Character Development among Youth of Color from Low-SES Backgrounds: An Examination of Boy Scouts of America’s ScoutReach Program

Authors

  • Kaitlyn A. Ferris Tufts University
  • Rachel M. Hershberg University of Washington
  • Shaobing Su Tufts University
  • Jun Wang Tufts University
  • Richard M. Lerner Tufts University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/jyd.2015.6

Abstract

This study examined character attributes associated with participation in ScoutReach, Boy Scouts of America’s recent program innovation created to deliver Scouting curriculum to underserved populations. Participants were predominantly Black/African American (72.9%; N = 266, Mage = 10.54, SD = 1.58) and resided in low-income urban communities. Youth completed surveys assessing how much they embody different character attributes (e.g., kindness, helpfulness, hopeful future expectations), and a subset of youth (n = 22) also participated in semi-structured interviews examining character-shaping experiences within the program. Results replicated an eight-factor character structure established with youth involved in traditional Scouting programs, and indicated that involvement in ScoutReach may positively contribute to the development in youth of prosocial behaviors, future career goals, tolerance beliefs, and the manifestation of character attributes across Scouting and non-Scouting contexts. Together, these findings have implications for measuring character constructs among youth of color from low-SES backgrounds, and for the conduct of youth-serving character development programs more generally.  

Author Biography

Kaitlyn A. Ferris, Tufts University

Tufts University

References

Adams-Bass, V.N., Stevenson, H.C., & Kotzin, D.S. (2014). Measuring the meaning of black media stereotypes and their relationship to the racial identity, black history knowledge, and racial socialization of African American youth. Journal of Black Studies, 45(5), 367-395.

Bazeley, P., & Jackson, K. (Eds.). (2013). Qualitative data analysis with NVivo. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Blumenfeld, W.J. (2013). Boy Scouts of America: The good, the bad and the (still) highly discriminatory. Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/warren-j-blumenfeld/boy-scouts-of-america-the_b_3382827.html

Cabrera, N.J. (2013). Society for Research in Child Development Social Policy Report: Positive development of minority children. Sharing Child and Youth Development Knowledge, 27(2), 1-30.

Callina, K.S., Mueller, M.K., Buckingham, M.H., & Gutierrez, A.K. (2015). Building hope for positive youth development: Research, practice, and policy. In E.P. Bowers, G.J. Geldhof, S.K. Johnson, L.J. Hilliard, R.M. Hershberg, J.V. Lerner, & R.M. Lerner, Promoting Positive Youth Development: Lessons Learned from the 4-H Study. (pp. 71-94). New York, NY: Springer.

Creswell, J.W., & Plano-Clark, V. (2011). Designing and conducting mixed methods research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Dawes, N.P., & Larson, R. (2011). How youth get engaged: Grounded-theory research on motivational development in organized youth programs. Developmental Psychology, 47(1), 259-269.

Denzin, N.K., & Lincoln, Y.S. (2005). Introduction: The discipline and practice of qualitative research. In N.K. Denzin & Y.S. Lincoln (Eds.), The Sage handbook of qualitative research (pp. 1-43). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Fredricks, J.A., & Simpkins, S.D. (2012). Supporting ethnic minority youth during the after school hours: The potential of organized activity participation. Child Development Perspectives, 6, 280 – 287.

Gwet, K.L. (2014). Handbook of inter-rater reliability: The definitive guide to measuring the extent of agreement among raters. Gaithersburg, MD: Advanced Analytics, LLC.

Harris Interactive (2005). Values of Americans: A study of ethics and character. Irving, TX: Boy Scouts of America National Office.

Hershberg, R.M., Chase, P.A., Champine, R.B., Hilliard, L.J., Wang, J., & Lerner, R.M. (in press). “You can quit me but I’m not going to quit you”: A focus group study of leaders’ perceptions of their positive influences on youth in Boy Scouts of America. Journal of Youth Development, 10(2), 5-30.

Hilliard, L.J., Hershberg, R.M., Wang, J., Bowers, E.P., Chase P.A., Champine, R.B., Buckingham, M.H., Warren, D.J.A., Ferris, K.A., & Lerner, R.M. (2014). Beginning a life path of honor and duty: Assessing youth character development in cub scouts. Journal of Youth Development, 9(4), 4-46.

Hooper, D., Coughlan, J., & Mullen, M. (2008). Structural equation modeling: Guidelines for determining model fit. Electronic Journal of Business Research Methods, 6(1), 53-60.

Hsieh, H.F., & Shannon, S.E. (2005). Three approaches to qualitative content analysis. Qualitative Health Research, 15(9), 1277-1288.

Hurd, N.M., & Sellers, R.M. (2013). Black adolescents' relationships with natural mentors: Associations with academic engagement via social and emotional development. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 19(1), 76.

Jang, S.J., Johnson, B.R., & Kim, Y. (2012). Eagle Scouts: Merit beyond the badge. Institute for Studies of Religion, Baylor University. Retrieved from http://www.baylorisr.org/wp- content/uploads/Boy-Scouts-Report.pdf.

Johnson, S.K., Hershberg, R.M., Arbeit, M.R., DeSouza, L.M., Callina, K.S., Gutierrez, A.S., Warren, D.J.A., Harris, E.M., Rubin, R.O., Lerner, J.V., & Lerner, R.M. (2015). Exploring characteristics of young adult men: Initial findings from a mixed methods evaluation of an all-male, character-focused trade school. Journal of Character Education, 10(2), 129-154.

Lareau, A. (2003). Unequal childhoods: Class, race, and family life. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Leman, P.J., & Lam, V.L. (2008). The influence of race and gender on children’s conversations and playmate choices. Child Development, 79(5), 1329-1343.

Lerner, R.M., & Callina, K.S. (2014). Relational developmental systems theories and the ecological validity of experimental designs. Human Development, 56(6), 372-380.

Lerner, R.M., Lerner, J.V., Bowers, E., & Geldhof, G.J. (2015).Positive youth development and relational developmental systems. In W.F. Overton & P.C. Molenaar (Eds.), Theory and Method. Volume 1 of the Handbook of Child Psychology and Developmental Science (7th ed.). (pp. 607-651). Editor-in-chief: R.M. Lerner. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Margie, N.G., Killen, M., Sinno, S., & McGlothlin, H. (2005). Minority children’s intergroup attitudes about peer relationships. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 23, 251-269.

Molenaar, P.C.M., & Nesselroade, J.R. (2015). Systems methods for developmental research. In W.F. Overton & P.C.M. Molenaar (Eds.), Handbook of Child Psychology and Developmental Science, Volume 1: Theory and Method (7th ed., pp. 652-682). Editor-in-chief: R.M. Lerner. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Overton, W.F. (2015). Process and relational developmental systems. In W.F. Overton & P.C. Molenaar (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology and developmental science. Vol. 1: Theory and method (7th ed., pp. 9–62). Editor-in-chief: R.M. Lerner. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Pedersen, S., & Seidman, E. (2005). Contexts and correlates of out-of-school activity participation among low-income urban adolescents. In J.L. Mahoney, R.W. Larson, & J.S. Eccles (Eds.), Organized activities as contexts of development: Extracurricular activities, after-school and community programs (pp. 85-109). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Polson, E.C., Kim, Y.I., Jang, S.J., Johnson, B.R., & Smith, B. (2013). Being prepared and staying connected: Scouting’s influence on social capital and community involvement. Social Science Quarterly, 94, 758-776.

Richardson, J.B., Brakle, M., & St Vil, C. (2014). Taking boys out of the hood: Exile as a parenting strategy for African American male youth. In K. Roy & N. Jones (Eds.), Pathways to adulthood for disconnected young men in low-income communities. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 143, 11-31.

Satorra, A., & Bentler, P. (1999). A scaled difference chi-square test statistic for moment structure analysis. Technical Report. University of California, Los Angeles.

Simpkins, S.D., Vest, A.E., & Price, C.D. (2011). Intergenerational continuity and discontinuity in Mexican-origin youths’ participation in organized activities: Insights from mixed methods. Journal of Family Psychology, 25(6), 814-824.

Swanson, D.P., Spencer, M.B., Harpalani, V., Dupree, D., Noll, E., Ginzburg, S., & Seaton, G. (2003). Psychosocial development in racially and ethnically diverse youth: Conceptual and methodological challenges in the 21st century. Development and Psychopathology, 15(3), 743-771.

Tashakkori, A., & Teddlie, C. (2008). Quality of inferences in mixed methods research: Calling for an integrative framework. Advances in mixed methods research, 101-119.

Vandell, D.L., Larson, R.W., Mahoney, J.L., & Watts, T.W. (2015). Children’s organized activities. Handbook of Child Psychology and Developmental Science, 4(8), 1-40.

Wang, J., Ferris, K.A., Hershberg, R.M., & Lerner, R.M. (2015a). Developmental trajectories of youth character: A five-wave longitudinal study of Cub Scouts and non-Scout boys. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, DOI 10.1007/s10964-015-0340-y.

Wang, J., Hilliard, L.J., Hershberg, R.M., Bowers, E.P., Chase, P.A., Champine, R.B., Buckingham, M.H., Braun, D.A., Gelgoot, E.S., & Lerner, R.M. (2015b). Character in childhood and early adolescence: Models and measurement. Journal of Moral Education, 44(2), 165-197.

Wothke, W. (2000). Longitudinal and multi-group modeling with missing data. In T.D. Little, K.U. Schnabel, & J. Baumert (Eds.), Modeling longitudinal and multiple group data: Practical issues, applied approaches and specific examples (pp. 219-240, 269-281). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Publishers.

Zimbardo, P.G., & Duncan, N. (2012). The demise of guys: Why boys are struggling and what we can do about it. New York, NY: TED Conferences, LLC.

Downloads

Published

2016-05-17

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 3 (2015): The Promotion of Character through Youth Development Programs

Section

Feature Articles

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. The Author retains copyright in the Work, where the term “Work” shall include all digital objects that may result in subsequent electronic publication or distribution.
  2. Upon acceptance of the Work, the author shall grant to the Publisher the right of first publication of the Work.
  3. The Author shall grant to the Publisher and its agents the nonexclusive perpetual right and license to publish, archive, and make accessible the Work in whole or in part in all forms of media now or hereafter known under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License or its equivalent, which, for the avoidance of doubt, allows others to copy, distribute, and transmit the Work under the following conditions:
    1. Attribution—other users must attribute the Work in the manner specified by the author as indicated on the journal Web site;
    with the understanding that the above condition can be waived with permission from the Author and that where the Work or any of its elements is in the public domain under applicable law, that status is in no way affected by the license.
  4. The Author is able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the nonexclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the Work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), as long as there is provided in the document an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  5. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post online a prepublication manuscript (but not the Publisher’s final formatted PDF version of the Work) in institutional repositories or on their Websites prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work. Any such posting made before acceptance and publication of the Work shall be updated upon publication to include a reference to the Publisher-assigned DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and a link to the online abstract for the final published Work in the Journal.
  6. Upon Publisher’s request, the Author agrees to furnish promptly to Publisher, at the Author’s own expense, written evidence of the permissions, licenses, and consents for use of third-party material included within the Work, except as determined by Publisher to be covered by the principles of Fair Use.
  7. The Author represents and warrants that:
    1. the Work is the Author’s original work;
    2. the Author has not transferred, and will not transfer, exclusive rights in the Work to any third party;
    3. the Work is not pending review or under consideration by another publisher;
    4. the Work has not previously been published;
    5. the Work contains no misrepresentation or infringement of the Work or property of other authors or third parties; and
    6. the Work contains no libel, invasion of privacy, or other unlawful matter.
  8. The Author agrees to indemnify and hold Publisher harmless from Author’s breach of the representations and warranties contained in Paragraph 6 above, as well as any claim or proceeding relating to Publisher’s use and publication of any content contained in the Work, including third-party content.

Revised 7/16/2018. Revision Description: Removed outdated link.