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What have we learned from youth development research and evaluations in the past 10 years?

What have we learned from youth development research and evaluations in the past 10 years?. JOSEPH L. MAHONEY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT IRVINE. Prepared for a discussion of the 10-Year Follow-Up to “Community Programs to Promote Youth Development” Washington, DC

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What have we learned from youth development research and evaluations in the past 10 years?

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  1. What have we learned from youth development research and evaluations in the past 10 years? JOSEPH L. MAHONEY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT IRVINE Prepared for a discussion of the 10-Year Follow-Up to “Community Programs to Promote Youth Development” Washington, DC May 2, 2011

  2. Theoretical and Meta-theoretical Advances • Informs, and informed by, a person-in-context systems perspective to development • A guide to developing and conducting research • Recognition of the need to study out-of-school contexts • Useful in making sense of discrepant findings • Development and refinement of multiple theoretical perspectives • Positive Youth Development; Routine Activity Theory; Expectancy-Value Theory; Person-Stage-Environment Fit; Flow/Optimal Experiences; Attachment Theory; Social Control Theory, etc.

  3. General Advances • Research and Evaluation • Exponential increase in quantity • Increase in methodological quality and rigor (often) • Policy • Federal and State initiatives • Congressional After-school Caucus (2005); Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs (2008); Advocacy groups; Political platforms • Education and Practice • Coursework and training • After-school networks • Program quality • Professional development

  4. Methodological Advancements • Theories of Change • Logic models • Defining and Measuring Key Constructs • E.g., Participation, Program quality • Selection, Barriers, and Attractors • E.g., National Evaluation of the 21stCCLCs • Immigrant families • Getting and keeping teens involved • Complex comparison groups • Value of Longitudinal Studies • Mixed methods to understand process • Importance of sustained participation • Enduring benefits (or risks)

  5. Youth Development Advancements • WHO and WHERE?: Impacts are Relative • Types of activities/programs and features of settings • Person-level differences • Context-level moderators • WHAT?: A Broad Range of Outcomes • E.g., PYD; Physical health • Where to expect change? • HOW MUCH?: Often Little Impact • Small effects are often reported • Change takes time • Quality is important, modifiable, and largely unknown

  6. More to Learn… “… after-school research can advance by assessing outcomes in consideration of the many factors that might affect program impact. We need more data on all of the following issues: Who does what to whom, in what ways, in what types of settings, within what broader context; what level of participation or engagement is needed by which populations to achieve what types of outcomes, and what are the most effective ways to improve current programs?” -Durlak, Mahoney, Bohnert, & Parente (2010)

  7. What I Wonder About… • Does it make sense to identify “key studies” over the past 10 years that would parallel those outlined in the 2002 volume? • How much have the “8 features” been informed by research over the last 10 years? Does the list still hold? • To what extent does the science actually inform practice? • What sorts of national policies would be best to support the out-of-school needs of today’s youth? • How do we prepare educators to provide quality programming? • Why so little work on youth programs and development in the summertime?

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