 4-H volunteers’ satisfaction with their experiences in 4-H.

2. increasing the retention of new 4-H volunteers.

3. improving existing 4-H programs by developing a large base of competent,

trained volunteers to lead 4-H into the next millennium.
The Michigan 4-H New Volunteer Orientation and Training Program should, therefore,

serve as a model to help people who design longitudinal volunteer-oriented training

programs to successfully develop, implement, and evaluate those programs.

28

APPENDICES

29

Appendix A

4-H Training Materials
Section 1 - Overview of 4-H

3O

What is 4—H?2

Many people know that they are part of 4-H. They are members of 4—H clubs, 4-H
club leaders or volunteers, or staff members of 4-H. They participate in programs and
activities held by 4-H. They wear their four-leaf clover emblems with pride. But if you
ask them what 4-H is, many of them may have very different answers. Club members
may tell you that it is groups of youth that get together to improve themselves and their
communities. 4-H club leaders and volunteers may tell you that it is a program
administered by Extension to help youth develop a positive self-image and valuable life
skills. A 4-H Extension Agent may say that it is part of the Cooperative Extension
System that gives youth opportunities to participate in positive youth development
programs. 2

All of these answers are correct. 4-H is the youth educational program of the
Cooperative Extension System (commonly referred to as Extension or CES). This
informational, educational program is conducted by the US. Department of Agriculture,
state land—grant institutions, and county governments; and combines the work of federal,
state, and local Extension staff and volunteer leaders. Participation in the 4-H program is
open to all interested youth, regardless of race, color, sex, creed, national origin, or
handicap. Participants are between the ages of 5 and 19 and reside in every demographic
area - farm, city, and in between. The success of the 4-H program is attributed to nearly
600,000 volunteer leaders who are backed by the strong educational base of the

Land-Grant University staff in every county of the nation.

 

2 This written piece is a modiﬁed version of the “This is 4-H” statement created by Extension in 1981. It
can be found in the appendix of 4-H: An American Idea 1900-1980 by T. Wessel and M. Wessel (1982)
and may also be available through your county Extension ofﬁce.

31

4-H participants are youth taking part in programs provided by Extension
personnel in cooperation with volunteer leadership at the local level. This includes youth
participating in programs conducted through the 1862 and 1890 colleges and universities
and those involved in the Expanded Food Nutrition Education Program.

Youth may participate in 4-H through a variety of programs. These include
organized 4—H clubs, 4-H special interest or short-term groups, 4-H school enrichment
programs, 4-H instructional TV, 4-H camping, or other 4-H sponsored programs.

The mission of 4-H is to assist youth in acquiring knowledge, developing life
skills, and forming attitudes that will enable them to become self-directing, productive,
and contributing members of society. This mission is carried out through the involvement
of parents, volunteer leaders, and other adults who organize and conduct educational
subj ect/proj ect experiences in community and family settings. These learn-by-doing
experiences are supported by the activities of the Land-Grant Universities, Institutions
designated by the Monill Act of 1890, Tuskegee Institute, USDA, and cooperating
counties with support from the National 4—H Council and other private support.

4-H youth help conserve and improve the environment. They also serve their
communities and participate in programs that aid youth employment and career decisions,
health, nutrition, home improvement, and family relationships. As a result of
international cooperation with many countries, 4-H is also contributing to world
understanding. In the process, 4-H youth apply leadership skills, acquire a positive
self-concept, and learn to respect and get along with people.

A dynamic growing organization, 4—H has expanded steadily. In 1982, it was

indicated that there are approximately 5 million boys and girls involved in this youth

32

educational program of Extension. Since 1914, over 40 million youth from all States,
District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, and Guam have participated in 4-H.
For more information about 4—H check out these websites:

1. The National 4-H website, which is located at http://wwwreeusda.gov/4h/4h.htm
2. The Michigan 4-H website, which is located at

http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/cyf/youth/indexhtml

4-H: The National Historic Perspective

The roots of 4-H are ﬁrmly set in agriculture. In the 1900's over half of the
nation's population was employed in agriculture. Many farmers subsisted on less than 200
acres, and communication over long distances was difﬁcult. Farmers and their children
did not have access to information that would help improve their farming operations and
increase their standard of living. Public schools focused on materials that were more
relevant to city living, and many rural young adults traveled to urban areas to ﬁnd
employment.

Rural communities felt that their children needed something to give them pride in
their way of life, to teach them things that could be used in their everyday activities, and
to help them develop into healthy, productive citizens. Leaders in the United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA) also felt that there was a need for an educational
program for rural youth. Youth were wonderful ways to reach parents who were too
stubborn to try new, improved farming and home economic practices. These two factors
helped prompt the creation of the boys' and girls' clubs.

Some early boys' and girls' clubs were conducted in the schools, others were
organized outside. The non-school clubs were the most prevalent. These clubs generally

were not coordinated through one person or organization. They started across the nation

33

in various places where rural community leaders or leaders in the USDA helped start and
facilitate them. Their success caused others to follow their lead, which caused boys' and
girls' clubs to spread throughout the nation.

Usually boys' grew corn or other types of crops. They were encouraged to ask
their fathers to give them a plot of land to try out their project. If the boys' plots did better
than their fathers', the fathers generally took notice and tried some of the methods that the
boys were using. This helped improve agriculture production and also the farmers'
incomes.

Girls' clubs tended to focus on gardening, canning, and sewing. They taught girls
skills that they could use to produce food and clothing for their families. These skills led
to the more efﬁcient use of food and helped the family live better while using less money
and resources.

These clubs also focused on teaching youth good moral values, sound
environmental stewardship practices, and information about the world around them. They
helped to improve rural communities and provided an activity to help youth develop.
Parents who were cut off from a means of becoming better educated also beneﬁted. Their
children taught them new things, and thus, the whole family beneﬁted from boys' and
girls' clubs, which are now known as 4-H clubs.

America has moved from the agrarian society of the 1900's to one that is more
mechanized and information based. Today, less than 2% of the nation's population is
involved in production agriculture, however, 4-H is still a valuable program. As the needs
and lifestyles of our nation's children changed, 4-H changed to continue to meet their

needs.

34

4-H is now a nationally coordinated program housed in the USDA and
administered by the Cooperative Extension System. Today, it focuses on helping all
youth - rural, urban, or suburban - to develop a positive self-image, to learn to respect and
get along with people, to develop and practice responsible environmental skills, and to
use accepted practices for maintaining mental, physical, emotional, and social health.

4-H projects no longer focus only on agriculture and home economics. They are
ﬂexible and can offer a multitude of interesting youth activities. They can include
planting a garden, exploring a career, cleaning up a park, painting an old building, bird
watching, auto mechanics...and even the traditional activities such as raising farm
animals, quilting and sewing, baking, and growing agronomic crops such as corn, wheat,
and beans. 4-H'ers can also participate in more ways than just the traditional 4-H club.
They may be involved in 4-H short-term programs, 4-H school enrichment programs, 4-H
instructional TV/Videos, or 4-H camping activities.

The nation views 4-H as a means of educating, improving, and developing young
people. Yes, some people still stereotype 4-H as a program that teaches children how to
milk a cow or raise pigs, and in rural areas it sometimes does. However, 4-H is a program
that is used to reach out to youth and concentrate on them, and not the project. 4-H
focuses on the boy or girl involved. It does not matter what projects the youth are
involved in; it just matters that in the process, the youth develop into healthy, productive
citizens. That is why 4-H has been so successful. It has never lost focus on what is truly
important, and it is willing to change to keep meeting the needs of our nation's young

people.

35

For more information try these books:

1.

Taking The University To The People: Seveng-ﬁve Years of Cooperative Extension
by Wayne D. Rasmussen. Published by Iowa State University Press, Ames, Iowa.

Copyright, 1989, Iowa State University Press.

4-H: An American Idea 1900-1980 by Thomas Wessel and Marilyn Wessel.
Published by National 4-H Council, 7100 Connecticut Avenue, Chevy Chase,
Maryland 20815-4999. Copyright, 1982, National 4-H Council.

. Heritage Horizons: Extension’s Commitment To People edited by C. Austin Vines

and Marvin A. Anderson. Published by Journal of Extension, 605 Extension
Building, 432 Lake Street, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706. Copyright, 1976, Extension
Journal, Inc.

The 4-H Sto : A Histo of 4-H Club Work by Franklin M. Reck. Published by
National Committee on Boys’ and Girls’ Club Work, Chicago, Illinois and The Iowa
State College Press, Ames, Iowa. Copyright, 1951, the National Committee on Boys
and Girls Club Work and the Iowa State College Press.

Maj or Events in the History of 4-H3

 

Pre-1900 *

Nature study program for rural youth started by Liberty Hyde Bailey, Cornell

University.
Scientiﬁc agricultural information brought to farm families in Farmers’ Institutes by
agricultural college professors.

1901-1905

Corn clubs organized in Iowa by O. H. Benson and Jesse Field. They also began to
use three-leaf clover emblems for awards. The H’s stood for head, heart, and hands.
Boys’ and girls’ agricultural club organized in Keokuk County, Iowa, by School
Superintendent Cap E. Miller.

Agricultural Extension work through land-grant colleges promoted by Kenyon L.
Butterﬁeld, president, Massachusetts Agricultural College.

1906-1910

Urban club work ﬁrst reported in Kent County, Rhode Island.

Thomas M. Campbell appointed ﬁrst Negro Agricultural Demonstration Agent at
Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.

Jessie Field, Iowa, began baking and sewing clubs for girls.

Girls’ canning clubs originated in Aiken County, South Carolina, by Marie Cromer,
rural school teacher.

 

3 These events were found in 4-H: An American Idea 1200-1980 by T. Wessel and M. Wessel (1982) on
pages 339-353.

36

1911-1915

Four-leaf clover emblem replaced the three-leaf emblem and the fourth H was
designated for health (1911).

Annie Peters Hunter was appointed ﬁrst Negro Home Demonstration Agent in
Okfuskee County, Oklahoma (1912).

The Cooperative Extension Service was created as Congress passed the Smith-Lever
Act (1914).

Mary E. Cresswell, Georgia, hired by USDA to supervise girls’ club work, the ﬁrst
woman on the department’s staff and the person suggesting home demonstration
work (1914).

1916-1920

Garden, canning, and similar clubs started in connection with the city schools of
Portland, Oregon, during WWI.

The term, 4-H Club, ﬁrst appeared in a federal document, authored by Gertrude
Warren (1918).

Wyoming provided the ﬁrst club creed in 1918. Later it was adopted as the National
4-H Club Creed.

1921-1925

Club charters were ﬁrst offered by USDA to local 4-H clubs as they organized
(1922)

First issue of the National Boys ’ and Girls ’ Club News, predecessor of National 4-H
News, was published (1923).

Club work started in the territory of Hawaii with appropriation of $10,000 by USDA
(1923)

F our-leaf clover emblem was patented in 1924.

Growth of 4-H spreads to Great Britain, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.

1926-1930

National 4-H Pledge written by Otis Hall, Kansas state 4-H leader, and 4-H Motto
prepared by Carrie Harrison, botanist in the Bureau of Plant Industry, USDA,
approved by state leaders (1927).

Interest in the 4-H idea in other countries was stimulated by club members from
Connecticut, Michigan, Nebraska and Vermont giving method demonstrations at the
World’s Poultry Congress In Ottawa, Canada (1927).

Bureau of Indian Affairs created its own Extension Service and promoted 4- H work
with American Indians.

Club work was introduced to the Alaska Territory in 1930.

1931-1935

The ﬁrst 4-H Club was organized in Puerto Rico in 1934.
Land-Grant College Association established a special national committee to study
club work and its future needs, directions and policies (1935).

37

1936-1940

Nationally 4-H enrollment passed the million mark in 1936, as it expanded greatly
during the depression thirties.

At expiration of the patent on the four-leaf clover emblem of 4-H, Congress passed a
law protecting the 4-H name and emblem against misuse (1939).

Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) created a 4-H
Subcommittee (1939).

1941-1945

With United States entry into WWII, 4-H responded to the needs for increased
agricultural production and support of the war effort, winning plaudits for its work.
National 4-H Mobilization Week was observed annually in 1942, 1943 and 1944.

The following year, and each year since, it has been observed as National 4-H Week.
Extension Service received additional public support and 4-H was recognized as one
of nine Extension responsibilities in the Bankhead-Flannagan Act passed by Congress
in 1945.

1946-1950

After the war, interest in 4-H increased around the world. Seven English young
farmers attended National 4-H Club Congress. Occupation forces began 4-H in
Germany and Japan. 4-H started in Austria, Korea and other countries.

4-H gained increased public awareness and local private support with the start of a
4-H calendar program that continues today (1947).

Extension established the International Farm Youth Exchange ([FYE) (1948).
National 4-H Club Foundation of America was organized in 1948.

U.S.-Canadian 4-H Exchange Program began with delegates attending major national
4-H events in the respective host countries (1948).

Chevy Chase Junior College was purchased as a site for a national 4-H training center
by the National 4-H Club Foundation.

The 4-H Report to the Nation program, designed to utilize accomplished 4-H
members in telling the 4-H story, was started in 1950 and continues to the present.

1951-1955

The 4-H Story, a comprehensive history of 4-H work, authored by Franklin M. Reck,
was published by the National Committee on Boys’ and Girls’ Club Work and The
Iowa State College Press (1951).

Creation of a Division of 4-H and Young Men and Women’s Programs in the USDA
gave 4-H equal status with other divisions in the Extension Service (1952).

A 4-H Commemorative Stamp was issued with ﬁrst day covers at Springﬁeld, Ohio
in 1952.

A new National 4-H Alumni Recognition program spearheaded the search for all
former 4-H’ers and their potential participation as volunteer 4-H leaders (1953).

The 25th Anniversary of National 4-H Club Camp was observed in 1955. Two years
later Camp was changed to Conference.

38

1956-1960

Michigan State University produced the ﬁrst 4-H television series - 4-H TV Electrical
Series (1957).

Science emphasis in all projects recommended by 4-H subcommittee (1958).
National 4-H Center opened in Chevy Chase, Maryland, with President Dwight D.
Eisenhower participating in the dedication ceremonies (1959).

Science in 4-H club work was studied in a national conference at Michigan State
University (1959).

National 4—H Club Foundation published a 4—H edition of The American Citizens
Handbook through special arrangements with Senior Citizens of American (1960).
First national forum for volunteer 4-H leaders was held at the National 4-H Center in
1960.

1961-1965

National 4-H Foundation signed its ﬁrst 4-H Peace Corps contract for programs in
Brazil (1961).

Study of urban 4-H undertaken with support of the Ford Foundation in 15 of 100
metropolitan areas where 4-H was organized.

Age requirements for 4-H members dropped from 10-21 to 9-19 years of age in 1965.
The World Atlas of 4-H was published by the National 4-H Foundation indicating
eighty-four 4-H and similar type programs in seventy-three countries (1963). This
was an expansion of a previous edition prepared by Maurice Hill, Federal 4-H Ofﬁce,
USDA.

Several documents that focused on 4-H programming were published - 4-H Club
Work in Non-F arm Areas, This We Believe, Extension Youth Programs in the 20th
Century, and Open the Door to 4-H.

ECOP endorsed 4-H work in urban areas (1965).

ECOP and its 4-H subcommittee agreed on policy to encourage participation of
minorities in national 4-H events.

1966-1970

The word, Club, was dropped from many 4-H designations including National 4-H
Congress.

USDA launched an expanded food and nutrition education experimental project
titled, Good Food for Better Living (1968).

In a move to bring 4-H into Washington, DC; Congress established Federal City
College as a Land-Grant Institution and Extension Service for the District of
Columbia (1968). The next year, 4-H was started in Washington, DC.

4-H received $7.5 million annual appropriation through Expanded Food and Nutrition
Education Program to carry on 4-H-type programs in nutrition in urban areas (1969).

1971-1975

International Farm Youth Exchange was renamed after 23 years to International Four-
H Youth Exchange (1971).

39

The highly successﬁrl 4-H television series Mulligan Stew was premiered by the
Extension Service (1972).

4-H received a $7.5 million appropriation to do 4-H work in urban areas and in
community rural development programs (1973).

4-H started in Guam and the Virgin Islands (1972).

First Extension Service/USDA publication based on a 1973 Internal Revenue Service
ruling was issued on the Tax Exempt Status of 4-H Organizations Authorized to Use
the 4-H Name and Emblem (1975).

First change from the original wording of the National 4-H Pledge adopted in 1927 —
“and my world” was added at the close of the pledge (1973).

4-H participation exceeded 7 million for the ﬁrst time (1974).

ECOP approved formation of the National Collegiate 4-H Organization (1974).

First farm youth exchange program held with the Soviet Union (1975).

1976-1980

Congress increased 4-H Expanded Food Nutrition Education Program funding from
$7.5 million to $10 million and earmarked $1.5 million for urban gardening (1977).
National 4-H Council became operational in 1977.

First regional 4-H leader fonun was held in the North Central Extension Region at
Iowa State University (1977). The next year, Massachusetts hosted a regional forum
in the Northeast.

The 50th anniversary National 4-H Conference was observed in 1980 with more than
500 alumni and friends of 4-H attending.

A record 287 educational scholarships with a total value of $265,250 were offered to
winners in 1980 4-H awards programs.

A comprehensive statement This is 4-H describing the program and its mission, was
approved by ECOP and its 4-H subcommittee in June 1981 and distributed by the 4-H
unit, Extension Service, USDA (1981).

How Well Do You Remember
The National History of 4-H?

See if you can rank these in chronological order. Place a 1 next to the event that happened
ﬁrst, a 2 next to the event that happened second, etc.

The Smith-Lever Act was passed, creating the Cooperative Extension Service.

During WWII 4-H'ers planted victory gardens and completed production-oriented
projects that contributed signiﬁcantly to the increased harvest of food and ﬁber.
They also joined numerous campaigns to collect scrap iron and aluminum and to
conserve the use of scarce items essential to the war effort.

4O

Urban club work was ﬁrst reported in Kent County, Rhode Island.

The National 4-H Pledge and the National 4-H Motto were approved by state 4-H
leaders.

Extension home economists and boys' and girls' club agents taught both farm and
urban homemakers and young people how to use food wisely and preserve food
during WWI.

A four-leaf clover with H's standing for Head, Heart, Hands, and Health replaced
the three-leaf emblem that was used for awards in boys’ and girls’ clubs.

Boys’ and girls’ clubs were being formed throughout the US. to promote a rural
way of life; educate youth in current agricultural practices; and to teach youth
skills that they would use in their everyday lives.

Creation of a Division of 4—H in the USDA gave 4-H equal status with other
divisions in the Extension Service.

Michigan State University produced the ﬁrst TV series - 4-H TV Electrical Series.
"And my world" was added to the 4—H pledge.
4-H started in Guam and the Virgin Islands.

The International Farm Youth Exchange and the National 4-H Club Foundation of
America were started.

The ﬁrst National forum for volunteer 4-H leaders was held at the National 4-H

Center.

The Answers To
"How Well Do You Remember The

National History of 4-H?"

_3_ The Smith and Lever Act was passed in 1914.

_7_ WWII took place between 1939 and 1945. 4-H members signiﬁcantly helped the
nation during this difﬁcult time.

_2_Kent County, Rhode Island reported urban club work between 1906 and 1910.

41

__6_ In 1927, the National 4-H Pledge and Motto were approved.

5_ WWI started in 1914 and ended in 1918. During this time 4-H members were
active in helping the nation.

_4___ In 1911, the 4-leaf clover emblem replaced the 3-leaf emblem and the fourth H
was designated as health.

_1_ Before 1905 boys' and girls' clubs were being organized throughout the nation.
_9_ The Division of 4-H was created in the USDA in 1952.

_10_ MSU produced the ﬁrst TV series in 1957.

_13_ "And my world" was added to the 4-H pledge in 1973.

_12_ In 1972 4-H was started in Guam and the Virgin Islands.

_8__ The International Farm Youth Exchange and the National 4-H Club Foundation of
America were started in 1948.

_l l_ The First National forum for volunteer 4-H leaders was held in 1960.

Extension in Michigan

The federal Smith-Lever Act of 1914 established the Cooperative Extension
Service and provided funds to "aid in diffusing among the people of the United States
useful and practical information on subjects relating to agriculture and home economics
and encourage the application of the same." The act stipulated that such programs be
directed by the nation's land-grant colleges, of which Michigan State University (MSU)
was the ﬁrst. Extension programs in Michigan are conducted cooperatively by the US.
Department of Agriculture, Michigan State University, and county governments, and
ﬁnanced by federal, state, and county funds.

The director of MSU Extension is in charge of all programs, personnel, ﬁnances,

and operations. The Michigan staff consists of more than 450 professionally trained

42

workers. Two associate directors are responsible for statewide program leadership in
agriculture; natural resources; community and economic development; and children,
youth, and family. They are supported by a staff of program leaders and associates in
program planning and development. In addition, there is a staff of more than 150
subject-matter specialists - i.e. horticulture, ﬁsheries and wildlife, animal science, etc. -
who are members of the MSU faculty in 22 campus departments. They provide current
technical information for county Extension agents and assist in planning, developing, and
implementing county programs.

Six regional directors oversee these programs. The regional directors counsel with
the county, area, and district staff members and coordinate joint program efforts. They
are the link between the MSU campus and off-campus staffs, and they work closely with
county boards of commissioners.

The closest link between MSU Extension and the people of Michigan is the
county Extension office. In each of Michigan's 83 counties, a county Extension director is
in charge of the ofﬁce and its programs. Serving on the county ofﬁce staff, are
professional agents in agriculture; natural resources; community development; economic
development; and children, youth, and family. These agents are assigned on a county,
area, or district basis. Program assistants are also employed to provide technical and
educational assistance and support to agents.

Early in the history of Extension, staff members found that their efforts could be
multiplied with the help of volunteer leaders. Today, more than 35,000 volunteers assist
in educational programs of MSU Extension, producing a tremendous multiplier effect

throughout the areas that they serve. This educational approach has been widely used by

43

other organizations and has become a model of informal adult education throughout the
world.
What is a land-grant college?

Colleges that were created by the 1862 Morrill Act are considered land-grant
colleges. The Morrill Land-Grant College Act (1862) granted each state public land in the
amount of 30,000 acres. The land was to be sold and the money used as a trust fund to
endow a college where practical education in agriculture and engineering would be
emphasized.

The second Morrill Land-Grant College Act (1890) provided additional annual
funding to each state and territory to support its land-grant college. Other colleges were
also brought into the land-grant system to provide better representation of African
Americans. These colleges are referred to as the 1890 colleges. They function as the
land-grant colleges do. The latest development in the Land-Grant College system
occurred in 1994. Native American colleges and universities were added to the land-
grant system to better serve Native Americans.

Michigan's ﬁrst land-grant college is Michigan State University (ﬁrst known as
Michigan Agricultural College). It was created as a result of the 1862 Morrill Act, and
was the ﬁrst land-grant college in the nation. In 1994, the National Agricultural
Research, Extension and Teaching Act included Native American reservations and tribal
jurisdictions into the land-grant system. As a result of this act, Bay Mills College, which
is a Native American college located in Brimley, is Michigan’s newest land-grant

college.

44

How is Extension linked to the United States Department of Agriculture?

Extension is the educational program of the USDA. Its purpose, when created,
was to disseminate information on agricultural topics and home economics from the
land-grant colleges to the people of the United States. Today, information pertaining to a
variety of topics is available to everyone.

How does 4-H ﬁt into Extension?

MSU Extension has three areas of emphasis. They are agriculture and natural
resources; children, youth, and family programs; and community and economic
development. 4-H is a program of the children, youth and family programs. Its focus is to
help youth anticipate change, develop appropriate coping skills, make positive decisions,
maximize their skills and interests to beneﬁt their communities, and plan positive futures.
Information and trained professionals are available to help facilitate 4-H programs in
every county. There are also 4-H ofﬁces at MSU, including the state 4-H programs
ofﬁce.

For more information on Extension try these books and informational websites:

1. Taking The University To The People: Seventy-ﬁve Years of Cooperative Extension
by Wayne D. Rasmussen. Published by Iowa State University Press, Ames, Iowa.

Copyright, 1989, Iowa State University Press.

2. Heritage Horizons: Extension’s Commitment To People edited by C. Austin Vines
and Marvin A. Anderson. Published by Journal of Extension, 605 Extension
Building, 432 Lake Street, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706. Copyright, 1976, Extension
Journal, Inc.

3. The national Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service website,
which is located at http://wwwreeusdapgtﬂ

4. The Michigan State University Extension website, which is located at
http://www.msue.msu.edu

45

Vision and Mission of Michigan 4-H

Vision: Michigan 4-H Youth Programs bring communities together to meet the needs of
youth.

Mission: The Michigan 4-H Youth Programs are youth development programs that
involve volunteers in providing positive, educational, participatory opportunities
for and with youth. Our mission is to work together with communities to create
environments that build strong, healthy youth who are proactive in a complex

and changing world.

Understanding Your County 4-H Programs

4-H programs are designed to meet the needs of individual communities. They
are designed by local citizens, so 4-H programs are not the same in every county. Some
counties may have gardening 4-H clubs, others may have dairy clubs. The clubs may
only meet for three months out of the year, or they may meet year round. It is therefore
very important to ﬁnd out what types of 4-H programs are offered in your community.

Sometimes the right questions are all you need to ﬁnd out what you want to know.
Ask your county 4-H Extension agent, fellow 4-H volunteers, or folks who work in the
county 4-H ofﬁce for information, advice, or helpful hints. They are great resources, and
if they do not know the answer, they may know someone who does. Here are some
questions to help you learn more about your county 4-H programs.

1. Who are the Extension staff in my county? What areas of expertise do they have?
2. What is the mission of the county 4-H program? What are the project priorities for the
county?

3. Who can I contact with questions? What are their phone numbers and addresses?
4. What materials are available through the county 4-H ofﬁce?

46

5. What types of 4-H clubs are in my county? Are they project clubs, community clubs,

special interest clubs, or programs held in schools?

What projects are offered in my county?

What are the demographics of my county? Do people live in rural, suburban, or urban

areas? What type of jobs do they have? What type of lifestyles do they lead? What do

people in my county like to do? What do their children like to do? How many single
parent families? What types of activities would the community support?

8. How many youth participate in 4-H in my county? What age groups are they in? How
do I recruit more 4-H'ers? Where do I ﬁnd them?

9. What can I do to help parents become more involved?

10. What do other 4-H clubs do? Could I visit other 4-H clubs' meetings to learn more
about 4-H?

11. What activities would my 4-H'ers be interested in?

12. Are there any local ﬁeld trips my 4-H club could take?

13. What countywide 4-H activities are offered?

14. What type of recognition program is offered in my county? What types of recognition
can be given to my 4-H'ers? Are there any special recognition opportunities provided
for 4-H'ers?

15. How many 4-H volunteers are there?

16. Does my county have mentor programs for leaders, teens, or young children?

17. What 4-H programs are offered at the county level?

18. How do I ﬁnance 4-H activities? Does the 4-H ofﬁce provide funding or
reimbursement for any 4-H activities?

19. What county programs are closely related to 4-H?

20. Does my county have a published calendar of events?

>19

47

Appendix B

4-H Training Materials
Section 7 — Effective Teaching Methods

48

Experiential Learning, Life Skills,
and Assets

It is the goal of 4-H programs to build strong, healthy youth who are proactive in
a complex and changing world. To accomplish this goal, 4-H programs help youth
acquire life skills and assets through experiential learning. Experiential learning is the
process by which people learn from their experiences. It consists of ﬁve steps that
include three speciﬁc parts — doing the experience, reﬂecting on the experience, and
applying the experience to similar or different situations. 4—H uses experiential learning
because it is a powerful and effective tool. People tend to respond better to “learning-by-
doing” activities.

Helping youth‘acquire life skills and assets is important because the more life
skills and assets youth possess, the more likely they will be proactive, strong, and
healthy. Life skills are skills that will help youth function in today’s society. Skills such
as sharing, teamwork, self-discipline, stress management, problem solving, goal setting,
and conﬂict resolution are life skills.

Assets are building blocks that help young people grow up healthy, caring, and
responsible. They are different from life skills because they are not skills, they are
characteristics of the youths’ environment and mental attitude. Adult role models,
integrity, self-esteem, positive family communication, safety, and time at home are 6 of
the 40 that assets youth can possess. The more assets youth have, the more likely they
will feel good about themselves and the world around them.

By using experiential learning to help youth acquire life skills and assets, 4-H is

helping youth become healthy, strong, proactive individuals.

49

Understanding and Applying the Process
Behind the Experiential Learning Model4

The Experiential Learning Process

Hands-on involvement (learning by doing) is the most effective method for
helping youth learn and development. It helps them learn personal initiative, hard work,
patience, and deferred gratiﬁcation. Parents, teachers, and leaders may destroy young
people’s self-esteem and sense of worth by doing the work for them. They may rob
youth of learning by trial and error, practicing skills, and becoming competent and
capable. The greatest gift leaders can give is to help youth validate themselves as capable
people. Learning through projects or activities follows a model known as the experiential
learning process. The steps are speciﬁc and sequential and are shown on the next page.

Although the experiential learning process includes hands-on involvement,
formally adopting this process may mean that more time is spent on “processing” or
discussing the experience. The reﬂection portion of the model is a key component. It
allows youth time to think and learn about what they have accomplished. Thinking about
when and where their newly acquired knowledge or skills can be used again is also very
important. This will help the youth prepare themselves to use their newly acquired
asset(s) in real life.

Note: During processing accuracy is not as important as recording the youths ' own
thoughts. Many of the questions do not have a right or wrong answer.

 

’ This written piece includes information that can be found at hgp://www.aces.uiuc.edu/~Whitesid/4-
H/explrnghtml.

50

The Experiential Learning Process Diagram

   

  

1. Experience
the activity/ project.
Perform it, do it.

 
    
   
   

  
   
 

2. Share

the results, reactions,
or observations.

   
  
 

5. Apply
what was learned to a
similar or different situation.
Practice.

 
 

Reﬂect

 
    
   

 

 

   
  
 

  
  

3. Process
y discussing, looking at
the experience.
Analyze and reﬂect.

4. Generalize
to connect the experience
to real-world examples.

   
 

_‘

  
 

The model can be summarized in three questions.

1. What? Examples include going on a ﬁeld trip, writing a poem, raising a cow, canning
some green beans, failing miserably, winning the top prize, etc. (This is the Dp
section.)

2. So what? Examples are: What happened? Describe the experience. What was the
goal? Was it a success, and how do you know? How did you feel at different points

of the process? What interactions occurred? etc. (This is the Reﬂect section.)

 

3. Now what? Examples are: How would you change things if you had to do this again?
How can you make sure you reach your own or the group goal in the future? How

can this be applied to other situations? (This is the Apply section.)

51

The Experiential Learning Model

“Experiential learning takes place when a person is involved in an activity, looks back
and evaluates it, determines what was useful or important to remember and uses this
information to perform another activity. ” John Dewey.

For more information check your county 4-H ofﬁce.

Projects and Activities as Vehicles
for Youth Development

4-H projects provide youth with opportunities to "ﬂex their mental muscles," to
funnel their energies in positive ways, to work with others, to share their special talents,
and to grow to be better people. They should be based on what the youth received from
the project and not on how well the project was performed. Just because the lambs did
not place well at the fair or the model rockets did not ﬂy very high or the wood project
was painted poorly... does not mean that the project was not successful. If the youth
learned something new, gained a new skill, learned to work with people, or had enough
fun to try it again; that project was successful no matter what the outcome.

The life skills model consists of two topic areas that are linked to 10 life skills.
For a copy of the model, contact your county 4-H agent and ask for the Iowa State
University Extension Targeting Life Skills Model. Studies have found that the more life
skills children have, the more likely they are to become healthy, productive citizens.
Your goal as a 4-H volunteer should be to help your 4-H’ers gain as many life skills as
possible. Their motives should not be the same as yours for each 4-H program or

activity. For example:

52

Leader’s Motives 4-H’ers’ Motives

Teach my 4-H’ers cooperation. Learn how to do neat activities.

Improve my 4-H’ers’ managing abilities. Set goals so that I can achieve
them.

Help my 4-H’ers develop teamwork skills. Work together to accomplish
something great.

Better my 4-H’ers’ social skills. Eat ice cream while talking to
others.

It is also important to focus on helping your 4-H’ers acquire assets during each
project or activity. Assets help youth feel good about themselves and the environment
around them. They also reduce youth’s chances of participating in risky behaviors such
as alcohol consumption, sexual activity, and criminal activity. To help you help your
4-H’ers acquire assets, the Search Institute published a booklet on assets. It lists the 40
assets, provides helpful hints for identifying the assets that your 4-H’ers already possess,
and suggests strategies for helping your 4-H’ers acquire the assets that they do not have.
To acquire more information about assets or to acquire an assets booklet, contact your

county 4-H agent.

How to Develop Programs and Activities
that Incorporate Life Skills, Assets,
and Learning

Sometimes focusing on the project or activity makes us forget that developing a
healthy, proactive person is more important than the outcome of the project or activity.

Here is a how-to-guide to help you focus more on your 4-H'ers and less on the project.

1. Ask your 4-H'ers what they want to do. This will help to ﬁnd an activity or project
that they are interested in and more apt to get something out of.

53

. In the beginning, make a list of the life skills that your 4-H’ers could develop or
improve from doing the project or activity. Think about ways to perform the activity
or create the project to best develop or improve these life skills. Would it be better if
each 4-H'er had enough materials to do the activity for him/herself or would it be
better if they worked in groups? Should you demonstrate it ﬁrst and then let your
4—H'ers try it or should you let them ﬁgure it out and then help them at the end of the
activity? Would a pre-activity help prepare them to learn more from the project?
Should the activity or project be made into a multiple session one or should it be
preformed all at once?

. Do projects or activities in a learning friendly environment. Sometimes rainy days,
conﬁned spaces, too many 4-Hers, too many distractions, too little parental or 4-H
volunteer help, or too much stuff to do in a short amount of time can really decrease
the effectiveness of an activity. Plan an activity in an environment that will allow for
a great experience. The environment should allow every 4-H'er to enjoy the project or
activity and learn as much as possible from it.

. After the project is ﬁnished ask your 4-H'ers what they have learned from it. Young
people love to share their thoughts with you. Provide them with opportunities to talk
about what they did and why they thought it was ﬁrm or educational. Reinforce that
learning can be FUN and that learning is very important.

. Provide a follow-up activity that the 4-H'ers can do on their own time. A fun
worksheet, newsletter, fact sheet, or individual activity such as drawing or painting
will remind the 4H'ers about what they learned.

. With long projects encourage 4-H'ers to start a journal to record their progress. Have
them share their entries at your meetings. Provide positive rewards such as stickers,
certiﬁcates, or 4-H apparel for those who keep up-dated journals. When the project is
ﬁnished ask them to review their entries and pick out what they learned and when
they discovered it. A follow up activity such as comparing their journals with others
or creating a group poster with a timeline and what happened at each interval could
help them as well.

. Reward those who participate. Use rewards to encourage future participation. The
rewards do not have to be ribbons or certiﬁcates, they could be as simple as ice cream
served after the activity. Find creative rewards that your 4-H'ers will think are
wonderful. Maybe go to the beach after the activity or have the activity at the park so
they can play when they are done.

. Encourage your 4-H'ers even when the project or activity did not go well. Tell them
that things do not always turn out like they are planned to. Make sure that they know
that even though their project did not turn out as expected, they are still great people
with exceptional talents. Focus on their strong points and remind them that most
people are not good at everything all the time. Tell them that you are very proud of
them for trying and that most people are not even courageous enough to try.

54

9. Teach your 4-H'ers how to deal with failure and mistakes. Show them that very
important things can be learned from projects that do not go as planned. Use a famous
inventor such a Thomas Edison as an example. He tried thousands of times to ﬁnd the
right material to make a light bulb. Each time he tried, if it failed, at least he knew
another thing that did not work.

10. Think of reasons for why the project or activity did not turn out well and make a list
of things to try next time for a better result. Carefully word the things that you say to
your 4-H'ers. Let them know if their actions caused something to happen, i. g. because
they did not water the seed, it did not grow. Do not say that they caused the actions,

i. g. they caused the plant not to grow. Youth are very sensitive to those things. It's
important to focus on their actions instead of on them.

11. Remember "when the going gets tough, the tough get going." Encourage your 4-H'ers
to try it again or try something else that they are interested in.

Trips and Tours as Educational
Experiences

Any everyday trip to the supermarket, fast food restaurant, college, play, or
sporting event can become an exceptional educational experience. In order to get the
most out of any kind of trip it is important to market it appropriately to your 4-H'ers. It is
not just a trip to the grocery store. It is an opportunity to learn about how a business is
run, to ﬁnd out why and how the store is laid out, and to see what goes on behind the
scenes. If your 4-H'ers think it's a boring trip, it probably will be no matter what you do.
So ﬁnd something that they are excited about and then help them plan to make it a great
learning opportunity.

To get the most out of an outing with your 4-H'ers try these tips.

1. Look at your trip from lots of different angles. Ask other volunteers or parents what
they think could be learned from the experience.

2. Try to look at it from your 4-H'ers’ perspectives. Many youth are very interested in

how things work or why they do. Science, neat facts, rmique machinery, or something
they have never seen or heard about before tend to be exciting.

55

. Plan a pre-trip or pre-tour activity to get your 4-H'ers thinking about some of the
things that they hope to learn about when they go. Have them make a list of the things
that they want to learn about. Try to motivate them to think about what they can do
during the outing to learn about them. They might make a list of questions to ask,
things to see, or people to talk to.

. Most attention spans do not last over 15 minutes (even for most adults), so try to plan
educational trips or tours that change frequently (at least every 30 minutes). The
change could be as simple as meeting with a new tour guide, moving to another
exhibit, discussing a new topic, or providing short breaks.

. Try to focus your 4-H'ers on the important points. Provide a checklist or short answer
sheet that contains what should be learned from the trip. Allow additional space for
them to add extra things that they learned.

. At the end of the activity hold a group discussion about what was learned from the trip
or tour. If anything is left out, add these points to the discussion and tie them into the
activity.

. Reinforce what was learned at your next meeting. Provide an activity that relates to
what was learned on the trip or tour. You could also bring in a guest speaker to answer
any questions that your 4-H'ers might have thought about aﬁer the trip or tour.
Encourage your 4-H'ers to write thank you letters, or write one as a group to send.
Include what they learned about in the letter.

. After the outing get feedback from everyone who went. Ask them what they liked and
did not like, ﬁnd out what they learned, and see if they would recommend this outing
again. It is important to evaluate how well the trip or tour went and record if it was
successful or not and why. This will help your club plan great trips or tours in the
future.

Another way to get the most out of a trip or tour is to let your 4-H’ers “take

charge.” Let them ﬁgure out where they want to go, how they will get there, when they

should go, how far away it is, etc. Give them the responsibility of ﬁnding out costs of

travel, tickets, etc. and making their own reservations. Show them where to ﬁnd the

information that they need. Provide them with addresses and phone numbers of places

that they can ask for information such as the travel bureau for that area. Allowing your

4-H’ers to take responsibility for these planning steps will teach them valuable life skills

that they can use in the future.

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If your club doesn’t have the time or the resources to travel, have them plan a trip
for an activity. Let them make plans for their “dream vacation.” Let your group make a
list of all of the things that they think that they will have to know to plan their trip. Make
a list so that they can check off things as they ﬁnd them. Then have them search for their
information, create a detailed plan, and make a presentation to the group about where
they want to go, what they will need to do to get there, how much money their trip will
cost, etc. Your 4-H’ers will learn a lot just by planning their own adventure. The key is
to let them do it, don’t do everything for them. If you do they’ll never learn how to do it

on their own.

Facilitation Skills

A group facilitator is someone whose “job” is to help lead educational activities in
a way that all participants feel comfortable, safe and free to participate to the extent that
they choose. Anyone can be a good facilitator, it doesn’t take a great deal of schooling or
special talents. All it takes are a few common sense checklists and a bit of practice.

The checklists5 (below) list skills that can make a good facilitator great. Helpful
hints are included after each skill. They’ll help you “brush up” on your facilitator skills

and help you become a great facilitator.

Checklist #1: An Effective Facilitator

C] Is an enabler for the group. He or she keeps the group moving toward its goals and is
aware of the needs and desires of each individual within the group.
When your group ﬁrst meets, have members tell the group why they want to be a
part of the group and what they hope to accomplish. Then, as a group, create a
statement or two that establishes the goals of the group. Whenever your group
gets off task, have them refer back to their statement. Becoming aware of the

 

5 These checklists are from the publication Whp me? A facilitator? You bet! that is available (with a video)
through your county Extension ofﬁce or by order from the Michigan State University Bulletins Ofﬁce.

57

needs and desires of the individuals within the group, is something that happens

by paying attention to your group members. Talk with them, ask them questions,

spend time with them... encourage your group members to talk with each other

about their concerns and desires. Communication is the key to having a

functional group.

Cl Helps the group get started and come to a close.

Timely activities help keep group harmony. Try to keep your group on-tirne by

reminding them when the activity starts and ends, encourage the members to

arrive a bit early, have someone give time warnings (for example: “we start in 5

minutes... we have 5 minutes to complete our activity, etc.)

CI Is familiar with the activities the group plans to do, with the concepts the activities are
based on, and with resources related to the activities.

Being prepared means that you will be able to help your group if they run into

obstacles or problems. Try to always stay at least one step ahead of your group.

CI Creates a non-threatening environment that promotes open and active sharing and
discussion. (see checklist 2 for helpful hints)

0 Knows a variety of ways to help groups function (for example, an effective facilitator
knows when to summarize or clarify what the group is saying and asks the group’s
opinion).

Functional groups have a clear vision of where they are going, why they are
going there, how they are going to get there. . .They can work together, delegate,
and accomplish their goals. Helping your group function means that you help
them stay on track and maintain healthy relationships with each individual
member. So when they get off task or need a little direction, help them get back
on track. The best way isn’t to tell them what to do, it’s to ask questions or make
them think of things that will help them come to the best actions on their own.

a Knows how to recognize and deal with things that can hinder a group (for example, a
person who tries to dominate group discussion).

When your group has come to a point that they will not be able to get by without

some interference or help, it is time to act. If the group is struggling, help them
ﬁnd out what the problem is and develop some ways that they can solve it.

Maybe your group cannot get anything accomplished because they all have

different ideas. Have them list their ideas and then prioritize them so that they

can focus on one at a time. Or if someone is dominating the group, have the
group ask others members what they think. If group members constantly
interrupt, pass a ball around so that no one can speak unless they have the ball.

There are lots of things that can make a group “dysfunctional,” so this is a tricky
skill. As you become more familiar with the characteristics of your group, you
will become better at determining when and how to help them.

CI Actively participates in group activities without dominating them.

“When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Have fun and become one with your
group during activities. Don’t take over and become the dictator. Let your
group members work things out on their own. Only intervene if they can’t
handle the “emergencies” that spring up. *Though, always intervene in any
serious, threatening situation in which your 4-H’ers are in some type of danger.

58

Is willing to admit when he or she doesn’t have an answer and is willing to help the

group members look for the answers to their questions.
The truth is much better than making up something and your 4-H’ers will respect
you more for being truthful with them.

Knows how to address uncomfortable topics that might come up.
To address an uncomfortable topic you could bring in other resource people, help
the group ﬁnd out where to learn more about the topic, and/or ask the group
members for their thoughts about the topic. Taking away the mystery or
addressing your group’s fears will help to make the topic easier to deal with.

Demonstrates a high level of conﬁdence and self-esteem.
A positive self-image is contagious and provides your 4-H’ers with a great role
model. Never say “I can’t do this” or “I’m so terrible at this”... concentrate on
the positive and accentuate your talents. Say “I can,” face your fears, do
something that you are not good at because it’s fun or a good experience... When
you’re not with your group, ﬁnd reasons to feel good about yourself. Make a list
of all the good things that you’ve done or accomplished at least once a week. Say
“I believe in myself” in the mirror before you go to bed. Do things that make you
feel proud of yourself.

Is an active listener - this is evident in his or her eye contact, body language and

verbal feedback.
The simplest way to do this is to open yourself up to the person who is talking to
you. Uncross your arms, look at him/her, make eye contact, come closer to
him/her (but don’t invade his/her personal space), stop what you are doing and
give your 4-H’er your full attention. Make sure that you understand what you are
being told. Restate it and ask your 4-H’er if that is what he/she said. Then
address his/her concern, question, etc. directly. Do not “beat around the bush.”
Be truthful, and if you do not have an answer, provide your 4-H’er with a timely
one.

Is nonjudgrnental.
As hard as it is, keep your opinions to yourself unless intervention is necessary.
This will give your group the opportunity to explore new things without having
pre-existing opinions. They might really enjoy something you don’t. For
example, your group might really want to ski, but you don’t. Don’t let your
negative Opinion about skiing dampen their opportunities.

Knows the needs of the young people he or she is working with.
Get to know the group that you are working with. If working with them does not
help you ﬁnd out what their needs are, ask. Youth know what they need and
want, and many of them will tell you.

Is ﬂexible, open, honest and responsive.

Is willing to help young people grow at their own pace.

Is willing to invest time and energy in improving his or her facilitator skills.

59

Checklist #2: A Safe and Caring Setting

Physical - The Facilitator:

D

C]
D
E]

Chooses a comfortable room that provides the ﬂexibility of letting participants work
as a total group, in small groups or pairs, or alone.

Creates a setting that is visually pleasing and that has a comfortable temperature.
Selects a location with little external noise and few distractions.

Makes sure that all participants (including him/herself) are seated at the same level
(unless a person’s physical condition prevents this).

Emotional - The Facilitator helps the group:

C]

D

Create a setting in which everyone feels welcome to participate and where each
person’s contributions are valued and desired.

Accept that put-downs are not allowed.

Communicate using sincerity, not sarcasm.

Accept that each person has the option to “pass” (that is, to not participate) during
group activities.

Recognize that group silence during activities can be a positive experience.
Encourage each participant to accept other group members for who they are. (This
helps create an atmosphere of mutual respect.)

Allow their feelings (for example: humor, sadness or uncertainty) to be fully
expressed and acknowledged.

Make sure the group is not dominated by one or two people.

Learning - The Facilitator helps the group:

D

DUE]

El

Take the lead and make the decisions regarding program content.

Get involved in hands-on, experiential learning activities.

Realize that each participant is responsible for his or her own learning.

Make sure that each participant has a clear understanding of the purpose and goals of
their activities.

Encourage everyone to contribute their ideas and actions.

60

Appendix C

The Framework for the Evaluation of a Longitudinal Training and Development Program

61

Pre-Proggam Evaluation Processes

1.

Identify why the evaluation is being done, what it is going to measure, and
how the results of the evaluation will be used. (Both Kirkpatrick’s Four-Level
Model and Stufﬂebeam’s CIPP Model can be followed to determine what
should be measured.) The answers to these questions will determine the types
of questions and the evaluation tools that will be used to collect the data.
Determine the amount of resources that are available to perform the
evaluation process.

Select or construct the appropriate measuring instruments. You may use

questionnaires or other data collection tools that were already developed for a

program that is similar to yours, purchase questionnaires or survey tools from

a company, or create your own evaluation instruments.

Create an evaluation timeline that states what will be evaluated, when each

evaluation event will take place, and which evaluation tool was selected to

collect the data.

Get approval from the University Committee on Research Involving Human

Subjects (UCRIHS), if appropriate.

Develop a climate that is supportive of evaluation. Let the facilitators and the

participants know that evaluation will be part of the program. Reassure them

that their responses are important .and will be taken seriously. Provide them
with a way to contact you if they have any questions or comments about the
evaluation tools that are used.

Conduct a Needs Assessment that will:

0 determine the knowledge, attitudes, and skills (KAS) that the participants
already possess.

- assess the participants’ predetermined opinions, desires, needs, and
expectations concerning the training and development program.
document the participants’ current behaviors.
include a request for demographic information such as age, gender, race,
location of residence, occupation, etc.

The data from the Needs Assessment will serve as your baseline data.

Evaluation Processes Conducted During the Proggam

1.

Conduct formative evaluations by collecting data after each section of the

program. Ask questions about:

0 the content of the program (What has been learned? What seems useful?
What is still unclear? What seems irrelevant? etc.)

o the presentations and the learning experiences (Were they effective? Were
they done well? Should other methods have been used? etc.)

o the learning environment (Is it too hot? Is it too crowded? Can the
participants hear the facilitator? Can they see the overheads? etc.)
what do the participants like about the program so far?
what could be changed to make the program more enjoyable and a better
learning experience?

62

Keep all of the evaluation tools as sinrilar as possible so that the data may be
compared.

2. Use the results from each of the formative evaluations to modify the program
to meet the needs of the participants.

3. Communicate the results of each formative evaluation to the participants and
inform them of any changes that will be made as a result of their responses.
This will encourage the participants to respond and to provide quality
responses.

4. Conduct a summative evaluation at the end of the last session of the program.

Include the exact questions from the Needs Assessment. This will allow
you to assess the amount of impact the program had on the participants by
comparing the pre-program and post-prograrn responses.

Include questions used on the formative evaluation forms that are relevant
to assessing the overall program.

Add new questions that will provide insight into the participants’ thoughts
and opinions about the overall content, the overall logistics, their overall
satisfaction, etc. (Was the content presented in a manner that was easy to
understand? Was the time and location of the program convenient? Was
attending the program worth their time and efforts? etc.)

Post-Progpam Evaluation Processes

1. Conduct follow-up evaluations using informal focus groups and a reﬂection
survey.

Focus Groups. Focus groups can provide insight and feedback about
issues that are not covered on the evaluation form. They also provide an
atmosphere that can stimulate innovative ideas and helpful comments.

a. One month after the program, invite the participants to be a part of
focus groups that will make recommendations for the improvement of
the program. Randomly split those who agree to participate into focus
groups of manageable sizes.

b. Provide each focus group with a list of the topics that were covered
during the program and the methods that were used to cover them.
Also include the logistics such as the room size, the location, the time
of day, the length of the sessions, etc. This list will provide a
worksheet for the focus groups to refer to and help facilitate
discussion.

c. Ask each focus group to provide detailed suggestions for the
improvement of the program. Collect their responses and improve the
program based upon their recommendations.

Reﬂection Survey. Three months later ask the participants to reﬂect upon

their experiences in the program. Use questions that will require the

participants to process their experiences and provide insightful comments.

Ask the participants to write about their thoughts, feelings, and

observations pertaining to their program experience. Asking the

participants to reﬂect serves two purposes: (1) it provides needed feedback

63

for the improvement of the program and (2) it stimulates the participants

to remember what they learned during the program.

. One year after the completion of the program, send a survey to all of the

participants.

0 Include the exact questions from the summative evaluation. This will
allow you to assess how the participants have changed over time and
whether or not the participants’ behaviors have changed.

0 Ask new questions to determine if the participants use the knowledge,
skills, and attitudes presented in the program; if they perceive that the
content of the program is still relevant to their lives; if they need
additional training and skills; etc. This will help determine if the
information presented is still useful, how the participants view their
experience in the program, etc.

0 Include questions that will assess the amount of inﬂuence that external
factors have on the participants. This will help determine what
percentage of the participants’ change in knowledge, attitude, skills,
behavior, needs, etc. are attributed to the program. (Phillip’s Strategies
for Isolating the Effects of Training can be consulted for ﬁrrther insight.)

. Perform an annual survey for two years using the instrument that was

developed for step 2. It will help to determine how the participants’

perceptions, needs, desires, etc. change over time and also measure the
amount of impact that the program had on the participants.

. Analyze, interpret, and report the ﬁndings of the evaluation.

. Improve the program using the information provided by the process of

evaluation.

. Communicate the program results.

64

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