Youth as Evaluators: What's an Adult to Do?

Practice Matters, January 2006

A publication of the ACT for Youth Center of Excellence

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By Shepherd Zeldin, Cailin O'Connor, and Linda Camino, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Research in the field of youth development has consistently shown that youth participation in research and evaluation (R&E) projects has many positive outcomes for youth. From this research, we also know a lot about the conditions under which those outcomes are most likely to be achieved. For example, youth must have authentic roles and real responsibilities; and, like all of us, they need training and support to do the job well.

However, little guidance is available about the roles adults should play in these projects. Youth workers venturing into R&E projects with youth may be perplexed about whether they should sit on their hands and "let youth lead" or take a more active leadership role to ensure that the research is done "properly."

Based on a literature review of youth R&E projects and our own experiences observing and working with youth researchers and evaluators, we offer advice for youth workers and other adults to support youth involvement in R&E projects without either abdicating responsibility or overpowering youth partners in the project.

Purposes of Engaging Youth as Researchers and Evaluators

The goals of youth involvement in R&E projects vary. In the big picture, most are related to program improvement, school reform, or community development. Young people's motivation to get involved in these projects typically stems from a desire to effect change in these settings or to become a valued member of a cause-based group.

However, adults may have different purposes in mind when they initiate R&E projects with youth involvement or leadership. Often, adults involve youth in R&E projects so that young people may gain new skills and competencies. Often, too, teachers and youth workers initiate R&E projects to give youth "voice" about projects and issues. Professional researchers and evaluators sometimes engage young people with the purpose of gaining an authentic perspective on the research question.

The differing goals and purposes that youth and adults bring to R&E projects are important to recognize. When everyone's goals and purposes are understood, adults and youth are more able to work in partnership, and more likely to achieve all of the various goals that participants bring to the project.

Outcomes for Youth

Young people are involved in evaluating programs they participate in, using research to contribute to school reform efforts, and researching issues that matter in their communities. The settings for these projects range from community centers to classrooms, and often extend into the streets of their neighborhoods. Research finds that participating youth gain important skills and build social capital, while finding out more about themselves. These outcomes are summarized below.

• Identity exploration. By taking on new roles as researchers, evaluators, and action planners, youth broaden their sense of who they are, and who they can become. Youth gain a sense of empowerment by seeing themselves as experts, investigative reporters, and change agents.
• Self-confidence. Youth gain confidence as they conduct in-depth interviews and focus groups, write reports, and speak publicly about the results.
• Social capital. Youth broaden their horizons through exposure to new places, people, and ideas. Youth gain new or deepened relationships with community peers and adults. These connections and relationships can help with future opportunities in other programs, internships, employment, education, and mentoring.
• Social competencies. Young people learn how to interact with different kinds of people in different situations. They develop empathy for, and understanding of, other people's perspectives.
• Civic competencies. Young people learn about the social, cultural, economic, and historical conditions surrounding their programs and communities. As they make decisions about the direction of the R&E project, present results, and make action plans based on the data, young people also gain civic leadership skills, including communication, outreach, and advocacy skills. These experiences spur youth to an increased sense of social responsibility.
• Research, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. Youth learn concrete skills in developing research questions, and methods to collect, analyze, and present data. They increase their skills in problem-solving when confronted with issues that arise in the research process. Youth also learn critical thinking skills, and lessons about the practical issues of program and community development and project organization.

Adult Roles in Projects

We have recently reviewed over two dozen reports and articles on youth involvement in R&E projects. This review revealed that adults' roles vary depending on the purpose of the research, from "lead researchers" who seek input from youth participants, to "advisers" to young people, providing technical and logistical support as needed. These roles can also change throughout the course of the project, depending on adults' goals and on the motivation and capacity of their youth partners.

Adults tend to play different roles depending on the purpose of the research. When youth development is a primary goal, adults are more likely to serve as advisers to "youth-led" projects. When youth development is secondary to other goals, such as enacting policy change in communities, adults are more likely to lead and provide direction for youth "assistants." Neither of these approaches is necessarily the best. Youth may lack the experience, clout, and access to resources necessary to successfully carry out an R&E project without adult guidance. On the other hand, an overbearing adult leader may not truly engage youth researchers and evaluators who sense that their input is not being taken seriously.

The objective, obviously, is for adults to integrate and find a balance between the two approaches. How does one do this? Foremost, adults initiating R&E projects with youth - or participating in a youth-initiated project - should strive to understand the goals of all participants, including their own. Take the time for everyone to discuss why they are participating. Then, youth and adults should work together to develop a strategy for the project, including the roles that each participant will take, to meet those goals. A partnership approach, with flexible, shared leadership, will advance the interests of all stakeholders.

Within this context, we conclude this brief with some recommendations on the roles adults can and should play in the various phases of R&E projects with youth involvement. This guidance is based on the above-mentioned reports (some of which are listed at the end) and on our own experience, including the development of the YALPE process (see box). These tips, along with your own expertise and experience, should help you implement successful R&E projects.

• Setting the stage. Adults must often play an important role in preparing for an R&E project. Youth simply do not have the time to do this "prep work" alone. This might include initiating the project, recruiting or selecting youth to participate as researchers, and training or teaching youth researchers. Through their roles in communities, schools, and organizations, adults can also provide access to resources needed for the project and advocate for youth involvement.
• Planning the project. Once the stage is set, it is not uncommon for youth researchers to take responsibility for designing the project in greater detail. Adults may impose guidelines or establish parameters to help youth keep their projects manageable. Adults' perspectives on decisions about instrument design, sampling strategies, and scope of the project are very valuable to youth researchers in this phase.
• Collecting data. Youth almost always have key responsibilities for data collection in R&E projects. Adults may step back, but it is still important to advise youth in this phase. Remember, many youth have never done research before! For example, if youth are conducting interviews or focus groups, adults may observe the youth researchers in action and give them feedback to help them improve their interviewing skills.
• Analyzing and interpreting the data. There is great variation in adults' roles and the extent of youth involvement when it comes to data analysis and interpretation. Youth might be responsible for data analysis and interpretation, with adults providing guidance and instruction. Or, adults might analyze and interpret the data, asking youth researchers may help to clarify or verify their conclusions. It is often useful to bring a "third party" to help interpret the results. For example, in the YALPE process, all youth participants and adult staff in the program get a chance to comment on the findings.
• Reporting on the results. Reporting on the results of an R&E project, particularly public presentations of results, can be a very meaningful experience for youth. Inexperienced public speakers may benefit from having an adult (or more experienced youth) partner to handle questions from the audience, help to keep the discussion on track, and keep an eye on the clock. Presenting results as a team to other community stakeholders also helps to demonstrate the possibilities of youth-adult partnership and may help to develop additional champions for your cause.
• Facilitating reflection. Throughout the process of any youth R&E project, adults should meet with youth researchers regularly to provide feedback, guidance, and opportunities for reflection. These opportunities for reflection add meaning to the experience for everyone. Adults can also enhance the experience by providing motivation and encouragement, and might use thought-provoking questions to help youth learn.
• Doing good youth work. Conducting research or evaluating a program has great potential to be a positive youth development experience. Similarly, many of the practices of adult partners in those projects are typical youth development practices: building relationships, ensuring that youth have positive experiences, and exposing young people to leadership opportunities to support their development.

Youth and Adult Partners For Program Excellence (YALPE): A Practical Guide for Program Assessment and Action Planning

The YALPE Resource Kit, available through ACT for Youth, guides youth and adults through a rigorous program assessment and action planning process, providing tips and tools to help participants work in partnership. The Resource Kit includes all the tools you need to conduct a serious program assessment - with four program assessment tools to choose from, templates for data entry and reporting, and a step-by-step guide to the process in five phases:

• Phase 1: Planning and preparing to conduct a program assessment.
• Phase 2: Collecting and compiling data.
• Phase 3: Analyzing and understanding the data.
• Phase 4: Sharing the results with the group.
• Phase 5: Action planning and finalizing the report.

The tools and methods are grounded in research on youth development and are user-friendly for both youth and adults. In addition, the YALPE Resource Kit guides youth and adult evaluators through key discussions about the purposes of the program assessment project, the goals of each participant, and action planning for data-based program improvement.

References

For more information about youth as evaluators, see the following publications and websites:

• Checkoway, B., & Richards-Schuster, K. (2005). Participatory evaluation with young people. Ann Arbor, MI: School of Social Work, University of Michigan. Available at: http://www.youthandcommunity.org
• The Forum for Youth Investment. (2004, May). Youth Act: Community Impact. Forum Focus, 2(2). Washington, DC: The Forum for Youth Investment, Impact Strategies, Inc. Available at: http://www.forumfyi.org/Files//ForumFOCUS_May2004.pdf
• Horsch, K., Little, P., Smith, J.C., Goodyear, L., & Harris, E. (2002). Youth involvement in evaluation and research. Issues and Opportunities in Out-Of-School Time Evaluation: Harvard Family Research Project, 1, 1-8. Available at: http://www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/projects/afterschool/resources/issuebrief1.html
• O'Connor, C., & Zeldin, S. (2005). Program assessment and improvement through youth-adult partnership: The YALPE resource kit. Journal of Extension [On-line], 43(5). Available at: http://www.joe.org/joe/2005october/tt4.shtml
• K. Sabo (Ed.). (2003). Youth Participatory Evaluation: A Field in the Making. New Directions for Evaluation (Vol. 98). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
• Zeldin, S., & Petrokubi, J. (2006). Understanding innovation: Youth-adult partnerships in decision-making. The Prevention Researcher, 13(1), 11-15. Available at: http://www.tpronline.org.