Brian Barber and Dr. Shawn Fletcher Dorius, Sociology
With an estimated one quarter of America’s youth between the ages of 10 and 17 exhibiting signs of high risk or dysfunctional behaviors, organizations aimed at intervention and positive socialization have flourished over the past decade. Research has shown that within these organizations a social environment approach such as the establishment of peer groups, role modeling, and pro-social behavior rehearsal are effective means of fostering lasting behavioral and attitudinal changes among troubled teens. Applying similar mentoring techniques within our own community, the needs of Provo’s at risk youth are being legitimized at Project Vision.
Project Vision is a youth mentoring program operating under the umbrella of Community Action Services of Utah County(CAS). The program focuses its efforts on the youth of families currently receiving support from CAS. It pairs each of these high risk youth with a mentor, who meets with the child weekly for several hours. In addition, the youth are organized into small groups which meet together weekly at various locations for activities and games. The purpose of the program is to foster community values and service within the children, while at the same time acting as a protective factor against drug and alcohol use, gang involvement, and other deviant behavior. Because Project Vision current operates on a virtually non-existent budget, a quantitative analysis of the program and its participants is a vital tool for seeking State and Federal monies.
The purpose of my study was to assess the program and monitor change in youth attitudes and behavior by using a longitudinal research instrument. With the help of Cassie Dorius and many faculty in the Sociology Department, a survey instrument was designed and approved by Brigham Young Universities Human Subjects Review Board(IRB). The instrument included such things as basic demographic questions, a depression scale, a self-esteem scale, a loneliness scale, questions regarding deviant behavior, and many questions regarding project vision and the program mentors. From March to May of 1997, parental consent forms were signed and the questionnaire completed.
The study encountered numerous problems and difficulties. Prior to administration of the survey, it was necessary to receive IRB approval of the research instrument, cover letter, and the consent forms. This was a surprisingly difficult task, requiring numerous revisions, letters and phone calls from the IRB. After several months of delays, all of the necessary information received approval from the IRB and the green light was given to proceed with the survey administration.
Another difficulty arose with response rates. It became increasingly difficult to get parental consent for the children to participate in the study. Only 39 of the 58 children in the study received permission to participate. Of those 39, only 28 filled out the questionnaire. The poor response rate was the result of several factors. Timing was a key factor in the poor rates. Because the instrument was held up by the IRB, the survey administration was pushed back to late in the school year for the children. Also, as most of the mentors were BYU students, when the semester ended, many left for the summer. These factors combine to make contact with the children and organization of the survey difficult. My goal was to administer the survey at a monthly meeting at which most of the small 81 groups of children would be in attendance. The turn out was poor and subsequent efforts equally so. On many occasions, scheduled times for the survey to be taken by the children were canceled at the last minute because group leaders did not want to reschedule planned activities. In addition, turn over rates among Project Vision participants was high. From the time I sent out consent forms to the time I administered the survey, 10% of the children in the program had dropped out or moved.
Another major problem arose regarding the instrument itself. When the original questionnaire was written and the study population assessed, I was informed that the age of the participants ranged from approximately 12 to 18 years. During the time the instrument was being designed, Project Vision leadership changed hands and with it, so also did the target age of the program. Unfortunately, this did not become known until I actually administered the survey. The mean ages of those surveyed was 11.8, with the median age being 12 and the mode 13. This was almost three years younger than the average target age for which the survey was written. As a result, many of the children could not understand several of the questions and had trouble finishing the survey because of attention difficulties.
Not withstanding the above mentioned challenges, some data was collected and preliminary analysis done. Below are a few of the results of this study.
The sample included 16 girls and 12 boys, of whom 15 were White, 7 Hispanic, 3 Native American, 2 Black, and 2 Other. Responding to questions on school 8 reported that their grades were mostly comprised of A’s, 13 responded B’s, 2 with C’s, 2 with D’s and 2 with F’s. 10 respondents liked school less this year than last year, while 17 like school more than last year.
When asked who was the most influential person in their life, 12 responded Mother, 5 Brother/Sister, 2 Father, 2 Stepmother, and 1 for Friends, Grandmother, Aunt/Uncle and Mentor respectively. When asked to rate their relationship with their Mother on a 1 to 7 scale, the mean score was 6.1. The mean score rated for their relationship with their Father was 5. It its interesting to note that the mean score for their relationship with their Mentor was 6.2. The mean score for their Power Groups was 6.1, while the score for Project Vision as a whole was a 6.3.
Asked if they had ever:
Used drugs or alcohol, 10% responded yes
Been involved in gang fights, 10% responded yes
Purposely damaged or destroyed property, 25% responded yes
Stolen or tried to steal something, 33% responded yes
Hit or threatened to hit someone, 57% responded yes