Youth Program Quality Survey: Youth Assessment of Program Quality

The Youth Program Quality survey, a 24-item survey of youth participant perceptions of program quality, based on program elements identified by the National Research Council (NRC) and Institute of Medicine, was developed and piloted with 614 younger teens (ages 10–13 years) and 486 older teens (ages 14–17 years) who attended 4-H camps and conferences. Evidence is presented for content and construct validity. In addition, the overall instrument demonstrated high reliability, as measured by Cronbach's alpha, generally ranging from .70 to .96, and moderate subscale reliability of .60 or higher on four factors in the younger sample (α=.60 or higher on four factors in the older sample). Results are discussed in terms of goodness of fit to the National Research Council model, the significance of youth voice in assessment of program quality, developmental differences in perceptions of quality, and programming design. Recommendations are offered for practice, research, and policy.