Youth Development Outcomes of the Camp Experience: Evidence for Multidimensional Growth (original) (raw)

Summer Camp Experiences: Parental Perceptions of Youth Development Outcomes

Journal of Family Issues, 2007

Every summer more than 10 million children attend day or resident (sleep-over) camps sponsored by churches, not-for-profit youth agencies, and independent operators. This study explored the outcomes of a 1-week or longer camp experience from the perspective of parents. A national sample of almost 2,300 parents responded to pre-, post-, and follow-up surveys about their children's growth experiences at camp. Parents perceived statistically significant gains from precamp to postcamp in 10 youth development constructs with the highest effect sizes related to adventure/exploration, independence, making friends, positive identity, and peer relationships. Additional gains from the precamp to the 6-month follow-up were noted for leadership. Parents also described what their children learned at camp and what changes they perceived occurred as a result of their child's camp experience.

Camp Experiences and Developmental Outcomes for Youth

Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 2007

''I'm nicer, and I'm just a much better person in general.'' ''I'm not as shy as I was before camp.'' ''I am a different person with a more positive attitude.'' ''I am a lot more caring.'' ''I am certain I am not the only person with diabetes at camp and I don't feel left out.'' ''I am more adventurous.'' ''I am more confident in doing new things.'' ''My social skills are better.''

Observing outcomes in youth development: An analysis of mixed methods

Journal of Park and …, 2011

Organizations such as park and recreation departments, not-for-profit youth groups, churches, and resident and day camps offer opportunities to promote positive youth development through structured recreation activities. Researchers involved with organized camp programs have documented some values of camp experiences relative to growth and development, yet more is to be learned about how camp structures and settings influence positive youth development and how the outcomes of youth development can be measured. The purpose of this analysis was to explore indicators of youth development outcomes through a comparison of two forms of data collected at six camps. The results of comparing quantitative and qualitative data sources to determine if indicators of positive youth development can be observed in a short period of time in the recreational and educational setting of summer camp is described. Quantitative data came from a study that sampled families representing American Camp Association (ACA) accredited camps from across the United States. The data included pre-and post-questionnaires given to campers to measure domains such as positive identity, social skills, positive values, and thinking and physical skills. The instrument used was called the Camper Growth Index-Children (CGI-C). Qualitative data came from on-site observations in six camps that had participated in the quantitative study the prior year. A guided outline was used as the basis for field observations and informal interviews. The observation rankings/ ratings and the quantitative results were compared. Two of the three camps showing statistically positive developmental change in campers also were ranked higher in using the focused qualitative observation. Two of the three camps showing no statistically significant change were also identified as ranking lower through the observation process. Observing opportunities for adventure and exploration activities as well as leadership and independence displayed by campers were easiest to observe. Observing indicators for developmental outcomes, including environmental awareness, positive identity, and positive values, were more difficult. Although consistent agreement did not exist in this comparison of quantitative and qualitative data, the two approaches provided some convergence and complementary data. This study provided an opportunity to explore the measurement of camp experiences from an external view along with an internal self-report approach. We examined the micro data obtained from the individual campers in relation to the social environmental macro structure of the camp. Implications exist for triangulating data and validating methods in other recreation organizations to better understand how and why youth development programs in recreation and camp settings

Understanding the Role of Summer Camps in the Learning Landscape: An Exploratory Sequential Study

Journal of Youth Development

Summer camp is an important setting within the learning landscape of youth—a landscape that also includes school, sports, arts and music, religious settings, home, and eventually, work. While research on camp outcomes is abundant, practitioners and policymakers have little empirical evidence that summer camp participation offers long-term impact and value. The purpose of this study was to build on existing camp research to identify learning outcomes that are highly attributable to camp participation and to determine whether these outcomes are considered important in everyday life. A second purpose was to identify other settings that may contribute to learning outcomes often associated with camp participation. This study used mixed methods design and involved a national sample of 352 individuals (18-25 years old) who had attended camp for at least 3 weeks in their youth and had not worked at a camp. Alumni reported that the development of independence, perseverance, responsibility, a...

Camp Research: What? So What? What’s Next?

Journal of Youth Development

This special issue of the Journal of Youth Development provides a means to highlight where camp research is today based on the articles presented. Several common areas are identified: role of theory, addressing social issues, methodological imagination, emerging audiences, samples, linking operations and outcomes research, staff and youth development, moving outcomes from what to how, and thoughtful and intentional implications for practice. Areas that need additional consideration in future camp research and issues that can be addressed by camp professionals include further examining how positive change occurs in camp, noting the value of the transfer of camp experiences to later life, using critical analyses of what camp experiences mean, and examining areas that have been under-researched such as day camps.

The Developmental Importance of Success and Failure Experiences at Summer Camp

Journal of Youth Development, 2017

Young people can learn from success and failure. Such experiences are useful in developing skills (e.g., perseverance and coping), and remain essential facets of youth programming. However, success and failure can also impede development. Appraisal theory has been used widely to examine youths’ experiences with success and failure in school and sport, yet summer camps represent an important setting where success and failure may look and feel different. In camp settings success or failure are often more subjective and less dependent on objective performance indicators such as grades, wins, or losses. Because of these contextual differences, little is known about youth experiences with success and failure at summer camp. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to use summer camp as a context to describe youths’ appraisals of success and failure experiences and the associated development. Findings explain how success and failure at camp can contribute to the positive development o...

A Multi-Method Impact Evaluation of a Therapeutic Summer Camp Program

Child and Adolescent …, 2003

This article reports on a multi-method impact evaluation of a therapeutic summer camp program for children and youth with learning disabilities and related psychosocial problems. The study examines the degree to which program objectives were achieved through a pre-camp, post-camp, follow-up design using a series of standardized instruments, camp evaluations, and interviews with parents. The results indicate that the campers reported less social isolation, experienced modest improvements in self-esteem, and expressed high levels of satisfaction with the camp. The measures for social skills generally failed to register significant changes, although parents reported improvements in the areas of cooperation, responsibility, and self-control.