by Karla A. Henderson, Ph.D.; Paul E. Marsh, M.S.;
M. Deborah Bialeschki, Ph.D.; Margery
M. Scanlin, Ed.D.; Leslie S. Whitaker; Christopher Thurber, Ph.D.;
and Mark Burkhardt
Camp directors often design the summer camp experience with intended
camper outcomes in mind. Campers often experience positive changes
as a result of attending summer camp. The research highlighted below
provides an initial attempt at exploring how the intentions of camp
directors influence the positive youth development outcomes experienced
by campers.
Summer camps for young people have been offering developmental opportunities
to children and adolescents for over one hundred years. Identifying
the elements of camp experiences that result in positive youth development
is necessary to assure that camps continue to provide "a world
of good."
A national study was undertaken by researchers associated with the
American Camp Association (ACA) to measure changes in young people
as a result of summer camp
experiences offered for the duration of at least one week. Positive
changes in youth development constructs were found (see the full report,
Youth Development Outcomes of the Camp Experience at www.ACAcamps.org/research).
The purpose of this aspect of the research was to explore a logic model
applied by the researchers that asserts that the goals set by camp
directors and staff lead directly to positive outcomes for youth.
Data for this study were collected in 2002 and 2003 from a national
sample of over
five thousand families representing over ninety camps across the United
States. The
participating camps were selected from a multistage, stratified random
sample
of ACA-accredited camps representing both day and resident camps in
different sponsorships (i.e., agency, religious, independent nonprofit,
and independent for-profit).
The study design included pre, post, and follow-up questionnaires
given to campers and parents, a pre-and post-observation checklist
completed by staff during the session that the camper attended, and
questionnaires to camp directors regarding the characteristics, outcome
goals, and operations of their camps. The data used in this analysis
of intentional youth development included camper pre-and-post tests
and camp director surveys.
Matched t-tests were used to compare the pre-and-post data from the
campers. Positive change occurred in the four domains of personal identity,
social skills, personal values, and physical/cognitive (thinking) skills.
Statistically significant positive change was found in six of the ten
constructs measured (i.e., adventure/exploration skills, making friends,
positive identity, independence, leadership, and spirituality).
Intended Outcome Goals and Youth Development
Of primary interest was an examination of the relationship between
intentionally set
program goals and positive change in the domains associated with those
goals. Camp directors rank ordered a list of nine typical camp program
outcome goals. These variables were recoded such that campers from
a camp that gave either the first or the second choice as the goal
area were compared to campers from camps that did not choose that goal
as first or second. About 77 percent of the campers were in camps where
the camp director indicated personal identity was either the first
or second ranked outcome goal of their program. Almost 38 percent of
the campers came from camps that ranked social skills as the primary
or secondary goal. Personal values were ranked one or two by camps
for 31 percent of the campers. Physical/cognitive skills were ranked
first or second in camps representing 7 percent of the campers. The
construct of spiritual growth as one dimension of personal values was
also examined as a separate goal for religious-affiliated camps. Almost
one fourth of the camps participating in the study indicated that increased
spiritual growth was the highest ranked program outcome goal.
Regression analyses were calculated to ascertain if overall youth
development change and change in the four domains could be predicted
by the intended program outcome goals articulated by the camp director.
No relationships were found between the intended goals and camper results
for overall change, social skills, and personal values. The relationship
between camper personal identity change was significant relative to
camps that ranked personal values as the first or second outcome goal,
but the percent of variance (i.e., explanatory power) was low. Positive
change in physical/thinking skill was significant with camps that had
either personal identity or physical/cognitive skills as their first
or second ranked outcome goal, but this variance was also low.
Only two direct relationships existed between intentional program
goals and camper change. In camps that had physical/cognitive as an
intended program outcome, campers reported statistically significant
positive change in physical/thinking skills from the beginning to the
end of camp. For camps that indicated spiritual growth was an intended
outcome within the area of personal values, campers reported statistically
significant positive change in the construct of spiritual development.
Intended Outcome Goals and Program Components
Although the regression analyses were not as compelling as hypothesized,
we were interested in what program components camp directors used to
address their goals. For each of the first ranked outcome goals, camp
directors chose from a list of components undertaken to reach that
goal.
For all intended program outcome goals except for spirituality, the
quality of the staff/camper interaction was the most important program
component. For the camps focused on physical/thinking skills, the types
of components offered included teaching specific activities, staff-to-camper
ratios, camper decision-making, and progression of activities. Positive
identity was promoted through the roles of campers in decision making,
types of activities offered, program structure, and the staff training
that was directed toward addressing the outcome goal. In addition to
quality of staff/camper interactions, social skills were emphasized
through staff training, camper groups, and camper decision-making.
Personal values were focused through staff-to-camper ratios, staff
training, and the follow-up in the off-season. Overall, the areas of
staff/camper interactions, staff training, camper decision-making,
and staff-to-camper ratios were the most important program components
used to address camps' intended outcome goals.
Discussion
This study showed that positive youth development from pre-to-post
camp occurred in many campers in all measured domains. The regression
analyses reported did not support strongly the notion of intentionality
as measured by the directors' self-reports of intended program
outcome goals. Physical/thinking skills and spirituality were the only
strongly supported youth development constructs related to intended
program goals. In other words, camp directors' views of their
primary goals did not always predict measured camper growth and development.
The lack of evidence about the relationship between intended goals
and youth development may be due to the global nature of the goals
presented to the directors. The unclear relationship also could be
due to the high level of correlation within the program goals. The
program components used to reach intended goals, however, were important
to acknowledge. Therefore, from a descriptive standpoint these deliberate
program components contributed to positive youth development even if
not directly measured by camp directors' stated goals.
More research is needed to understand the relationship between youth
development and camp programs, structures, and processes. The elements
that contribute to positive youth development are complex. This analysis
represents a start at understanding more about how intent results in
change.
| Research Highlights |
| A logic model (i.e., a focus on how program
components like camp activities leads to program outcomes like
independence) suggests that intentional or deliberate program goals
should lead to specified camper youth development outcomes. |
| Research conducted by ACA showed positive
change in youth development characteristics as a result of camp
experiences. |
| Few direct statistically significant results
linked camp directors' intentional program outcome goals
to youth development changes. |
| The components of camp programs, structures,
and processes directed at reaching program goals were identified
and included staff/camper interactions, staff training, camper
decision-making, and staff-to-camper ratios. |
| This study provided an initial exploration
but much more research is needed. |
Originally published in the 2006 September/October
issue of Camping Magazine. |
