146 The Nebraska 4-H Equine Advancement Level program's role in positive youth development using the five C's model: An exploratory study

Abstract

Positive youth development (PYD) focuses on developing the strengths of youth through positive activities and behaviors rather than reducing negative tendencies. A well-researched model of PYD is the 5 C's model that is currently used in youth development organizations such as 4-H. The 5 C's model consists of caring, competence, confidence, character, and connection. An additional sixth c is labeled as contribution. The Nebraska 4-H Equine Advancement Level (NEAL) program was intended to serve as a guidebook for instruction and assessment of youth as they learn more about horses and horsemanship skills. The NEAL program has 4 levels with each having an emphasis on developing a member's responsibility, self-discipline, self-reliance, patience, and pride of accomplishments. The program was started over 30 years ago but has not been evaluated for PYD. This study aims to evaluate the impacts of and identify relationships between students’ involvement in the NEAL program and the 6 C's of PYD. A survey was developed and administered through Qualtrics using multiple choice and modified Likert scale questions. Response options to questions were geared toward topics or scenarios specific to the NEAL program. Respondents were between the ages of 10 to 18 years old and were enrolled in the Nebraska 4-H Horse project. A total of 55responses (6 male; 49 female) were collected. The study used measures of numerical values set for each question option (0 point or 1 point) and applied the points to survey responses to receive total scores. Scores were analyzed using SPSS 29.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL) including inter item correlation matrix, Pearson correlation, and ANOVA. Results indicated significant positive correlations between constructs (P < 0.05), specifically competence and contribution (r = 0.277) and connection with caring (r = 0.380), contribution r = 0.511), competence (r = 0.439), and character (r = 0.345). Additionally, youth responded with answers that indicated they showed PYD traits as they progress through advancement levels and developed in 5 of the constructs. When moving through the levels, scores were significantly increased for youth in level 2 and 3 compared with level 1 for competence (Level 2: P = 0.038, Level 3: P = 0.006) and character (Level 2: P = 0.006, Level 3: P = 0.003) predicting that youth develop these traits through the program. The (NEAL) program provides opportunities for youth to become engaged in youth development activities and experiences which lead to positive youth outcomes.