By Jennifer Whitlock
Field Editor
Participation in extracurricular agricultural activities like Texas 4-H has long been touted as better preparing youth for life beyond the classroom, but a new study by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service provides data.
“The nationwide 4-H program has evolved over the years, as has the Texas 4-H program. While it has continued its rural and agricultural traditions, 4-H has also extended into urban areas and placed additional emphasis on life skills development. The 4-H program has also widened the variety of academic interest areas it provides its members, including a number of STEM learning opportunities,” Dr. Jeff Hyde, director of AgriLife Extension, said. “The depth and breadth of experiences Texas 4-H provides youth for personal and academic development not only help prepare them for academic success, they also help prepare them for success in life.”
The study compared all students who graduated from a Texas public or private high school from 2013-2015 with 4,259 Texas 4-H alumni with two or more years of 4-H membership who graduated during the same time period. A subset of 556 recipients of Texas 4-H scholarships were also studied.
Data used in the project came from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and National Student Clearinghouse.
The study aimed to determine if Texas 4-H alumni performed better academically than the overall Texas student population in postsecondary education per Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) 60x30TX goals. Another goal of the study was to discover if Texas 4-H alumni were better-prepared for entry into postsecondary education than the general student population.
THECB hopes for at least 60 percent of Texans ages 25-34 to have earned a postsecondary credential by 2030.
The 60x30TX initiative aims for 550,000 students in 2030 to complete a certificate or degree from a Texas institution of higher education. Other goals of the program include graduates with marketable skills and a student loan debt load not to exceed 60 percent of their first year’s wages.
The Texas 4-H study showed 4-H alumni and alumni scholars who graduated in 2013-2015 far exceeded THECB goals and the performance of Texas students.
The four-year completion rate of degrees and certificates among Texas 4-H alumni and scholars was 78 and 88.8 percent, respectively, versus the overall population of Texas students at 43.6 percent.
Five-year completion rates also were higher. The statewide population rate was 43.7 percent, but 4-H alumni and scholars’ five-year completion rates were much higher at 95.2 and 97.4 percent, respectively.
Four-year graduation rates for baccalaureate degrees were also higher among Texas 4-H alumni and scholars. Only about 39 percent of Texas college students completed a baccalaureate degree in four years, whereas 83 percent of 4-H alumni and 89.8 percent of scholars did so.
Researchers also studied whether Texas 4-H alumni and scholars had higher ACT scores at entry into postsecondary education, as well as higher levels of dual-credit enrollment. Results showed Texas 4-H alumni and scholars had higher ACT composite scores and a significantly higher percentage of enrollment in dual credit courses.
“Earning dual credit accelerates progress toward degrees and thereby advances the efficiency of the higher education system,” Montza Williams, statewide Texas 4-H program director, said. “Although THECB 60x30TX priorities do not include an explicit goal for four or five-year completion, the Texas higher education board monitors graduation rates and considers efficient completion of degrees to be very important.”
There are plans to replicate the study annually to continue building a data set and monitoring academic performance of Texas 4-H members, according to Williams.
“We envision improving data collection processes each year. The next iteration will include SAT scores, and we will pursue strategies to secure a larger sample size for the supplemental survey,” he said. “I believe we are seeing an excellent example of some of those long-term benefits as they apply to Texas 4-H alumni in their postsecondary academic performance.”
The study was a joint project between AgriLife Extension and Texas A&M University’s Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences.
Texas Farm Bureau sponsors many 4-H club activities, including the Clover Cash Grant Program. Find out more details at texasfarmbureau.org/youth/youth-opportunities.