by Michelle Klem and Don Nicholson
With 10 million youth attending summer camps annually, which accounts
for close to 10 percent of the American youth population, it is important
to know how these youths are developing as a result of the summer camp
experience. Dickerson mentioned thirty-four years ago that the "consensus
that camping is good for the individual appears to have contributed to
the scarcity of research in this area (Dickerson 1973)." At a time
when accountability seems to be paramount, it is no longer acceptable
to just "know" or "feel" that camps do a world
of good. The camp community needs a world of data that can move this
conversation forward and to a level of accountability.
The body of knowledge
regarding positive youth development that occurs as the result of a summer
camp experience has been gaining momentum and growing since Dickerson's
comment in 1973. The Missouri 4-H research highlighted below makes a
significant contribution to this body of knowledge and provides valuable
insights for both researchers and practitioners.
Research Highlights
4-H campers ages ten to thirteen and their parents were surveyed to determine
the effectiveness of Missouri 4-H Camps in developing life skills in
youth. The objective of this evaluation was to determine the effectiveness
of the 4-H resident camp experience in increasing one particular life
skill in each of four areas in the youth who attended. Those life skills
are identified as Learning to Learn, Social Skills, Teamwork, and Self-Responsibility
(Hendricks 1998). Results yielded the following:
- 72.6 percent of youth and 84.3 percent of parents agreed
or strongly agreed that 4-H camp improves skills in Learning to Learn.
- 84 percent of youth and parents agreed or strongly agreed
that 4-H camp develops Social Skills.
- 82.4 percent of youth and 86 percent of parents agreed or
strongly agreed that 4-H camp improves Teamwork Skills.
- 82.4 percent of youth and 80.1 percent of parents agreed
or strongly agreed that 4-H camp improves Self-Responsibility Skills.
- An overwhelming 95.7 percent of youth reported their desire
to return to camp next year. Among parents, 99.2 percent stated they
were glad they sent their child to camp; 99.1 percent felt the benefits
to their child outweighed the cost.
The survey instruments and process have proven to be useful, with high
dependability across diverse camp settings and staff configurations.
Camp has been a mainstay of Extension 4‑H Youth programs for nearly
a century. As a public entity, 4‑H and the Land-Grant University
system are asked and expected to show proof that the youth development
programs are indeed doing that—developing youth. There is abundant
anecdotal evidence and testimony that the camp experience in 4‑H
is a powerfully positive, sometimes even life-changing experience for
many young people (Garst and Bruce 2003).
Each summer, University of Missouri Extension sponsors several 4‑H
resident camps throughout the state of Missouri. The curriculum for these
camps focuses on the development of a spectrum of life skills relating
to Head (managing and thinking); Heart (relating and caring); Hands (giving
and working); and Health (living and being).
Research Process
In order to evaluate the effectiveness of these programs, two surveys
were developed by University of Missouri Extension youth development
specialists and the UMKC Institute for Human Development. All documents
and the administration process were approved by the University of Missouri—Columbia
Social Sciences Institutional Review Board for Human Subjects Research.
Camper- and parent-survey questions focused on identifying perceptions
of each group regarding 4-H camp's affect on
behavior and skills in the four life skills areas targeted. Both the
camper and parent survey asked similar questions so comparative data
could be gathered. Questions were to be rated Strongly Agree, Agree,
Disagree, or Strongly Disagree. Qualitative data were also gathered regarding
perceptions of the most important aspects of the camp experience.
Campers ages ten to thirteen (n=426) were surveyed on or about the
last day of their three- to four-day camp experience; parents (n=119)
were surveyed several weeks following.
The Youth Survey was developed at the fourth grade reading level and
piloted with a small group of fourth and fifth grade youths. Both camper
and parent scores demonstrate high levels of data reliability. Camper
data scored 0.874; parent data scored 0.865 using Cronbach's Alpha
Scale.
Results and Discussion
The evaluation of Missouri's 4‑H Resident Camp program was
positive. The vast majority of parents and youth reported that the 4‑H
camp experience clearly develops life skills.
In the quantitative and qualitative sections of the surveys, both youth
and parent respondents were highly positive about the overall experience
of campers. Campers stated overwhelmingly that they wanted to return
to camp next year and parents indicated strongly that their child's
self-confidence improved and that the benefits of their child's
attendance at 4‑H camp outweighed the cost. Finally, parents overwhelmingly
stated that they were glad they had sent their child to 4‑H camp.
In fact, this single statement by parents showed the most positive response
of all questions asked in the parent survey, with 99.2 percent agreeing
or strongly agreeing.
Practical Applications
- This survey has been proven as a measure of parent and camper
perceptions of the effectiveness of the camp experience in increasing
certain life skills in Missouri 4-H campers.
- The survey and process is age appropriate and valid in evaluation
design and process for measuring the increase in life skills attributed
to youths' participation in 4‑H camp.
- It is likely to be equally valid with any other camp.
- The survey and process has been academically reviewed and approved,
meeting high ethical standards for use with children and their families.
- The results of this study can be used for marketing purposes
highlighting the effectiveness of camp programs in increasing life
skills in youth.
- The results of this study can be used as concrete proof for decision-makers
and parents that camps serve a greater purpose and have a greater impact
than they may imagine—that camp is more than just fun and games.
- The data sets of this study can be further analyzed to answer
a number of research questions, including the following: Are there
differences in responses based on the camp attended? Is there a correlation
between responses and camp/staff ratio or camp staff education level? Between
responses and length of stay at camp? Between responses and number
of years of camp attendance? Those are a few of many possible questions
for future research.
This study has proven that campers perceive value in their camp experience
in terms of life skills development. The values identified by the youth
at the close of camp are retained and are observed by the parents at
home in the weeks following camp. This evaluation process is an effective
one, and may lend itself easily to replication in other camping programs.
References
• Dickerson, L.T. (1973). The relationship of the Youth Conservation
Corps experience to Selected dimensions of adolescents self-concept.
Dissertation Abstracts International, 34 (12-B, Pt 1), 6096-6097.
• Garst, Barry A.& Bruce, F. A. (2003). Identifying 4‑H camping
outcomes using a standardized evaluation process across multiple 4‑H
educational centers. Journal of Extension. 41(3), Retrieved 12/20/2005
from www.joe.org/joe/2003june/rb2.shtml.
• Hendricks, P.A. (1998). Targeting life skills model. Ames, IA: Iowa State
University Extension. Retrieved September 1, 2005 from www.extension.iastate.edu/4H/lifeskills/homepage.html.
Originally published in the 2007 May/June
issue of Camping Magazine. |
