Examining Camper Learning Outcomes and Knowledge Retention at Oklahoma FFA Leadership Camp

Abstract

The National FFA Organization is committed to providing non-formal learning activities focusing on leadership education. Summer camps are a major component of FFA activities and concentrate on personal growth, leadership development, and recreational activities for youth. This repeated measures study determined the level of cognitive gain and the amount of information retained by campers who participated in the 2011 Oklahoma FFA Alumni Leadership Camp and was informed by Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, a lens for viewing camper learning in the context of social interactions. In addition, the study described the relationship between learning outcomes and selected characteristics (sex, race, age, grade level, socioeconomic status, years of camp attendance, chapter FFA officer status, and grade point average) of participants. On average, campers doubled their score from the pretest to the posttest but the amount of information retained after six-months was negligible. Three personal characteristics were related to camper performance: GPA, socioeconomic status, and chapter officer status.