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  • Positive Youth Development

    Research Shows 4-H Helps Young People Excel Beyond Their Peers

    The structured learning, encouragement and adult mentoring that young people receive through their participation in 4-H plays a vital role in helping them achieve future life successes. For nearly a decade, preeminent youth development scholar, Dr. Richard Lerner, and the team at the Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development at Tufts University have been working with faculty at land-grant universities to conduct The 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development.

    The 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development is a longitudinal study that began in 2002, and continues today, surveying more than 7,000 adolescents from diverse backgrounds across 44 U.S. states. The study is made possible by the contributions of our nation’s land-grant universities and National 4-H Council.

    This in-depth study has discovered that, when compared to other youth, young people involved in 4-H:

    • Have higher educational achievement and motivation for future education
    • Are more civically active and make more civic contributions to their communities

    4-H Youth Make More Healthy Choices

    According to Wave 8 of the study, 4-H’ers – regardless of their background, socio-economic status, race, and gender – thrive through the health/safety education and experiences they receive through 4-H programming. In fact, young people in 4-H are:

    • 3.4 times more likely to delay sexual intercourse by Grade 12
    • Shown to have had significantly lower drug, alcohol and cigarette use than their peers
    • 2.3 times more likely to exercise and be physically active

     

    Developmental Outcomes 
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    4-H’ers Excel in School and the Sciences

    The advantages of 4-H participation also include higher educational achievement and higher motivation for future education. Young people in 4-H:

    • Report better grades, higher levels of academic competence, and an elevated level of engagement at school,
    • Are nearly two times more likely to plan to go to college,
    • Are more likely to pursue future courses or a career in science, engineering, or computer technology.

    The study also finds that girls in 4-H are 2 times more likely to pursue science careers over their peers.

     

    Educational Outcomes 
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    Young People in 4-H are Committed to Improving Their Communities

    A notable trend of the study indicates that grade 11 4-H youth are 3.3 times more likely to actively contribute to their communities when compared with youth who do not participate in 4-H.