How adults volunteering with youth perceive the value of youth leadership
Presentation Type
Abstract
Faculty Advisor
Miriam Linver
Access Type
Event
Start Date
25-4-2025 12:00 PM
End Date
25-4-2025 1:00 PM
Description
Preconceived negative stereotypes adults hold about youth are often cited as a hindrance to effective youth-adult partnerships that promote positive youth development (Jones, 2006). To address a gap in empirical research on the influence of volunteering with youth on adults’ perceptions of youth, our project explores how time spent volunteering with Boy Scouts of America (BSA) and other volunteer attributes relate to adult perceptions of the value of youth leadership. BSA is a national out-of-school-time program for youth aged 11-17. The program emphasizes positive youth development through leadership opportunities, character growth, and community service experiences (Boy Scouts of America, n.d.). The data, collected via an online survey in Spring 2019 from 2,696 adult BSA volunteers with 1–9 years of experience, comes from the first wave of the national longitudinal BSA Building Evidence in Scouting Together (BEST) study conducted by the RYTE Institute at Montclair State University. We conducted a MANOVA to determine if there is a statistically significant difference in the mean perceived value of youth leadership and mean beyond-the-self ratings among volunteers who have volunteered with BSA for fewer than 4 years, 4-6.99 years, or 7 or more years. We also conducted a multiple regression to determine how volunteer age and whether or not the volunteer was a scout as a child impact their mean perceived value of youth leadership. While neither of the statistical tests returned significant findings, future research should use more sophisticated methods to analyze patterns of how adult volunteers value youth leadership.
How adults volunteering with youth perceive the value of youth leadership
Preconceived negative stereotypes adults hold about youth are often cited as a hindrance to effective youth-adult partnerships that promote positive youth development (Jones, 2006). To address a gap in empirical research on the influence of volunteering with youth on adults’ perceptions of youth, our project explores how time spent volunteering with Boy Scouts of America (BSA) and other volunteer attributes relate to adult perceptions of the value of youth leadership. BSA is a national out-of-school-time program for youth aged 11-17. The program emphasizes positive youth development through leadership opportunities, character growth, and community service experiences (Boy Scouts of America, n.d.). The data, collected via an online survey in Spring 2019 from 2,696 adult BSA volunteers with 1–9 years of experience, comes from the first wave of the national longitudinal BSA Building Evidence in Scouting Together (BEST) study conducted by the RYTE Institute at Montclair State University. We conducted a MANOVA to determine if there is a statistically significant difference in the mean perceived value of youth leadership and mean beyond-the-self ratings among volunteers who have volunteered with BSA for fewer than 4 years, 4-6.99 years, or 7 or more years. We also conducted a multiple regression to determine how volunteer age and whether or not the volunteer was a scout as a child impact their mean perceived value of youth leadership. While neither of the statistical tests returned significant findings, future research should use more sophisticated methods to analyze patterns of how adult volunteers value youth leadership.
Comments
Poster presentation at the 2025 Student Research Symposium.