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Development of Youth Leadership Life Skills of Texas Youth as San Antonio Livestock Exposition School Tour Guides
Abstract
This study’s purpose was to determine the youth leadership life skills of Texas 4-H, FFA, and FCCLA members participating as school tour guides. Descriptive characteristics were evaluated to determine those affecting leadership life skills development. School tour guides participating in the exit-meeting during the 2004 San Antonio Livestock Exposition were asked to complete the questionnaire. This resulted in 1,691 responses and a 94% response rate. The questionnaire was a 28-item survey that was based on the scales: working with groups, understanding self, communicating, making decisions, and leadership. Conclusions showed that school tour guides were developing leadership life skills. The most influential descriptive characteristics were gender, previous leadership experiences, and ethnicity. Females and those participants who had previous leadership experiences reported stronger perceptions of their leadership life skills. In addition, African and Asian Americans, Hispanics, and Anglos all had stronger perceptions of their leadership life skills when compared to Native Americans.
... Other studies have evaluated the perceived leadership skills obtained from 4-H livestock-related events (Anderson et al., 2015;Davis et al., 2016). Scholars have also examined the perceived leadership life skills of 4-H members who completed specific leadership activities (Phelps & Kotrlik, 2007;Real & Harlin, 2006). However, few have studied the leadership skills development of 4-H members in long-term opportunities designed specifically to teach leadership skills. ...
... Phelps and Kotrlik (2007) found that more years of 4-H participation were related to higher leadership skills development. Real and Harlin (2006) reported that 4-H members with additional leadership experience reported higher leadership skills. Boyd et al. (1992) found that increased participation in 4-H activities led to a slight increase in leadership skills. ...
... In this study, females reported higher leadership life skills development than did males. This same finding is in other studies of leadership life skills (Phelps & Kotrlik, 2007;Real & Harlin, 2006). It is unclear whether this finding is due to program characteristics that foster development in females over males or whether female involvement involves more intensity or engagement, leading to different outcomes. ...
This study introduces a framework for 4-H leadership competencies and explores the relationship between 4-H leadership programs and participant leadership life skills development. Illinois 4-H members aged 15-18 completed an online survey about their 4-H experiences and skills. Participants reported local programs exhibited the characteristics in the leadership competencies framework. Members participating in leadership competency programs reported higher leadership life skills scores than those in other 4-H non-leadership oriented programs. Females reported higher leadership life skills scores in comparison to males. However, spending more years in leadership programs was only related to a significant change in skills development for some participants.
... Literature associated with outcomes of other youth leadership programs has found similarly positive results. For example, in a study of a livestock event including 4-H, Future Farmers of America (FFA), and Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), researchers found that youth serving in a leadership role as school tour guides for the event perceived they had increased levels of selfunderstanding, teamwork, decision-making, communication, and leadership (Real & Harlin, 2006). Another study assessing youth who were involved in a variety of extracurricular activities found that those fulfilling leadership roles reported an increased sense of responsibility . ...
... Further, Hill and Francis (2014) found that military youth attending a 4-H post-deployment support camp perceived improvements in competence, responsibility, confidence, and teamwork. Overall, previous youth-centered service-based and leadership interventions appear to have demonstrated perceived improvements in leadership skills Hansen et al., 2003;Real & Harlin, 2006) and personal growth (Chawla & MacDermid Wadsworth, 2012;Clary & Ferrari, 2015) that promote the well-being and positive development of youth, both of which have been linked to resiliency among military youth (Easterbrooks et al., 2013;Esposito-Smythers et al., 2011). ...
... The increases in self-perceived personal growth (i.e., confidence, competence, responsibility, leadership, and public speaking) and leadership skills (H2) support prior research indicating that youth involved in service-based training also exhibit higher levels of teamwork (Larson et al., 2006;Real & Harlin, 2006), communication (Real & Harlin, 2006;Rutherford et al., 2002), and leadership skills Real & Harlin, 2006;Rutherford et al., 2002). That said, the decrease in sense of self was a surprising finding; however, this decrease may be attributed to humility gained from participating in MTA. ...
Youth in military families are frequently challenged by the adjustment demands associated with the deployment and reintegration of a parent. A positive youth development approach was undertaken by the Boys and Girls Clubs of America to develop and implement a Teen Ambassadors Training (TAT) for youth in military families that would facilitate knowledge of resiliency and reintegration and foster leadership skills to build assets for themselves as well as their peers within their local communities. To determine if TAT was functioning as intended and to refine future programming, this preliminary formative study assessed perceived participant learning outcomes associated with TAT on variables pertaining to knowledge acquisition, perceived skill acquisition, and community needs awareness. Data were collected prior to the training, immediately following the training, and 6 months after the training. Repeated measures analysis indicated significant mean increases over time in knowledge and awareness of resiliency and reintegration; perceived leadership skills; and community awareness. Qualitative findings provided triangulation in the aforementioned areas. These findings strengthen the body of knowledge on resiliency by demonstrating that the 7 Cs model may be an effective strategy to incorporate into leadership development programs seeking to build knowledge of resiliency among military youth. Study limitations, lessons learned, and recommendations for further research are delineated.
... In some of these studies, the researchers compared the leadership life skill development indicators between male and female participants. Interestingly, none of the studies mentioned earlier indicated a stronger self-assessment of leadership life skills by males, while many of them reported that females had higher perceptions of their leadership life skills (Real, 2004;Wingenbach & Kahler, 1997;and Dormody & Seevers, 1994). ...
... = 5.23, SE dif = 2.00 , sig. = 0.022), and reveal a different trend than the one observed in several of the manuscripts discussed in the literature review, where females were showing a higher self-assessment of leadership life skills and leadership life skill development than males (Real, 2004;Wingenbach & Kahler, 1997;and Dormody & Seevers, 1994). These differences could have several different interpretations. ...
Strong Villages, Strong Country is the motto for the Future Farmers of Georgia (FFG) youth organization in the Republic of Georgia. In an effort to assist with agricultural and youth development in the country of Georgia, FFG was established as an organization that uses the context of agriculture to build leaders that will help move the country to a new era of prosperity. One of the activities associated with this venture involves a week-long leadership training opportunity for student leaders from each school with a FFG Club. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the leadership and life skills development of FFG members as a result of their participation in this training opportunity. Specifically, the objective of the study was to determine FFG students' gain in overall and itemized Youth Leadership and Life Skills Development (YLLSD) (Dormody, Seevers, & Clason, 1993) as a result of the program. Twenty- eight students participated in the institute and completed the YLLSD instrument. The overall YLLSD score was M = 76.18, SD = 4.45, which was indicative of high development (skill gain), with only one item, trust, showing less than a "moderate gain." When comparing overall scores between males and females, males scored higher (N = 16, M = 79.17, SD = 4.07) than females (N = 12, M = 73.94, SD = 3.41). With the help of this study and othes to come, FFG and collaborators will continue to improve the design of future leadership development training institutes for youth in the Republic of Georgia.
... The scale established for responses is four points with 0 = no gain, 1 = slight gain, 2 = moderate gain, and 3 = a lot of gain. While this scale was developed more than 20 years ag, it has been utilized by researchers in measuring leadership life skill development in youth organizations and agricultural education (Boleman et al., 2005;Copeland et al., 2020;Gibbons et al., 2017;Moran et al., 2019;Real & Harlin, 2006;Rutherford et al., 2002;Seamon, 2010;Walker et al., 2011). Examples of items to be asked include: respect what I am good at, can set priorities, create an atmosphere of acceptance, and use rational thinking. ...
Internal Vs External Locus of Control’s Effect On Learning Type In Agricultural Mechanics
... Youth leadership and community involvement has long been an important part of 4-H programs nationwide (Anderson et al., 2010;Park & Dyer, 2005;Phelps & Kotrlik, 2007). The value of leadership has been recognized as a key component of 4-H: "Embedded in the very fabric of the mission and vision of these organizations are not only the attainment of agriculture and agriculturerelated knowledge, but also leadership development" (Hoover, Scholl, Dunigan, & Mamontova, 2007, p. 100 (Mantooth & Fritz, 2006;Real & Harlin, 2006;Tassin, Higgins, & Kotrlick, 2010). Although each study focused on a different component of 4-H, each showed evidence that 4-H membership and involvement were key to the development of youth life skills. ...
This article describes the perceived impact of the 2011 Texas 4-H Round Up on the participants' development of life skills. Senior 4-H Members, at least 18 years of age, who attended the 2011 4-H Roundup were the accessible population. Participants Leadership and Life Skill Development Scores, based on Seevers and Dormody's (1995) YLLSDS Instrument, were reported, as well as the most frequently participated in 4-H events. Results indicated that participants perceived gains in positive self-perception, goal setting, and problem solving, while changes in the ability to express feelings and trust others ranked lowest in the study.
... A significant amount of time and practice must come into play through the various programs and events in which 4-H members can be a part of throughout their 4-H career. Skills, such as time management, communicating, making decisions, getting along with others and working in groups (Real and Harlin, 2006), as well as responsibility, organization, team building, working with diversity, teaching, motivation, a positive attitude, taking initiative, and evaluation are just a few of the countless skills 4-H educators have the opportunity to teach and engrain in their 4-H members. "Youth leadership activities should help youth gain skills that help them understand self, interact with others, function effectively in groups, and provide leadership within the community" (Horstmeier & Nall, 2007, p. 141). ...
... As can be observed, with the exception of the life-dimensional " self-understanding " , all of them are essential competences recorded in the curriculum of the majority of university degrees. The instrument has been widely used to follow the change of students' self-perception of leadership skills, in every age range and enrolled in different types of programs (Caudle, 2007;Fleener, 2008;Real, 2006;Rutherford et al., 2002). Consequently, the goal of this study is to evaluate if a Cooperative Learning instructional approach has influence in the self-perception of pre-service teachers about their leadership skills. ...
The aim of this study is to assess the self-perception of pre-service teachers on leadership after getting involved into a Cooperative Learning approach. For that purpose, a pre/post-test has been applied to 57 undergraduate students enrolled in a unit course on Natural and Social Science Education, compulsory in the curriculum of a degree in Primary Education. The inventory of the questionnaire included scales referring to the skills of teamwork, self-understanding, communication, decision making and leadership, regarded as essential for their future professional development. Results show that students perceive higher levels in all of them after a Cooperative Learning experience, which suggests the positive impact of cooperative student-centered teaching strategies to develop such important skills.
Leadership has been widely studied and recognized as important over time. This chapter has two main objectives. The first one is to analyse the perceptions that individuals have about leadership, either as a trait or a process, and the extent to which such perceptions are influenced by age. Secondly, the chapter aims to understand the presence of authentic leaders and if a person's age defines the relevance of this type of leadership. To attain these purposes, the concept of leadership is analyzed, as the transactional and transformation styles of leadership, as well as the characteristics of Generation Z. A quantitative methodology was chosen to achieve these goals through a survey based on the authentic leadership questionnaire. The results analysis reveals that age condition, even if in a very tenuous way, influences an individual's level of authentic leadership and how leadership is perceived.
Given social workers’ role in developing programs to respond to social issues, it is important to offer examples on how to apply all steps of intervention research to ensure the development of evidence-informed interventions. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how one specific intervention research framework was applied in the development and refinement of an intervention aimed to foster youth compassion, leadership, and advocacy skills. Further, specific group work skills embedded in the design of the intervention will be shared as well as results from an initial pilot study completed to aid in the further refinement of the curriculum-guided group program.
Iowa FFA members were surveyed to determine if a significant relationship existed between their self- perceived youth leadership and life skills development scores and their participation in youth leadership activities .This study was patterned after research done by Dormody and Seevers (I 994) of New Mexico State University. Responses were received from 316 Iowa FFA members. Iowa FFA members' Youth Leadership And Life Skill Development Scale (YLLSDS) scores ranged from 0 to 90 with a composite mean of 62.6 .The three highest shill means were observed for the YLLSDS items "getting along with others , " "respect others, "and 'Show a responsible attitude. "FFA members participated most actively in chapter meetings, fundraising and chapter banquets .Respondents indicated the highest leadership opportunities for nonFFA activities occurred through participation in sports, church groups, and after school jobs .The strongest relationship existed between YLLSDS scores and FFA leadership activities followed by years of membership in FFA, age, jobs, achievement expectancy, club officer, church groups, and class officer. A total of 22.26% of the variance in YLLSDS scores was explained by a combination of participation in FFA leadership activities, after school jobs, years in the FFA, self-reported cumulative grades, and gender. The development of agricultural leadership skills has been one of the primary aims of the National FFA Organization since its inception in 1928. Among the primary purposes of this agricultural youth organization is the development of skills in communications, human relations, social abilities, citizenship, cooperation, and resource management (Official FFA Manual, 1993). As an intracurricular tool, the National FFA has had a successful and lasting impact for most youth in an agricultural education program.
This study addresses the relationship between Washington Leadership Conference (WLC) participants' self-perception of their leadership skills and their chapter size, length of membership, level of involvement, and involvement in an officer position. The accessible study population was 2,086 FFA members who attended the WLC during the summer of 1997. A self- selected sample of 291 FFA members completed the Leadership Skills Inventory (LSI) before the opening session of the conference. Subjects ranged from 15 to 18 years of age, with females representing 56.6% of the respondents. The LSI was developed using FFA defined indicators of personal development characteristics including: communication, decision making, working in groups, leadership, and understanding self. Size of FFA chapter, involvement in activities, and holding an officer position all showed a slight positive correlation with one or more of the WLC participants' self-perceived leadership skills.
In agricultural education, both 4-H and FFA have identified leadership development as central to their mission. Many Cooperative Extension Service and agricultural educators, members, and alumni think these organizations provide effective leadership programming. However, there is little research to support that viewpoint. The purpose of this study was to develop a valid, reliable scale to measure youth leadership life skills development. The first phase involved the conceptualization and operationalization of youth leadership life skills development (YLLSD). YLLSD was conceptualized as having seven sub-domains (Miller, 1976) and operationalized with 68 indicators. Each indicator used a four point Likert-type sub- scale. Face and content validity were assessed by a panel of experts. In the second phase, construct validity, reliability, and dimensionality were assessed. Data were collected during September and October, 1992, following the Dillman procedure. The target population was 6,388 senior 4-H and FFA members from New Mexico. A random sample of 400, stratified proportionally to ensure organizational representation was generated. A usable return rate of 66% was obtained. No differences were found between respondents and nonrespondents. During construct validity assessment, indicators of youth leadership life skills development were eliminated through item analysis, internal structure relationships, and cross-structure relationships. The final summated scale of 30 indicators had a Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient of .98. Factor analysis was used to assess dimensionality. Although the final scale contains indicators from the seven original conceptual domains, youth in the study perceived the construct to be unidimensional.
In this case study, we explored an innovative Professional Development (PD) approach where teachers were positioned as experts and drivers of change. Simplified as Participatory PD, Michigan State University Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources (AFNR) Education faculty constructed an experience for Michigan AFNR Educators following the characteristics of effective PD. We then employed a case study design to explore AFNR Educators’ perceptions of the Participatory PD experience. Seventeen AFNR Educators engaged in the participatory PD. During the PD, educators were tasked with creating a state-wide AFNR Education curriculum resource. Data collection included focus group interviews with teacher-participants, a facilitator interview, researcher observations, and researcher reflections. Data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a multi-stage process based on the constant comparative method of analysis. Four themes emerged from the data: (a) Professional Development, (b) Learning, (c) Perspective, and (d) SBAE Change. Conclusions from the case study include a discussion of the outcomes reached by teacher-participants who engaged in the participatory PD, the essential role of collective teacher expertise in achieving those outcomes, and teacher preference for the participator PD approach. Recommendations include the need for additional research on participatory PD alongside recommendations for leaders in AFNR Education to implement participatory PD.
Leadership is evolving from its partiarchal roots to the emerging paradigm of a network of shared leadership. This new model which values the traits and abilities of communication, inclusion and nurturance has paved the way for greater participation of women in the leadership equation .However, preparation of young women leaders in agriculture may require changes in our educationalmethodologies. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of leadership education methodologies for female students .Students enrolled in a collegiate agricultural leadership development course constituted the sample of the study .No relationship was discovered between women 's previous leadership experiences and their perceived ability to work with groups, make decisions, communicate or understand self. However, women in an all-female section had a strongerperception of their ability to lead, work with groups, make decisions, communicate and understand themselves than women in a coeducational section . Based on these findings it was recommended that an all-female class be made available for women in collegiate agricultural leadership development courses.