Tracy S. Hoover

Modeling Service Learning for Future Leaders of Youth Organizations

This project provides instructors seeking to integrate Service Learning (SL) into collegiate level courses a model for future use and adoption. Approximately 60 students in a collegiate youth leadership course and two collegiate student organizations participated in a SL project at an environmental center in West Philadelphia. The majority of students who participated were enrolled in either the youth leadership development course or in a special topics course on SL. In both instances students were exposed to service learning from an historical and operational perspective and participated in guided reflection at the completion of the project. The SL project allowed the instructors to model a unique experiential learning strategy that could be adopted by future agricultural education instructors, 4-H youth development educators, collegiate or youth organizations.

Understanding the Perceptions of Service Learning with Teen Leaders

This qualitative study was conducted to answer two questions concerning service learning in youth populations: Do teens understand their roles in the process of service learning? How do teens perceive service opportunities within their communities or organizations? The intent was to investigate these issues in order to provide depth to the research on youth voice and perceptions in service learning activities. Focus groups were conducted with teens involved in various organizations. Findings included that teens were able to articulate a strong definition of service learning as well as identify service activities. Most felt they had a voice in planning and implementation and saw adults as key to the evaluation of projects. Some teens felt, however, that adults often have too great a voice in the planning stages. Recommendations include professional development for adults on working with teens and evaluating current programs to make certain that youth voice is present.

A Comparative Leadership Development Study within Student Collegiate Clubs and Organizations at an Agrarian University in Ukraine and a University within the United States

This study was conducted to explore leadership development within student collegiate clubs and organizations at an agrarian university in Ukraine. The data were then compared to a College of Agricultural Sciences at a university within the United States. The information collected in the study will serve as a basis for understanding leadership development within student collegiate clubs and organizations. The findings indicated that leadership development within student collegiate clubs and organizations is occurring. The study found that leadership development is a product of the culture in which it functions. Students from the Ukrainian university are developing leadership skills through a highly socialized model. This results in the development of a collaborative leadership style, which reflects the philosophy of the former Soviet culture. In sharp contrast to the collaborative style, the United States group is developing more of an individualistic style, indicative of its culture.

Contributions to the Development of State FFA Officers.

What are the long term consequences associated with serving as a state FFA officer? Using a semi-structured interview format, selected state FFA officers from a twenty year time span were interviewed to assess their perceptions of and assets attributed to their experiences as a state officer. Results indicated that past state officers, regardless of when they served, noted positive leadership development, personal growth, and a heightened level of community awareness. Additionally, experiences and subsequent engagement related to their term confirmed four key features of positive adolescent development, which are, a sense of industry and competence; a sense of identity; a sense of control over one’s fate; and connectedness to others (CSR Inc, 1997).