Poster #27 - Within- and Between-Person Links between Quality Summer Camp Experiences and Youth Outcomes

• In Event: Poster Session 04

Abstract

Over 14 million people participate in summer camps in the United States (ACA, 2016). The immersive nature of summer camps makes them a potentially consequential context of development. Indeed, evidence suggests that camps can provide important developmental opportunities to youth (Henderson et al., 2007; Wilson & Sibthorp, 2017), with some research documenting positive outcomes associated attendance (Bialeschki et al., 2007; Wilson & Sibthorp, 2018). However, most research to-date has focused on a single camp, has lacked systematic controls, or has relied on retrospective reports, making it difficult to assess whether summer camps offer measurable developmental benefits to youth. The present research seeks to fill this gap by examining within- and between-person associations between quality camp experiences and youth outcomes within a national sample of camp participants. Data were drawn from the American Camp Association’s National Impact Study, a 4-year longitudinal study that followed a sample of approximately 450 youth from summer 2018 through fall 2021. Families were recruited to participate through 22 ACA-accredited summer camps, including both day and overnight camps. At baseline, youth were generally 10 years old, roughly 50% were female, most were white, and over 80% were from affluent families. To consider the relationship between camp experiences and youth outcome, we employed mixed effects modeling. This analytic strategy simultaneously estimates fixed and random effects, allowing us to compare youth to themselves over time, in addition to comparing youth to one another (Allison, 2011). Our analyses focused on five outcomes that have been linked to summer camp experiences (Richmond et al., 2019): willingness to try new things, independence, social awareness, grit, and affinity for nature. Our key predictor, quality camp experiences, was created by averaging five scales tapping into different aspects of the camp experience: engagement, belonging, supportive youth-adult relationships, and action- and reflection based experiential learning. A parallel measure of school experiences was created as well. Within-person control variables included major life transitions, time, and COVID impacts. Between person controls included family income, race/ethnicity, gender, and COVID impacts. We also controlled for quality of school experiences at both levels to ensure that associations were not actually driven by experiences at school. We hypothesized that higher quality camp experiences would be related to higher outcome levels among youth, but that links would be attenuated at the within-person level. Results show that youth who had better camp experiences than their peers, on average, had higher outcome levels than those peers. More importantly, within-person results indicate that individual youth reported heightened independence, social awareness, and affinity for nature after having a better versus a worse camp experience. Though causality cannot be established, this research provides compelling evidence that quality camp experiences may offer measurable developmental benefits to youth. Improving access to and support for summer camps may thus be a valuable avenue for supporting the development of socioemotional skills and environmental consciousness.

Authors

• Bryn Spielvogel, University of Utah
  Presenting Author

• Robert P Warner, University of Utah

• Jim Sibthorp, University of Utah

• Laurie Browne, American Camp Association