Youth Leadership Experience Creating Equity and Access for Students of Color

Antonio B. Boyd

A Dissertation in Practice Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree

Doctor of Education

Graduate School of Education College of Professional Studies Northeastern University Boston, Massachusetts 6/09/2020

Antonio B. Boyd

(2021)

Acknowledgement

I want to express my sincere appreciation and thanks to my Committee Chair Dr. Cherese Childers

- McKee, who supported, guided, and provide innumerable opportunities for critical and constructive feedback throughout this process. Thank you, Dr. Kristie Searcy, for providing me with direct feedback and sound counsel throughout my academic writing adventure as a doctoral student. Thank you, Dr. Dave

Eng, for mentoring me throughout the dissertation process. I would also like to thank my committee members, Dr. Rashid Mosley and Dr. Darlene Booth-Bell, who served on my committee and provide their time, feedback, and guidance.

Special thanks to my wife Audrey, Son Justin, Daughter in law Tiffany and grandkids Justin, Jr.,

Taylin, and Jace Antonio, who gave me the time and space to complete this process. Thank you to my family, Mom (RIH), Pops (RIH), Dad, Brother Charles, and Sisters Karen and Kim. Thanks to my extended family on both sides, fraternity brothers and friends who prayed for me supported me throughout this life-changing endeavor on my path through higher education.

To the Posse, Team Lit, and the Caucus, you guys are the greatest! Thank you to my friends and colleagues in education equity who keep me energized to ensure all students can reach their unbounded potential! Thank you to my colleagues who started this journey with me in September of 2018 and lent emotional and social support along the way.

Finally, thank you to all students of color out there whose experiential journey and educational voice must be heard. You have shown that you learn best through experience. We are committed to making sure your stories are told and that you have programs, practices, and the college and career pathways to succeed in the future workforce.

Dedication

I want to dedicate this to the teachers and faculty at Horace Elementary School and Lindblom

Technical High School for the experiential learning opportunities you afforded me. Especially Ms. Johnson and Ms. Ford, two teachers who influenced my entire life. I also would like to thank the YLE Staff and students from the "Sweet Sixteen" who allowed me to be a part of your Fun in the Action journey over the last three years! Finally, to my mother, Margie Dean Holly (Rest in Heaven), my first teacher and encourager. She always told me, "If you don't know anything else, know you are loved."

Abstract

This study explores the Youth Leadership Experience (YLE), (pseudonym) an afterschool experiential learning and leadership program for 9th and 10th-grade high school students from the midlands area of Columbia, SC. The study aims to identify and document the experiential learning and leadership practices at Youth Leadership Experience using a qualitative participatory action research design. The study's secondary goal is to develop and implement practices that will enable YLE to be more equitable and accessible for students of color. Youth Leadership Experience has helped to inspire over

550 alumni to graduate from high school, attend college, and begin careers. It is critical to build the infrastructure necessary to provide access to experiential learning opportunities, particularly for students of color. Eliminating barriers to student participation is also essential (Hora et al., 2019). The study's findings indicated that YLE implements eight experiential learning and leadership practices through the program's monthly modules. However, the YLE program staff realized they had not effectively addressed diversity, equity, access, and inclusion in the program through intentional practices and policies.

Participation in the study enabled the YLE stakeholders to implement eight practice and policy changes that created more equitable access to the program for students of color. YLE also developed a module on diversity, equity, and inclusion and implemented it during the YLE Arts and Culture months to encourage dialog, reduce fear of discussion, and enhance the learning community amongst the students at YLE. YLE

delivered a survey before and after the module. The findings indicate a change in attitude, outlook, and

interaction between the students about diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Keywords: experiential learning, experiential leadership, diversity, inclusion, equity, access, and action research

Table of Contents

Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………….………………………….5

Section One: Introduction………………….………………………………………….…….………………………………………………. 7

Section Two: Results...………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….17

Cycle One Findings…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 17

Cycle Two Action Step(s)………………………………………………………………………………………………………….27

Evaluation………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 30

Section Three: Literature Review……….…………………………………………………………………………………………………40

Section Four: Contextualization…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….64

References……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………78

Appendices………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….100

Appendix A: Research Design………………………………………………………………………………………………….100

Appendix B: Dissemination Plan……………………………………………………………………………………………..123

Appendix C: Critical Reflection……………………………………………………………………………………………….124

Appendix D: YLE Data Display and Coding and Theme Matrix…………………………………………………125

Appendix E. YLE Interview, Observation and Focus Group Protocols………………………………………131

Appendix F: Organizational Practice Assessment Chart and YLE SWOT Analysis……………………..133

Appendix G: Programmatic Practice and Policy Change Matrix and Survey Results...……………..135

Appendix H: Participants Table Cycle One and Cycle Two……………………………………………………….139

Section One: Introduction

The purpose of this Action Research study was to investigate and document experiential learning and leadership practices at Youth Leadership Experience (YLE), an afterschool program for 9th and 10th high school students from the midlands area of Columbia, SC. The secondary goal of the study was to develop and implement practices that would enable YLE to be more equitable and accessible for students of color. This report begins with an introduction to the research related to YLE to provide context and background to the study. This introduction includes an overview of the problem of practice addressed in the research, the research purpose, and research questions, description of the research context and participants, and a brief synopsis of the research design.

The Results section of the report outlines the research results. How the participants describe and interpret their experiences is discussed in this section. The Literature Review will provide descriptions and critique of existing perspectives from the literature on the topic. The Contextualization section contrasts and comments on the differing perspectives presented in the results section and the literature and discusses implications of the research study. This description includes specific examples of how findings were used in the practice setting and suggestions for areas of future investigations. The format of this dissertation in practice has been influenced by the principles of action research, with a particular focus on elevating the voice of the participants in the research process. In contrast to a traditional dissertation structure, the description of the research methods has been placed in the appendix to feature the perspectives of participants and stakeholders more prominently through the results (Stringer, 2014).

Problem Statement

By practically every metric, South Carolina's schools trail behind many states, leaving high school

students, mostly rural, poor, and students of color, unprepared for the workforce (Bowers, Smith, Adcox,

Berry Hawes & Moore, 2018). South Carolina State tests show one in three students graduate high school

unprepared for most jobs. In every subject, just 2% of Black students and a sixth of White students reached

the college-ready criteria (Bowers et al., 2018). A growing proportion of South Carolina students live in

poverty, trauma, and even homelessness, and with dwindling resources and rising academic standards,

public schools confront huge problems (Wilkerson, 2016).

According to the 2018 Condition of College & Career Preparedness study, the Palmetto State is at the bottom of the country in terms of college readiness (Young, Huffman & Chung, 2018). The study puts

South Carolina 50th out of 50 states and Washington, D.C., based on composite ACT results for English, reading, math, and science. Nevada was the only state that fared worse than South Carolina. According to the results of the South Carolina Department of Education's 2018 Ready to Work exam, less than two- thirds of 11th graders had the abilities required to do 65 percent of specified professions (Young et al.,

2018).

While working as an educational consultant, I held question and answer sessions with more than

65 educators, students, business leaders, politicians, and academics. The sessions revealed a state school system hampered by gaping racial and economic disparities that thwart progress, particularly for Black students. Most of the discussion was about students, families, and communities. Black children' lack of academic accomplishment is frequently blamed on environmental and cultural factors that affect school performance (Stewart, 2007). A 2020 case study of Black students' perspectives of experiential learning found that amplifying student voice via experiential learning boosted student self-efficacy and generated

a feeling of community in the classroom (Gartland, 2020). Experiential learning and leadership programs 9

in afterschool settings were identified in the question-and-answer sessions as a proven solution to the

academic and college career readiness challenges facing South Carolina students of color, according to

the South Carolina Afterschool Alliance. The statewide organization serves as a convener of South

Carolina’s 1,401 afterschool programs (Waymer, 2019). Adolescent experiences affect students' destinies

as learners and persons (Miller, 2003). Afterschool time provides possibilities for social-emotional and

interest-driven learning via hands-on activities that are not often available in school curriculum. Hands-

on, experiential learning is a key difference between in-school and out-of-school time approaches to education.

Purpose of Research

In this research, experiential learning is defined as a process in which students gain knowledge, skills, and values through direct encounters outside of the classroom (Breunig, 2005). Experiential leadership is defined as the process of learning, developing, and motivating students via individual and team engagement utilizing a hands-on methods (Curtis, 2002). Knowledge generated from the study explained the experiential learning and leadership practices at Youth Leadership Experience and developed and implemented procedures that enabled Youth Leadership Experience program to be more equitable and accessible for students of color.

Research Question(s)

(RQ1) How have Youth Leadership Experience (YLE) founders implemented experiential learning and experiential leadership into the YLE program? 10

(RQ2) What are the experiences of students of color at Youth Leadership Experience?

(RQ3) What practice and policy changes can Youth Leadership Experience implement that will make the

experiences more equitable and accessible for students of color in the program?

Research questions one and two were the basis of the cycle one research process. Research question three was developed based on the analysis of the results from cycle one.

Context

YLE is a program that provides experiential learning and leadership training for 36 ninth and tenth graders from 19 different high schools in the Midlands (Columbia) region of South Carolina. What started as a few community leaders' idea has grown into a nationwide leadership organization with hundreds of sponsors, 129 community leaders, several companies and organizations, school systems, and 550 graduates. Each year, the program begins in August and ends in May. Students of color make up fifty percent of the students that come through the program each year. Participants experience nine different experiential learning modules like YLE Leadership Weekend, Government Day, Non-Profit Day, Arts and

Culture Months, Journalism and Media Month, Crime, Victims and Justice Month, and the

Entrepreneurship Module. Students gain exposure to professionals in the community who serve as role models and opportunities to develop themselves through financial literacy and investment classes, college readiness seminars, and their leadership skills through an experiential learning and experiential leadership curriculum. The leaders of YLE wanted to engage in a research study to identify the program's best practices and make changes to the program to make the program more effective for all students.

Participants/Collaborators/Stakeholders

Participants in this study included the organization's Founder and Executive Director, who were

involved in developing the YLE from its inception. The other participants in the study were the YLE

Assistant Director, Operations Manager, Alumni Coordinator, two Board Members, two Experiential 11

Learning Module Teachers, two community partners, two parents of past program participants, four YLE

alumni, and eleven current YLE participants.

The Executive Director and Assistant Directors served as research insiders and collaborators. They served in both communication and logistic capacities throughout the cycle one and cycle two data

collection process. They gave access and connections to the logistical resources for the study like office

space to host the focus groups that the researcher needed to complete the study. They served as the

primary recruiters for the participants in the study by sending out the participant recruitment letter by

email. They served as co-researchers and collaborators, they were both involved in the data analysis and

member checking process to ensure the key findings were accurate.

The YLE module teachers, students, alumni, and parents served as co-researchers and collaborators in looking at factors like the program climate, program leadership, the experiential learning and leadership modules, program environment, and shared accountability in the program. The Black parents, Black alumni, and students in the program served as internal participants and stakeholders providing insight on the impact of the program on students of color. Their voices were critical in exploring the research questions. The YLE Board Members also served as internal participants in the study and gained insight into what parts of the program are replicable and scalable. The community partners served as external participants and stakeholders providing insight on what aspects of the program have garnered public support.

The research process has given the Board confidence in the mission and direction of Youth

Leadership Experience and affirmed in the minds of the Experiential Learning Module Teachers and community partners that the program is making a difference in the lives of the students it serves. Roulston and Shelton (2015) emphasize relationships between researcher and research participants that are dialogic, reciprocal, ethical, and involve critical self-awareness on the researcher's part (p. 4). Stakeholders 12

stated they were excited that the researcher chose Youth Leadership Experience for the study. They also

noted that the research questions made them think about the organization's mission from a different

perspective. The parents and students shared the impact of the Youth Leadership Experience program in

terms of the participant's personal growth and leadership skills.

Positionality

As a Black male who grew up in the inner city of Chicago, I attended high school on Chicago's south side in a neighborhood called "Englewood," where 300 people were shot in May last year. Although poverty and violence surround this school, it had a college acceptance rate of 98% for its graduates, which is still the college acceptance rate today. The school focuses on experiential learning and training in leadership, and the demographic of the school is 97% Black and 3% Asian. Since graduating college, my career focuses on developing resources, systems, and organizations that can inspire students and lead to sustainable academic growth and high achievement. I worked for 18 years at HOPE worldwide, an international charity. At HOPE worldwide, we operated after-school programs in 127 cities and family resource centers in 57 cities. Both programs were experiential learning focused, and we had positive outcomes for students of color both academically and in inspiring college and career readiness. I also led

HOPE Youth Corps, an international experiential learning program for high school and college students, and the Community Service Fellows program that focused on project-based learning, inspiring college and career readiness and internships.

As a consultant, I spent the last 18 months working on education equity and access with the South

Carolina Legislature, the State Department of Education, and leaders from the University of South

Carolina. Engaging 65 community, philanthropic, and corporate leaders from across the state in

discussions about education equity in South Carolina. These discussions led me to want to examine

experiential learning and leadership programs in high schools, which could serve as solutions to the

problems faced by Black students in South Carolina. One of the most compelling discussions I experienced 13

when thinking about getting my Doctorate and focusing my research on equity and access was with the

Director of Small Business and Rural Development at the State Department of Commerce. I also discussed

this issue with the Director of Policy Development and Evaluation at the South Carolina Education

Oversight Committee, whose mission is to encourage continuous improvement in SC public schools. While

visiting the High School for Health Professions in Orangeburg, South Carolina, I visited with administrators

and teachers who have developed an experiential learning model of high standards and leadership

expectation. This school is outperforming every other school in its district even though it does not receive

the same funding, resources, or support as other high schools in that district receive. This school inspired me to research experiential learning and leadership programs in secondary education.

I am a research outsider with a 14-year relationship with the Assistant Director at YLE. I began working with the Assistant Director when I facilitated the Lexington School District Five Drug-Free

Community Coalition. Still, I had no prior familiarity with the YLE program, the YLE program practices, or the YLE program policies before the beginning of the study. The Executive Director and Founder developed the YLE model and have fifteen years of experience with the organization.

I navigated the circles of power in the organization by hosting individual meetings with the organization’s Founder, Executive Director, and Assistant Director. The dynamic between the Founder of

YLE and the Executive Director conflicted because of different visions for the direction of the organization.

By holding several lunches and zoom meetings with the Executive Director and Assistant Director, I was able to win the team's trust. I met with the entire staff and Chairman of the Board of Directors for in- person meetings to discuss the research process every step of the way and to get the staff's feedback on the entire research process and member checking.

Synopsis of the Research Design

Through a collaborative process working with all the stakeholders at Youth Leadership Experience

(YLE), we examined the policy and practices at YLE and the impact on students of color. We created the

YLE Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) task force to develop more equitable and accessible practices

and policies to implement the program in communities across the state of South Carolina. Action research

as a methodology was appropriate for exploring the afterschool experiential learning process at YLE because it provided a powerful means of exploring, improving, and developing new practices from the lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion, especially for the students of color. Action Research, according to

Reason and Bradbury (2008), "nearly always starts with a question of this kind, 'how can we improve the situation (p.11)? Action research is also known as "systematic and focused around data analyses that provide new interpretations that are immediately evaluated in the realm of action." (Greenwood & Levin,

1998, p.122). An action researcher collaborates with people of a community or organization who want to better their condition. Hence, action research is dedicated to articulating an issue and devising a course of action to address it (Greenwood & Levin, 1998).

To collect and analyze qualitative data, the Participatory Action Research methodology was used, with various strategies used to maintain analytical rigor (Springer, 2014). Participatory action research is a democratic method of conducting research (Greenwood & Levin, 1998; Koch & Kralik, 2006; Reason &

Bradbury, 2001; Streubert, & Carpenter, 2011). Because everyone participating assumes some responsibility throughout the study process, participatory action research puts a high importance on participant engagement and democracy (Greenwood & Levin, 1998). Furthermore, the democratic nature of PAR guarantees that all stakeholders participate in research as co-researchers (Greenwood & Levin,

1998). The researcher interacts with participants in a participatory action research design to co-generate information that answers an issue (Koch & Kralik, 2006). PAR provides a democratic and non-hierarchical 15

contact between researcher and participant because of this interaction and environment (s). PAR was

utilized to carry out the study and guarantee that all stakeholders were included in the research process.

At YLE, the research process was divided into two cycles. Because the researcher and the group or organization with whom the researcher is working are investigating some form of problem or issue and

then trying to remedy or solve it, action research happens in two cycles. The various cycles of diagnosis,

action, quantification, and reflection in the context of organizational transformation separate

Participatory Action Research from other research strands (Coghlan & Brannick, 2001; Coghlan &

Coughlan, 2003). During the first cycle of the research, data collection occurred with a broad group of participants including the YLE program founder, board, staff, alumni, parents, module teachers, community partners, and current program participants to gain an understanding of the experiential learning and leadership practices at Youth Leadership.

During the first cycle of the research process, interviews were held with the YLE Founder and (4) staff members (2), Board members (2), module teachers (2), community partners (2), parents (2), and alumni (4). Three focus groups were held with current program participants (3) at the YLE office with parents' consent. Parents were present on-site at the YLE office in an adjoining room. Observations were held at six experiential learning and leadership modules, including the YLE Leadership Weekend, Arts and

Culture Module, Career and College Readiness Module, Financial Literacy and Hard and Soft Skill Module, and the Entrepreneurship Module.

In the second cycle of research, two focus groups were held with the YLE staff, and two focus groups were held with YLE Black Alumni and YLE Black parents of former participants who then formed the DEI task force along with members of the YLE staff, the Arts and Culture module teacher and the DEI facilitator. Observations were held during the Arts and Culture Nights, and after each event, the student interviews and video tapings were observed. This report will summarize the first research cycle findings 16 and the second research cycle actions, activities, participants, stakeholders, evaluations, and findings. For a more detailed synopsis of the methodology, please refer to Appendix A.

Section Two: Results

The section below begins with a description of YLE practices. It follows an outline of themes that

emerged from an analysis of interviews, observations, etc., in the cycle one research process. The cycle

one interviews with participants and subsequent data analysis revealed practice and policy gaps that

informed the development of the cycle two action plan, which included eight practice and policy changes.

And the development of diversity, equity, and inclusion module to enable students of color to gain more

equitable access to the YLE program. Appendix A contains information about the study's design,

participants, and data analysis process from cycles one and two.

Cycle 1 Results/Finding

The first cycle of action research is a cycle of inquiry and reflection. Determining 1) where you are,

2) where you want to be, and 3) how you intend to get there. In general, the cycle one goes as follows:

Recognize the issue and plan for success. In this study the baseline data was collected to gain stakeholder buy-in and clarify the problem of practice, which informed the data collection plan for cycle one.

Individual, in-person interviews using a standardized interview process were used to gather data during cycle one (Harrell & Bradley, 2009). Four organizational overview sessions were also held with the YLE staff to get a baseline understanding of the organizational practices at YLE. We discussed and developed an organizational practice chart and develop a SWOT analysis of the organization where we look at the organization's strengths, the curriculum and knowledge of the program practices by all of the YLE stakeholders, the weaknesses of the current leadership in regards to training and communications, the opportunities at YLE for growth and replication of the program through staff training and the threat of not delegating more responsibility to the other YLE staff members by the Executive Director, (See Attachment

H). I also spoke to the YLE staff about the action of the research process and had discussions about distributive and situated leadership to prepare the YLE staff for the cycle one research process. After several rounds of first cycle coding, common themes were determined and regularly shared at meetings 18

with the Youth Leadership Experience staff. Constant comparison was employed (Boeije,2002) to

construct, update, and finally construct a valid list of thematic categories. We then identified 8

experiential learning and leadership practices at YLE.

Themes in cycle one emerged through baseline data collection from a broad group of YLE stakeholders who participated in the one-to-one interviews, focus groups, and program observations. The focus groups provided the most extensive evidence for the themes as students, parents, and program alumni reflected on their entire experience in the program. While each of the three themes that emerged is presented separately, their roots, influences, and outcomes are connected to the research questions.

Furthermore, the presentation of each theme's subthemes is organized to illuminate the purpose of the research best. All themes and subthemes must be addressed and understood to support a definitive answer to the overarching cycle one research questions: How have Youth Leadership Experience (YLE) founders implemented experiential learning and experiential leadership into the YLE program? What are the experiences of students of color at Youth Leadership Experience?

The Importance of Experiential Learning and Experiential Leadership in the YLE Program

Stakeholders discussed the importance of experiential learning in all aspects of the program.

Although stakeholders did not use the words experiential learning for what they described once I defined the term to the stakeholders, the term was evident and consistently expressed by all the study participants. Stakeholders discussed how the program inspired college and career readiness through experiential practices that train students in soft and hard skills, character development, and good citizenry

through service learning. They discussed exposing students to college through college scavenger hunts on

finding and choosing a college, and filling out college applications. The YLE program encourages students

to select career paths based on career-specific modules using an experiential learning style. Mentoring

opportunities with YLE alumni and community leaders were heavily encouraged in the program. Outdoor 19

experiential learning is part of the leadership weekend activities which include rope course and paintball.

The program also engaged the students in project based experiential learning through the entrepreneurship model.

The students at YLE are empowered to employ their creativity, exercise problem-solving abilities,

and assume responsibility. The experiential learning at YLE was designed to evoke decision-making, initiative, relationship building, and accountability in participants. The YLE experiential learning program provides a foundation for applying and adapting skills and leadership experiences to real-world scenarios and problems. When asked how the YLE Founders implemented experiential leadership? Stakeholders stated that the program implemented experiential leadership through the experiential learning module called YLE Leadership weekend, an outdoor ropes course experience for students in the first month of the program. The program also implemented experiential leadership through team-building exercises, group leadership activities during leadership weekend. When speaking to the organization's leadership, hands- on leadership training was as vital as the experiential learning modules. The organization used the term

"Run and Gun" to describe the information delivery process, which means deliver knowledge while the program is in motion. The organizational terms "Leading from the Front" "Leading from the Bench" referred to the ways students engaged in leadership either by being an out-front leader or a cheerleader for others who are leading out front. YLE’s goal is that students will take away core concepts from the modules and embrace the concepts that are taught not only with their minds but with their hearts. They called this process "Grasping the Golden Nuggets" and "Leading the Mind and Heart." All these approaches to teaching leadership were a part of the factors that make the program successful in the view of three top leaders. In the document review, "practical," "hands-on," and "leadership studies" were also quoted as an essential part of the program and serve as the foundation of the theme of teaching experiential leadership through experiential learning. 20

Opportunities to develop leadership skills may be limited for today's at-risk youth. Many youth- serving organizations primarily serve youth from affluent families. According to stakeholders, the program established an environment in which each kid has his or her own identity and a feeling of self-security.

The reason YLE kept the student so active in the module process was because of one of the YLE core principles, "the fun is in action." The staff at YLE can tell when the energy level and engagement level are down. At the YLE leadership weekend, the YLE staff plans energy breaks through providing drinks and snacks or engaging in dancing or action exercises like the cognitive listening game, personality color profile, or picture of a leader exercises. I asked the staff to give a timeline for the day and why they did

everything on the schedule during the break after the observation. I noticed that all the staff, alumni, and volunteers were familiar with each activity and why it was a part of how they introduce leadership concepts to the students.

The program works tirelessly to create a warm, high energy and inviting program atmosphere through the engagement of staff, parents, and program alumni and the use of peers encouraging peers. Program atmosphere and culture are a significant emphasis in the experiential leadership delivery process at YLE. The program meets two to three times a month in afterschool settings.

In each interview, the program atmosphere was addressed by the concept of 'huddles and teams', and

'identity and security," referencing the idea that each student would be placed in a huddle and put on a team to gain a group identity and support from peers. The goal in each module is to get the students engaged. The YLE leadership spoke of creating a culture where "less is more' focusing on 'what the students can take away" and an atmosphere where you address "what would I like to learn and do if I were their age." When the researcher reviewed the documents, this theme also appeared in the YLE

Modules Principles document and the Principles of YLE document. The program's goal according to the

YLE staff, of creating a "proactive atmosphere' "have fun" and creating a culture with "high expectation and high encouragement" sets the tone for the atmosphere and culture of the program. 21

Inspiring College and Career Readiness through Experiential Learning in the YLE Programs

When talking to the founder at YLE about why he decided to implement experiential learning and

experiential leadership into the YLE program, he stated “to inspire students to be college and career

ready.” He discussed how his own son learned as much from the experience of working in the family

business as he did from his business classes in college. College and career preparedness have been a key

area in recent years for America's secondary schools.

The program inspires college and career readiness through professional network events with area professionals, and through a computerized college scavenger hunt where the students research and examine college admission and scholarship opportunities on an automated program designed by the

University of South Carolina Computer Science Department. The program develops soft skills and hard skills through teaching the student's teamwork, greeting and relational skills, and interpersonal skills, and hard skills through teaching the student's financial management skills, budgeting skills, and investing skills.

The students also learn how to run a flower business through the business module during Valentine's Day week. Character development is emphasized from the beginning of the leadership weekend, where students are encouraged not to quit any of the exercises on the ropes course by their peers, to show up and to speak out during the arts and culture month, and to be leaders at home at school and in the community throughout the program.

Using the knowledge and experience from their past program experience, the leaders implemented character development and sound citizenship principles into the YLE program. The YLE leaders referred to character training as training the "outside and inside," going after the "mind and heart" of the students, "treating all with respect," and knowing that each student felt "believed in and loved" as a part of the character development theme. In the interviews, the theme reappears when students stated that they learned to "treat people with respect" and "be sincere and work in love

Creating an atmosphere of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the YLE Program

When speaking with the stakeholders about the experiences of students of color in the program,

stakeholders discussed the need for the program to be more intentional about discussing the importance

of diversity, equity, and inclusion with the students in the program. Black parents and community

stakeholders also perceived that the program was more accessible for White student participation and

suggested that policies and practices at YLE be created or adjusted to make it easier for students of color

to participate. All the stakeholders in the study were asked about the experiences of students of color in

the YLE program. Each stakeholders described their experience differently, but the common theme was

that student of color outside of the program needed more equitable treatment like their White

counterparts and each stakeholder acknowledge that YLE could do more to create more equity and access

inside of the program. I observed students from different ethnic backgrounds interacting with each other.

One student of color called YLE a "no-judgment zone." The students at YLE come from wealthy suburban

high schools, poor rural high schools, urban inner-city high schools, small independent Christian high

schools, private high schools, and some are homeschooled. The YLE program tries to address diversity,

equity, access, and inclusion by sitting students from different backgrounds in groups on field trips. The

program implements a personality profile to encourage students to see each other's differences and learn

how people with different personalities can work together. The YLE principle of Diversity + Equity =

Inclusion is taught by the leaders at YLE when program leaders talk about "mix up formal," which means to mix up the students from what they are typically used to in school. Some of the parents interviewed stated they wanted their students to have a diverse experience. Alumni in the program said the program could be more intentional in creating an atmosphere for dialog about diversity, equity, and inclusion. One of the stakeholders said the YLE staff needed to be more diverse and that more of the module teachers and community leaders that the students were exposed to should come from diverse backgrounds. 23

The theme was captured in the interviews when the stakeholders talk about "creating a level

playground" when students enter the program by using the student's social network to expand "who they

know and how they know." Ensuring each student, no matter their socioeconomic background or

academic background, feels "all the same." YLE focuses on creating new networks for students, friendships

with students from different backgrounds are formed, and the hope is that barriers are broken down.

Students are asked to ride on the bus during leadership weekend during every activity with someone they

do not know and does not look like them. YLE staff and alumni focus on making sure there are no cliques

at the YLE activities. This is another example of the "mix up formal." The purpose is to shift the norms and create new standards.

However, even with these efforts, the stakeholders said the organization still needed to be intentional in its practices and policies around diversity equity and inclusion issues. Parents of color complained that they wanted a more diverse and inclusive experience for their children by using more role models of color. Education and community leaders across the state of South Carolina encourage the

YLE staff to make sure the program was accessible for students from underserved communities without any barriers to participation, especially if YLE would be replicating the program in poorer parts of the state. Culturally responsive teaching, appropriate role models, building community from diverse perspectives, and overcoming barriers to participation can make experiential learning programs more effective in addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Implication for Cycle 2

The data from cycle one presented clear evidence of the experiential learning and experiential leadership practices at YLE. Cycle one also revealed the importance of program atmosphere and culture, and the significance of delivering the program afterschool as well as how the YLE program inspired college and career readiness, hard and soft skills acquisition, and character development. The data also made a compelling case that there were gaps in the experiences of students of color in the YLE program. The goal 24

of the cycle two action step was to change policies and program practices that might be barriers to

participation in the YLE program for students of color. YLE needed to address issues like program tuition,

transportation, and access to technology. YLE developed a diversity, equity, and inclusion module to help

all the students with their socialization, interaction, and dialog with students from different races and socioeconomic backgrounds in the program, school, and community. Following data collection and analysis, the researcher presented the findings to stakeholders, including the YLE Executive Director,

Assistant Director, Alumni Coordinator, and Board of Directors. The stakeholders validated the themes and conclusions of the research based on both their observations and collaborative thought. Addressing the gaps in equity and access for students of color and creating a platform for dialog about diversity, equity, and inclusion for all the program participants was a top priority for the leaders at YLE.

Cycle 2 Action Step(s)

In collaboration with the stakeholders, the cycle two action plan was designed to create a change through the implementation of a practical solution developed to address an identified problem within the organization, building on data from previous cycles of research during which the participants described their experience with the issue (Brydon-Miller et al., 2003; Stringer, 2014). The goals was to improve the accessibility and equitability of the YLE program for students of color (Dannin, 1999). By holding focus groups with YLE Black alumni in college and various professions, the YLE staff, Black alumni parents, and module teachers, we worked together to discover the barriers to access and the socialization that might prohibit students of color from full participation in the program. Then the researcher worked with the staff to develop the program and policy changes to enhance the equity and accessibility of the program for students of color. A Program Practice Matrix documented the current policy or practice. The matrix then documented the new policy or practice when the policy or practice changed and when YLE implemented it. (See attached Program Practice Matrix, Appendix D)

Goals and Objectives

The objectives of the action plan, detailed more thoroughly in the following section, resulted in a project plan endorsed by stakeholders. An organizational practice and policy review was implemented with the YLE Staff and stakeholders. A Diversity Equity and Inclusion Task force was created to develop a DEI module and was delivered during the YLE Arts and Culture modules. As detailed in the cycle two evaluation plan section, the evaluation process assessed whether the process effectively addressed the problem of practice and the third research question.

The primary goal of the cycle two action step was to meet with the YLE staff and stakeholders to discuss and implement policy and practice changes to make the program more equitable and accessible for students of color. The secondary goal of the action step was to develop an YLE Diversity, Equity, and

Inclusion Task force (DEI Task force). The DEI Task force worked with the staff, arts and culture module teacher, and a facilitator to develop a DEI module for the students, which YLE implemented during YLE Arts and Culture Month.

Cycle 2 Action Step Activities

The action step activities detailed in the following section started in July 2020 and concluded in

August 2020. The YLE staff, the Arts and Culture month module teacher, and a Diversity and Inclusion facilitator worked together to develop and implement a new diversity, equity, and inclusion module. The module included poetry and spoken word skits where the students created original works to express their views on diversity, equity, and inclusion during the program's Poetry Night. The module concluded with student-led groups planning individual, group, and community action around diversity, equity, and inclusion during the program Culture Night one month after the Poetry night.

DEI Focus Groups, Survey Development and Videos

We held four focus group sessions with the YLE staff, alumni, parents, and module teachers to discuss the need for diversity, equity, access, and inclusion policies and practices at YLE. Out of this group of YLE stakeholders, an YLE DEI Task force formed. The group developed a new DEI module to broaden the

YLE students' understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion as it pertains to their interaction with each other in the community overall. The DEI Task force decided to create a survey to get a baseline for student's understanding of student's thoughts about and experience with diversity, equity, and inclusion. A survey developed by the Panorama Education for 6th through 12-grade students served as a guide to establish the pretest survey. The DEI facilitator delivered the pretest survey to the students at Poetry Night. The survey asked the students questions about their understanding of diversity, equity and inclusion, cultural awareness and gauged the student's sense of belonging at school and in the YLE program.

The facilitator delivered the post-test survey to the students after the YLE Culture Night a month after the pretest survey. The goal was to measure if the students in the program had a change in behavior because of program intervention. The DEI Task force used the pretest survey to measure the knowledge and behavior of students to identify or rate them before the YLE DEI module began. Then the DEI Task force compared it with results using a different survey to measure student's knowledge and behavior after the

YLE DEI module was delivered. The researcher could determine if students' knowledge had risen or decreased for the entire group based on changes in mean scores (Box, 1987). The DEI Task force gathered data from the students based on the DEI presentation and the associated activities on a scale of one to five. A score of one indicated the module, such as if the presentations were not effective, three somewhat effective, and five highly effective. The data was then used to make changes to the module to improve outcomes.

The Arts and Culture module teacher and YLE staff then filmed video snippets of student's reactions to the DEI module. The goal of the video interview snippets was to capture participant's 27 responses in real-time after the module was delivered. The DEI facilitators presented the second half of the DEI module one month after the first half of the module provided the student’s time to reflect on their experience. The facilitator asked students to journal their thoughts between module presentations. The

DEI facilitator broke the students up into student-led DEI teams to continue discussions about what they learned and to develop a group community plan for action implanted in February during the Business module. The goal of the entire process was to allow students to gain their voice in diversity, equity, and inclusion, share with others what they are learning on their journey, and then collectively act on what they have learned from each other and as a group.

The DEI Task force developed a post-test survey in consultation with the Diversity Leadership

Institute at Furman University. Because the group was small (36 students), I examined and compared the frequencies and mean scores of the pre- and post-data without using statistical tests. The YLE DEI Task force reviewed the pretest surveyed and modified some of the questions and added technology access

questions at the beginning of the survey and demographic questions at the end of the survey. The post-

test survey was developed by the DEI Task force completely. The YLE DEI Task force also developed the

module on zoom calls with the YLE staff present to give logistical support and discuss the module's timing

being implemented into other activities on schedule for the YLE Poetry night and Culture night one month

later. All the focus groups were observed and recorded to be evaluated as part of the evaluation analysis.

The Arts and Culture Month module teacher interviewed a diverse group of students (one Black

male, one Black female, one White male, and one White female) after Poetry night and Culture Night.

Students were asked to express their impressions of the DEI module expressed through poetry or sharing

about the experience with the new module. Questions like "Are diversity, equity, and inclusion important?

If so, why? Why is it important to you as future leaders in the community?" were asked. The staff at YLE

recorded students at the Poetry Night and the Culture night. To maintain analytical rigor during the second

cycle of the research, unobtrusive observations, participant interviews, focus groups, and constant 28

collaboration were used (Wolcott, 1994). To improve the validity of the results, extensive field time, low

inference descriptors, and triangulation were applied (Johnson, 1997). Data was checked by members from a variety of sources, including students, program alumni, module teachers, program staff, and parents. (See Appendix A)

Detailed Description of the Cycle 2 Action Step Activities

Equity and Access Assessment Survey

The YLE staff decided to implement an Equity and Access Assessment survey during the cohort orientation. The assessment was targeted at issues that might prevent students of color from having access to the program. The cost of tuition for the program was addressed through needs scholarships based on parents requesting a full scholarship due to financial hardship or a payment plan option with the requirement being parents would pay on a payment plan to ease the financial burden of having to pay for the payment program all at once. Hobbs (1999) highlighted youth groups that created methods for reaching out to families and introducing them to youth groups in order to improve involvement among students of color.

The assessment also asked questions about access to technology and access to transportation. In the pretest survey, these assessment questions were added to the survey to measure the need, and the survey found two students of color in the program that stated they needed technology and rides to the program. The Equity and Access Orientation Assessment tool would then serve as a screen for future students of color in the program, assuring that the possible barriers to participation would be addressed before the program started. Students of color face a variety of social and personal issues, including poor health, limited income, drug and alcohol abuse, and poor emotional and family management skills

(Butrymowicz, Amy & Fenn, 2020). One of the nonprofit funding partners express not addressing issues 29 like these would prevent them from providing funding for the program and requested YLE have a written policy to address these issues. Developing an Equity and Access Assessment was YLE’s first step toward a written policy.

“On US” Policy

In the discussions with the YLE staff about proactive ways to make sure students who might have financial challenges paying for certain event meals could attend at no charge, the YLE staff created the

"On Us" policy. The "On Us' policy was implemented during the pre-registration for all YLE events where payment for a meal is required. The student or parent check the box "On Us" when asked about paying for a meal. Checking the box serves as an indicator to the YLE staff that the student can't afford to pay for the meal. In some families, concern with financial issues precluded parent support for youth participation.

Some youth refused to pursue plans because they lacked the self-confidence to take steps to initiate participation (Hobbs, 1999). The YLE Executive Director stated, "We have not nailed down how we help students from challenged communities or low-income families. Whatever we do, we must ensure that they maintain their dignity while receiving assistance. We want to make sure that no student or family feels left out." The "On Us" practice is YLE's attempt to address both the financial constraints of the parents and the fears of the students of color to express the need for support.

Let’s Talk Roundtable Discussions

The Let’s Talk round table discussion were facilitated by the DEI facilitator during the Arts night provided students with time to dialog about their ideas about diversity, equity, and inclusion. Each group was divided into multiracial teams for discussions on diversity, equity and inclusion and then asked to present a group poem about the conclusion they drew from the experience. Nagda, Gurin, and Lopez

(2003) advocated for using classroom discussions, high-level experiential activities, debriefings of those activities and discussions, journaling, and self-reflection to encourage the processing of new information, 30

a deeper understanding and awareness of race relationships and the dynamics of racism, and to assist

students in exploring areas that cause personal dissonance.

Cultural Awareness and Cultural Action Exercises

To address the issues of cultural awareness, reveal through the pretest survey. The DEI facilitator put the students in groups to discuss the issue of race and culture in society provided an opportunity for students to discuss these issues in a safe environment. Implementing a personality profile and then aligning the students by different color groups that were not race-related provided the students with a lens that they have more in common and that race is not as much a factor as personality is when conflict arises. Zimmerman et al. (2005) reinforced this notion in the following statement: "Diversity and social justice-related issues have profound effects on individual development and societal health, including creating positive self-images, growing strong relationships with others, and learning how to contribute to fairness in society (p. 47)."

Video Snippets of Students Response

Using the video snippets to capture the student's responses in real-time as a program practice that was reinforced by Spencer (2010) in the literature who said, "Small-scale case studies and detailed

'thick descriptions' derived from visual narratives of individuals, groups, relationships, and events have been highlighted in action research. It suggests that the visual research 'craft' requires a balance between inductive forces – allowing the data collected to "speak for itself" instead of deductive forces, which are more structured approaches. Students from all cultures benefit from proactive interventions that build intercultural competences (Banks, 2006).

“For Reels” Alumni DEI Summer Program

While meeting with the DEI taskforce the DEI facilitator brought up the need for reinforcing the

DEI module for future YLE alumni to expand knowledge and reinforce the conversation and experiential learning activities that the students experienced in the module by acknowledging the fact the engaging in discussion about diversity, equity and inclusion is an ongoing process in personal development. The Four

Reels YLE summer program would accomplish this goal by engaging YLE alumni in reviews of historic events and current events around diversity, equity and inclusion to create a continuing in the literature

Bell (2007) states, "The goal of social justice is full and equal participation of all groups in a society that is mutually shaped to meet their needs (p.1)."

Participants/Collaborators/ Stakeholders Experience

Because of the cyclical nature of action research, the participants contributed to defining the problem of practice and informing action steps through their cycle one research process. A second group of stakeholders contributed to the cycle two research process. The participants in the second cycle of research included the Executive Director, the Assistant Director, Alumni Coordinator, the Arts and Culture

Experiential Learning Module Teachers, the DEI facilitator, four YLE Black alumni, and two Black parents of former participants. The Executive Director, Assistant Director, and Alumni Coordinator served as both internal participants and collaborators. Throughout the process, they advised the researcher, member- checked the data, discussed the current policies and practices in place to provide equity and access to the students of color in the program, and served in both communication and logistic capacities to data collection process. The parents, and alumni, served as internal participants and stakeholders. They provided feedback on what YLE policies and practices needed to be added or changed to make the program more accessible and equitable for students of color. The Black YLE alumni provided invaluable insight into their experiences with other students in the program when they went through the program, 32

which helped the YLE staff and module teacher know what needed to change. The Arts and Culture Month

module teacher served as an internal participant and a stakeholder by helping to develop the pre and

post-test survey and serving on the YLE DEI Task force to establish the YLE DEI module.

The staff at the Furman University Diversity Leadership Institute and the team at the Panorama

Education Group served as external participants by providing their expertise and survey tools for the pre- and post-survey. The DEI facilitator served as an external participant and a stakeholder by giving input on the surveys, the implementation process, and the development of the YLE DEI module and facilitating interaction with the YLE students. Roulston and Shelton (2015) mention the researcher-participant connection as a dialectic, reciprocal, ethical, and critically self-aware (p. 4). The students in the 2020/2021

cohort served as participants and stakeholders in the research process because they participated in the

pre and post-test surveys and the YLE DEI module and then reflected on their experience through video

snippets and spoken word presentations during the Poetry night and Culture night.

Cycle 2 Evaluation

The second cycle of research evaluation approach was intended to assess whether the program

YLE policy and practice changes, collaboratively designed DEI pre and post-test surveys, and delivery of the DEI modules were effective in enabling the YLE more equitable and accessible for students of color.

Secondly, the evaluation also measured the student’s responses to the new DEI module and measured whether the model affected the student’s understanding, socialization, and dialog about diversity, equity and inclusion. More broadly, through the evaluation process, I sought to discern whether the action research process affected change in the organization.

During the second cycle of research, I assessed the effectiveness of the four focus groups that were held on zoom with the YLE staff, Black alumni, Black parents, Arts and Culture module teacher, and the DEI facilitator to discuss the program's access and equity practices. By observing the group's 33

interaction, they discussed and developed changes in the program practices and policy to make the

program more assessable for students of color. The YLE DEI Task force created a program policy and

practices matrix to document the current policy or practices and then noted what changes in the policies

or procedures were made by the DEI Task force. The YLE staff used the matrix to document when YLE would implement the change in policy or practice. (See Attachment A)

I also observed the two zoom meetings held by the DEI Task force as they developed the pre and post-test surveys for the YLE students and the diversity, equity, and inclusion module. Both were effective because of the positive responses of the group to the final version of the surveys and YLE DEI module.

Two observations were held at the Poetry Night and the Culture night of implementing the module and surveys. The focus groups and observation allowed the researcher to document comments made by the entire group in their discussion of the importance of changing the policies and practices of the organization as well as implementing a module to expand and enhance the knowledge of the YLE students on diversity, equity, access, and inclusion.

The surveys that were developed by the DEI Task force focused on helping students understand equitable access, diversity and inclusion, cultural awareness, and a sense of belonging. The surveys concluded by asking demographic questions revised by the DEI Task force to fit with YLE students. The students were then asked to write poems individually or collectively and perform the poems in front of the rest of the students about what diversity, equity, and inclusion means to them and their community.

Four students were chosen to record video snippets of the entire experience (two males and two females, one Black and one White).

Eight video interviews recorded the student's immediate reaction to the diversity, equity, and inclusion module. They showed how the new DEI module impacted the student's views about diversity, equity, and inclusion after participating in the module. By observing the videos and member checking the 34

videos with other stakeholders, I determined that the video snippets effectively reached the goal of

getting in real-time feedback from the YLE students about the new YLE DEI module. The Likert pretest

and post-test survey were tabulated and grouped by students' responses on a scale of one to five based

on the student's answers. The student's answers were then grouped by number, and a percentage was

given based on the number of students grouped in a number divided by the total number of students. The

researcher reviewed the survey results with the stakeholders in the study. The researcher also examined

the analysis of the findings from the Cycle two action steps, which includes pre and post-test analysis and

the participant's surveys and video snippets with the YLE staff and the DEI Task force.

After disseminating the videos of the snippets created by the students and the spoken word reflection to all the stakeholders. I judged the worth of the work, effectiveness, and outcomes of the proposed activities in the evaluation plan by analyzing the pre and post-test data and student surveys by member checking the entire process with the staff and DEI Task force and viewing the student videos and reflections. The most important way to judge if the process was worthwhile is through changes in student perspective to diversity, equity, inclusion, and the policy and programmatic changes in the program.

Cycle 2 Results/Findings

The first goal of the cycle two action research process was to identify the policies and practices at

YLE that could be barriers to participation for students of color in the program. The second goal was to create, implement and evaluate the YLE DEI module. This effort is summarized in this section, which includes feedback from stakeholders who participated in YLE staff focus groups and alumni and parent meetings. This section also summarizes feedback from stakeholders involved in the DEI task force focus groups, surveys, the DEI module, and student video snippet tapings.

Infusing Experiential Learning programs with Diversity Equity and Inclusion

Without addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion, the benefits of experiential learning can be marginalized. The stakeholders decided that there needed to be a strategy to make discussion, reflection, and socialization on issues of diversity, equity and inclusion a more intentional practice in the YLE program.

The Effectiveness of Program Policy and Practices Changes

The staff at YLE, alumni, parents, and the DEI facilitator met to identify policy and practice changes that would make the program more equitable and accessible to students of color. The stakeholders identified a gap in the program practices and policies in providing equitable access for students of color in the program. During the focus group process, the YLE Executive Director stated, "We have not nailed down how we help students from challenged communities or poor families. Whatever we do, we must ensure that they maintain their dignity while receiving assistance. We want to make sure that no student or family feels left out." The racial and social issues discussed and debated in society had an impact on the

YLE staff. There were some reservations and fears about discussing these issues with the students. There needed to be a safe place for discussions with the YLE staff to engage in conversation and for the DEI facilitators to successfully proceed. After the meetings eight programmatic and policy changes were made that would go into effect this year. The policies that were addressed were technological, economic, and socio-emotional issues. The YLE staff documented the changes on a matrix spreadsheet with a description of the problem, the policy or program change, the date changed, and the date implemented.

Key Findings

• One of the key findings was that the staff first needed to define their thoughts on diversity,

equity, and inclusion. This was important as a starting point of the discussions because there

needed to be some clarity on how the diversity, equity, and inclusion discussion would impact

the students. Once the staff determined their understanding of DEI, the YLE staff felt discussing 36

DEI was a meaningful conversation to have with the students to develop their leadership skills in

diversity, equity, and inclusion. As experiential learning programs implement DEI in the future,

this finding confirms that staff perceptions of DEI are essential as the staff tries to address the

issue of DEI with the students in the program.

• Another key finding was that the program and practice changes enabled the program to be more

equitable and accessible for students of color. Still, it also changes the perceptions about the

program for Black parents, Black Alumni, Board members, and corporate partners and funders.

With the many discussions in society about race, diversity, equity, and inclusion, all stakeholders

thought making the practice changes was timely and developed into an YLE Diversity, Equity, and

Inclusion policy statement. This change in perception about the program was expressed by the

former Board Chair when he stated, “we live in a more diverse world. YLE has made changes to

make the program better and to encourage our students to be leaders in diversity, equity, and

inclusion.”

The Stakeholder Feedback on the DEI Pre and Post Test Surveys

During the pretest, thirty-five students were polled (22 Females and 13 Males, 23 White, 11 Black,

1 LatinX, and 1 Asian American).

Key Findings

• Only 31% of the students polled said they hung out with students of different races. Even though

half of the students polled stated that they had lessons with students of various races. When

asked how fairly students treat students of other races, half of the students said they treat other

students of different races fairly.

• When asked if adults treated students from different races fairly 33% of the students responded

yes students from other races are treated fairly. Both data points indicated to the researcher that 37

the student’s needed to learn to be more inclusive in their thinking and behavior, and that the

students witnessed adults treating students of other races unfairly.

• When asked how often their school's teachers teach, talk, or hold activities in the classroom about

race and issues of race, 34% replied "occasionally." Thirty-three percent of students stated they

feel connected and respected by their peers and adults at school. Both figures represent the

largest number of student replies. Both data points aided the YLE DEI task force in recognizing the

need for the YLE DEI module to allow students to share their sentiments on race in a safe

atmosphere while also feeling that their opinions were appreciated.

After the YLE DEI program was delivered, 33 students took part in a post-test survey (22 Females and

11 Males, 20 White, 11 Black, 1 LatinX, and 1 Asian American).

Key Findings

• After participating in the YLE DEI module, 77% of students reported they had a different

perspective on themselves and others.

• After participating in the YLE DEI module, 54% of students reported they had a new perspective

on race, ethnicity, and culture.

• 75% percent of students claimed the YLE DEI module helped them overcome their worries of

engaging with people of various races in the neighborhood.

The impact of the DEI module on the participant

Key Finding

• With the new information gained from the YLE DEI module, 94% of students thought they

could have a substantial impact on their community on issues of diversity, equity, and

inclusion. Because of the objective of the cycle two action steps and the YLE staff's plans to

make the program more equal and accessible for all students, this finding was important. 38

Participant’s feedback on the roundtable discussion and community action exercises

Key Finding

• The table talks were said to be highly informative and helpful in overcoming students' worries

of speaking in front of others about their feelings regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion.

They began sharing their poetry in front of the entire group, which helped them conquer their

anxiety of public speaking. The students also mentioned that they discovered they had a lot

in common with students from all walks of life.

Participant’s views of the DEI Module based on the video snippets.

• In response to the DEI module during the video snippet session, a ninth-grade Black male

student was asked if the DEI module helped him feel a sense of belonging stated, "Yes,

because I was in my shell before I came here." A tenth-grade Black female said, "Yes, I feel

like I can make more of an impact through leadership now, and through speaking up when I

feel like I am being treated differently." Another Black male ninth-grader stated, "Yes. It really

helped me start to talk to people." Referring to participating in the DEI module.

Impact of the Action Research Process and Organizations Next Steps

The iterative nature of the action research process allowed participants, stakeholders, and the

DEI experts to stay involved in the work throughout each cycle. One of the more general questions was:

what effect did the process have on the participants and the organization? Participants universally

described a positive and impactful project experience and were able to demonstrate organizational

change as a result. "After participating in the Arts and Culture night, I feel less worried to interact with

kids who look different from me or who I don't know," said a White female 9th-grade student interviewed.

"Participating in the YLE DEI module reminded him that we have many similarities despite looking different," said a Black male 10th-grade student. Throughout the evaluation process, all participants expressed a strong desire for the organization to implement the DEI module with all future cohorts of 39

students at YLE. Stakeholders described aspects related directly to the action step as well as other

applications based on the findings when discussing next steps within the organization based on this action

research project, such as using the pre and post-test survey as a practice and capturing video snippets of

student responses to the DEI module as a program practice. In the cycle two research process, the need

to be more intentional about addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion that was discovered in the cycle

one research process was addressed and evaluated in the cycle two research process. Other

recommendations based on the action research cycle findings will inform the researcher's organizational

recommendations in section 4.

Cycle 2 Conclusion

The cycle two research process was collaboratively carried out by the YLE Staff, the YLE DEI task force, the DEI facilitator, and the students. Stakeholders involved in the development of the pre, and post- test thought it was effective in terms of both content and format. The stakeholders involved in the DEI module's development felt the same way, and data from the student survey and video snippets confirmed their feelings. Finally, participants and project stakeholders agreed that the action research model had a positive impact on the organization and that it could be useful in identifying and addressing other organizational problems using a method tailored to the needs of the participants and the organization.

Section Three: Literature Review

The experiential learning and leadership practices at the YLE afterschool program. This literature review analyzes the existing literature providing context for the components of the problem of practice while also revealing the overarching academic landscape to which this study contributes. In the previous section, the researcher provided results in the section that follows. The researcher will provide literature in relationships to the results. The literature is organized around the following three central themes. The first section examines experiential learning and leadership programs in secondary education. It explores the history of experiential learning theory, experiential leadership, and program atmosphere and culture.

The second section focuses on the influence of experiential learning programs on inspiring college and career readiness. It examines the impact of experiential learning and leadership programs on character building, career decisions, and soft and hard skill acquisition. The third section focuses on equity, diversity, access, and inclusion within experiential learning and leadership programs. This section examines the importance of an equitable program environment to create a level playing field for the student of color, the importance of a diverse student population being involved in experiential learning programs, and how diversity provides the confidence that all students have a seat table. Finally, the last section looks at inclusion and the importance of students from various socioeconomic backgrounds feeling a part of the program and the learning process.

Articles for this review were retrieved from the Northeastern Library, Google Scholar, Refworks,

Kolb's Experiential Bibliography, the Journal of Experiential Learning, and ERIC. The researcher used experiential learning theory, high school experiential learning, experiential leadership, high school 41

project-based learning, social cognitive career theory, individualization, youth diversity, equity, and inclusion in experiential learning programs.

First Literature Strand

Experiential Learning in Secondary Education

There is a large body of research on the role of experiential learning in secondary education.

Experiential learning, in particular, is an educational philosophy that integrates practical parts of vocational training with a broad variety of ideologies that support such professions. This first stream of literature will provide an overview of experiential learning theory and the current application of experiential learning as part of a comprehensive educational strategy and pedagogy. Furthermore, experiential leadership is examined through the implementation of experiential learning. Lastly, the experiential learning programs atmosphere and culture are introduced and how aspects of program atmosphere and culture enhance the learning environments, especially in an afterschool setting. There is a link between the program's climate and culture and student-centered instruction (Wurdinger & Carlson,

2010).

Experiential learning theory (ELT) builds on the work of prominent twentieth-century scholars

(e.g., Dewey, Lewin, Piaget, Rogers, and others) who emphasized experience in their theories of human learning and development to create a holistic model of the experiential learning process and a multilinear model of adult development (Kolb,1984). Dewey felt that education should be a balance of a student's psychological and social growth (Dewey, 1897). Experiential learning is a learning cycle that the learner experiences, reflects, thinks, and acts on it (Kolb, 1984 p.227). Concrete Experience (CE), which is learning from feelings, and Abstract Conceptualization (AC), which is learning from thinking, are depicted in the

ELT paradigm as two modalities of grasping experience (Papadimitriou & Gyftodimos, 2007). Reflective

Observation (RO), which means learning by watching, and Active Experimentation (AE), which means 42

learning by doing, are two modalities of converting experience in experiential learning theory

(Papadimitriou & Gyftodimos, 2007). These learning approaches are linked to the four stages of Kolb's

learning cycle, which serves as the foundation for secondary education experiential learning (Kolb, 1984).

The first stage consists of concrete learning or experience. The learner encounters a new experience or reinterprets an existing experience—the next stage, reflective observation, in which the learner personally reflects on the experience. Once you think through things, you generate new ideas or adjust current abstract conceptions depending on your thoughts. Then, experimentation follows. This is when the learner applies the new concepts to her surroundings to observe whether the experience's next appearance is altered (Kolb, 1984).

Experiential learning practitioners in secondary school agree with Kolb's argument that learning is better thought of as a process rather than a result. Every individual learns through reliving past experiences and transactions with their surroundings (Papadimitriou & Gyftodimos, 2007). Furthermore, secondary educators see experiential learning as a process of acclimating to the actual world. Experiential learning affects thinking, feeling, seeing, and acting and is not only the outcome of cognition (Wurdinger

& Carlson, 2010). Opportunities for young people of secondary school age to learn outside of classrooms currently exist in various programs. When compared too much classroom instruction, their potential resides on increasing student engagement. Its supporters say that such learning is more readily transferred to real-world circumstances and does not need such extrinsic motives as grades (Hamilton,

1980). Experiential learning, on the other hand, is less efficient and less generalizable than highly symbolic classroom learning (Wurdinger, 2005).

Experiential learning in secondary education can take many forms, from experiential learning in classroom settings to experiential learning in afterschool programs, camp programs, and wilderness and ropes adventure courses. Experiential learning can also be project-based learning or service learning

(Pizarchik, 2007). Project-based learning connects student's experiences with school life and provokes 43

serious thinking as students acquire new knowledge (Douladeli, 2014). Service-learning has been

characterized as "a sort of experiential learning where students and teachers work with communities to

help resolve problems and concerns, helping both people learn and improve themselves" (Higher

Education Research Institute, 2009).

Experiential learning is about combining interactive experiences with reflection, which helps students to acquire new skills and information. Learning is student-focused, not teacher-centered.

Learning is participatory in nature. Experiential learning is experiences deliberately built with reflection and critical examination. The experiences are intended to elicit decision-making, initiative, networking, and accountability. Experiential learners are expected and encouraged to be inquisitive and curious, to experiment, and to take responsibility Participants are urged to be highly involved across all of these dimensions. Through real-world situations and situations, students may apply and adapt their acquired abilities to real-world situations in the future. Participants and learners may take a new, fresh look at their values with every encounter. Most secondary schools emphasize a teacher-centered approach to learning

(Estes, 2004). The teacher-centered approach fails to address students' unique learning styles.

Experiential learning theory advocates a constructivist perspective of learning in which social knowledge is formed and reproduced via the learner's lived experience (Papadimitriou & Gyftodimos, 2007).

Experience-based learning theory opposes traditional "transmission" models, where fixed notions are conveyed to the learner (Breunig, 2005).

The limited but growing body of research on students of color involvement in experiential learning and leadership programs suggests superior educational outcomes can be delivered by facilitating practice and feedback, increasing student motivation (James, Humez, & Laufenberg, 2019). However, Black, and

Hispanic students in experiential learning and leadership programs are too often tracked into lower-skilled jobs than other students (Thompson & Gallagher, 2020). Equity and access are a critical problem in scaling 44

up experiential learning models—especially access to intentionally designed, academically integrated work experiences linked to quality educational credentials (Butrymowicz, Amy & Fenn, 2020).

This study expands on previous research on experiential learning and its effect on students of color. In a 2016 study, Irvin, Byun, Meece, Reed, and Farmer looked into the characteristics of experiential learning programs for students of color, as well as the experiences of African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Native American youth in rural high schools, and their relationship to educational goals. The researchers also looked at the traits and experiences of students and their families, which are crucial in preparing rural students for adulthood. Differences in school features and experiences, as well as their connections to educational aspirations, were discovered, which might have important ramifications as

African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Native American students in rural high schools prepare for adulthood. The researchers looked at the differences in these students' experiences depending on a variety of characteristics, including some culturally sensitive characteristics that help students have a good time (Irvin, Byun, Meece, Reed, & Farmer, 2016).

Experiential Learning and Experiential Leadership

Secondary education experiential leadership programs are intended to encourage participants to make decisions, take initiative, establish relationships, and be accountable. Experiential leaders are encouraged and expected to be curious and ask questions, to experiment and use creativity, to employ problem-solving abilities, and to take ownership. Experiential leadership programs provide a foundation of abilities and experiences that may be utilized and modified to real-world events and difficulties in the future. Participants and learners may examine their values and walk away with a broader perspective and set of skills after each encounter (Boyd, 2001). Opportunities to develop leadership skills may not be easily accessible for today's at-risk adolescents. Many youth-serving groups cater largely to students from wealthy households (Hobbs, 1999; Little, Wimer, & Weiss, 2008). 45

Outside of school, researchers' findings support the need of a more complex understanding of

teenagers' perceptions of leadership development. For example, Whitehead (2009) pointed out that most

of the literature on teenage leadership is written from the viewpoint of adults, with an emphasis on adults'

perspectives on student leadership. This viewpoint, on the other hand, does not aid in the development

of an understanding of how students see leadership. According to Whitehead, "Focusing research on

teenage leadership philosophies provides significant value to the area of leadership studies while also

offering practical tools for those engaged in the development of teenage leaders (Whitehead, 2009,

p.848).”Young people need leadership skills in order to feel fulfilled and contribute to society (Sheer,

1997). Teens may practice leadership skills and reflect on their experiences via experiential learning, which

is also known as service-learning when the experience is implemented in community service initiatives

(Kolb & Kolb, 2017).

Experiential Learning and Service Learning

Service-learning programs are one way to provide at-risk adolescents more leadership opportunity. Teen volunteers get to hone their leadership abilities while also learning more about themselves (Larmer, Mergendoller & Boss, 2015). Learning such skills as planning, decision-making, establishing objectives, and working with others is done when youth pursue big service projects (Boyd,

2001). The evidence shows that student leadership capabilities and positive attitudes are enhanced via service-learning (Conrad & Hedin, 1983; Ladewig & Thomas, 1987; Yates & Youniss, 1996). Experiential learning happens when a person is actively engaged in an activity, critically assesses their experiences, and incorporates this knowledge to carry out another action (Kolb & Kolb, 2017).

Research in experiential leadership has reinforced this method by adding additional critical processing processes beyond merely completing the activity or experience (Boyd, 2001). Learning is derived from the thoughts and ideas generated as a result of the experience. Woyach and Cox (1997) identified 12 principles that contribute to the success of experiential leadership training. The first five 46

principles are directly related to the results or content of leadership development programs. The following

seven principles are concerned with the process of developing leaders. Greene discusses involving

students in this sort of activity "When she says, "to educate so that the young mind be awakened to the

pleasure of transformation in the tiniest places, so that they may become healers and alter their

environments," she means "hands-on" learning and leadership (Greene cited in Ayers & Miller, 1998,

p.16).”Combining experiential learning and experiential leadership with the chance to use those abilities

is a successful way for teaching leadership capabilities. The students also gained a feeling of achievement

as a result of their efforts. Students' engagement in actual problems affects building genuine leaders in a

three-year longitudinal research in an inner-city California high school leadership program focusing on

students' voices (Mitra, 2005). Students discovered who they are as a vital component of genuine

leadership via participation and engagement in experiential learning type settings where various degrees

of leadership competence are present (Mitra, 2005). Mitra (2005) found that when at-risk students who

are dropping out or are on the verge of dropping out are given a significant chance, they are capable of

outstanding leadership and greater connections.

Experiential Learning and Project Based Learning

Seidel (2002) investigated the importance of project-based experiential learning in afterschool

programs. Project-based learning looks like a natural match for the kind of active, hands-on learning seen beyond school hours, as opposed to didactic classrooms. Students may learn that their learning may be fascinating and exciting, that everyone can provide knowledge and insight to the group, and that learning and work can be enjoyable. Seidel (2002) suggests that afterschool project-based experiential learning programs engage and inspire students. When projects are ongoing, the center is an "artist's studio" or an

"inventor's garage" (p.10). Everyone is working hard, yet with character of playfulness and enjoyment.

This community is dedicated to fixing problems and having something of value to contribute. Students and instructors identify with something greater than themselves; it has a real impact on their lives and on 47

others. Ideas for projects may originate from various sources: instructors, students, parents, or other

community members; an issue that the group or community faces.

Projects often require the group to leave the classroom or afterschool environment to seek more

resources, locate essential information, or involve individuals with specialized knowledge in the activity.

In addition to planning, creating, and producing, there are explicit parts of inquiry and study that include

obtaining information, viewpoints, and ideas, evaluating them, and then developing new hypotheses and

interpretations. This study is inextricably linked to the project's success. Members of the group exchange

their experience and experience, resulting in a collective knowledge that is frequently larger than that of

any one member (even the instructor!). Initiatives are always evolving into new projects. A short play

might grow into a video. Students and instructors are interacting, working as a team, but with each

member taking on distinct tasks at various stages of the process. Roles and duties are clearly defined and

grow as different individuals display specific interests and competence. Projects enable knowledge to

originate and grow in this manner. Individual evaluation, according to the Seidel (2002) research, is critical

to ensuring that the project goes effectively, keeps on track, and achieves its objective with everyone as

an engaged, respected, and valued participant. Assessment is also important in allowing students to

reflect on their learning and learn about themselves as learners. The project's effort and learning are

shared with others (p. 23-25).

Experiential Learning and Afterschool

As South Carolina schools struggle to fulfill federal success goals, afterschool programs are increasingly being seen as a possible source of academic help for students at danger of dropping out.

Afterschool programs, according to youth activists and legislators, may help to compensate for the injustices that afflict South Carolina's schools and play a role in closing achievement disparities between wealthier and less advantaged students. The topic of teenage out-of-school time is very complicated.

Finding strategies to transform those hours into productive learning time is even more difficult. Having 48

nowhere to go and no opportunity to expand learning beyond the hours and walls of high school, on the

other hand, is a perilous condition for many urban teenagers (Bodilly & Beckett, 2005; Halpern, 2002).

According to a recent Jobs for the Future evaluation of great learning options for teenagers, some of the

most successful programs virtually merge classroom and after school. In the 1980s, a nationwide survey

of experiential education programs found gains in participants' perception of competence and

performance, good attitudes toward adults, and problem-solving abilities (Conrad & Hedin, 1982). It has been proposed that social and academic development in afterschool programs may occur through interaction with competent adults (Roth, Brooks-Gunn, Murray, & Foster, 1998; Quinn, 1999) or through educational scaffolding and hands-on learning experiences provided in some afterschool settings (Roth,

Brooks-Gunn, Murray, & Foster, 1998; Quinn, 1999). (Bredekamp & Copple, 1997; Johnson & Johnson,

2003; Slavin, 2000).

In conclusion, afterschool experiential learning programs better prepare students for college, careers, and citizenship by assisting them in learning and remembering academic content and managing their time (Larmer & Mergendoller, 2010). Students learn how to collaborate in groups, give public presentations, and take responsibility for their own learning. Afterschool experiential learning promotes critical thinking, cooperation, communication, and creativity, the four C's (Larmer & Mergendoller, 2010).

Larmer and Mergendoller (2010) describe eight factors that contribute to the creation of relevant atmospheres and cultures in after-school experiential learning programs: (1) important information (2) a

"must-know" (3) a motivating issue, (4) student voice and choice, (5) 21st-century skills, (6) in-depth investigation, (7) criticism and revision, and (8) a public audience These programs need close collaboration among program designers, staff, students, instructors, parents, school administrators, and community partners (p.1-4).

Program Atmosphere and Culture

Program atmosphere and culture are critical components of good experiential learning programs,

since they foster an environment in which each student has his or her own identity and retains a feeling

of self-security (Amsel, 2009). Many individuals now see the hours after school as a chance for students

to get a little extra assistance with education. However, for the majority of students, the last bell signals

liberation. They don't want any more school, and if presented with an afterschool program that seems to

be an extension of their school day, they will decline (Weisburd, 2005). After-school activities are perfect for more casual, hands-on learning. Schedules are more adaptable, groups are smaller, and the attitude is more laid-back. Hands-on projects and program activities that are well-designed combine academic and developmental goals. It is simple to combine academics with project-based activities like sports, arts, and music (Weisburd, 2005). However, integrating the "soft stuff" that keeps students coming back— teamwork, social skills, and leadership opportunities—with clear academic programs like homework assistance or skill correction are essential advantages of experiential and project-based learning

(Weisburd, 2005). Because afterschool experiential learning programs are primarily student-centered, effective afterschool programs are ones that students look forward to attending (Hoffman, Steinburg &

Wolfe, 2012). Student-centered methods to learning contain various features that are based on the most recent theory and research on how young people learn and what motivates them to study. Student- centered methods, in particular, accept the student's experience as the beginning point of education; decide advancement based on mastery; considerably extend and reconfigure the teacher's role; and utilize the whole spectrum of learning experiences (Hoffman et al., 2012).

Conclusion

Experiential Learning Theory is a growing method in secondary education that emphasizes learning as a process. All learning is relearning, and learning is a two-way street between students and their surroundings. Experiential learning is based on a student-centered approach that allows students to put 50

their concepts into action. Experiential learning programs are also good for developing leadership skills.

This is particularly true for young people who are at risk. Students may practice leadership skills, critical

reflection, and good attitudes, which allows them to understand more about themselves and how they

interact with others.

Experiential learning programs in the afterschool environment have proved to be effective in

preparing students from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds for college and careers. Experiential

Learning Theory is a rising method in secondary education that emphasizes learning as a process. All

learning is relearning, and learning is a two-way street between students and their surroundings.

Experiential learning is based on a student-centered approach that allows students to put their concepts into action. Experiential learning programs are also good for developing leadership skills. This is particularly true for young people who are at danger. Students may practice leadership skills, critical reflection, and good attitudes, which allows them to understand more about themselves and how they interact with others.

The environment and culture of the program are essential variables in the success of experiential learning programs. Experiential learning programs work well in afterschool environments. Afterschool experiential learning programs are less structured and more adaptable. Students are divided into smaller groups, allowing them to get more individual attention and feel calmer in the afterschool setting.

Experiential learning programs in the afterschool environment have proved to be effective in preparing students from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds for college and careers. These programs educate students for college, professions, and citizenship by encouraging critical thinking, teamwork, communication, and creativity, all of which are necessary for today's and tomorrow's workforces. Project- based learning may provide a unique chance to promote engagement in learning via actual investigation of intriguing themes and concepts, particularly for the many impoverished students who have not been adequately served by conventional education (Soto, 1990). 51

Second Literature Strand

Inspiring College and Career Readiness through Experiential Learning Programs

In recent years, college and career readiness has been a focus topic for America's high schools. A graduate profile system has been established by states. College and occupational preparedness are important predictors of graduation. Secondary school career education is described by some as a proactive approach to assisting students in seeing the relationship between their academics and real- world results (Bryant, 2015). Recent research also indicates that a variety of variables affect the long-term effects of professional education (Whiston, Tai, Rahardja, & Eder, 2011). Many students' post-secondary transition plans and career decision-making abilities remain undeveloped after high school (Hess, 2019).

For example, because of America's trend toward a knowledge-based economy, most students consider post-secondary education, and many choose to attend college (Boyd, 2021). Fifty-nine percent of college students in the United States do not complete their studies within four years (Hess 2019). Hiebert (2010) hypothesized that this result was related to students changing majors, probably because they discovered that the program they chose was not what they anticipated and that another degree was more enticing.

A research by Bardick, Bernes, Magnusson, and Witko (2004) indicated that many students are under- informed about post-secondary education while they are in high school.

Experiential learning connects learners' interests and understandings to new ideas, content, and skills in a way that fosters continuous growth and development (Dewey, 1938; Kolb & Kolb, 2017). It is a pedagogical approach that is especially important for teachers and students from underserved communities (Scales, Roehlkepartain, Neal, Kielsmier, & Benson, 2006; Yeh, 2015). Experiential learning allows for the acquisition of information and the development of skills by active participation in a current, relevant activity, processing, and reflection, which leads to continuing learning and reflection (Chapman,

McPhee & Proudman, 2008; Dewey 1938; Kolb, 1984). According to Dewey (1915), the goal of community- 52

based experiential education should be industrial intelligence, which equips all learners to be masters of

their economic futures.

Experiential Learning and Soft and Hard Skill Acquisition

Soft skills, such as collaboration, communication, leadership, and problem-solving, are even more

vital now than they were in the past (Ritter, Small, Mortimer, & Doll, 2018). Employers employ for these

capabilities because human resources are increasingly providing firms with a competitive edge. As a result,

secondary schools must adapt to the requirements of external stakeholders by reexamining the

curriculum, taking into account how students are prepared for employment expectations (Lent, Brown, &

Hackett, 2000). Today's work environment is both fast-paced and ever-changing, thus the value of

employee soft skills has grown (Lohr, 2020). Communication and collaboration are examples of soft

talents that are often associated with emotional intelligence (Cauldron, 1999). Hard skills, on the other

hand, comprise information that may be gained in a classroom or via experience (Ritter et al., 2018). As a

result, companies now want a labor pool that can successfully exercise soft skills by working one-on-one

and in groups with others (Ritter et al., 2018).

There is a lot of evidence that curricular efforts focused on soft skills are essential for students' performance beyond high school and college (Hora, Chen, Parrott & Her, 2019). Students, for example, gain applied skills when they engage in activities that enable them to practice conducting successful interviews and providing behavioral feedback (Ritter et al., 2018). Experiential learning programs are a great way to teach both soft skills and hard abilities. Experiential learning programs explicitly emphasize interpersonal and technical skill development. Students, for example, participate in relevant planning and decision making when they practice delivering performance evaluation in a role-play situation in which they are required to design a plan (Bardick, Bernes, Magnusson, & Witko, 2007). Student participation in hard skill development might take the form of entrepreneurial activities, project-based learning, and service-learning. These programs of experiential learning lead to apprenticeships, internships, and part- 53 time and full-time jobs (Wurdinger, & Carlson, 2010). Finally, research on experiential learning reveals that students must be physically or cognitively involved in the learning process, grasp the significance of the activity to their lives and learning, relate the experience to their own experiences, and reflect on their learning experience (Carver, 1996). Students have also shown enhanced information retention and test score improvement as a result of their participation in experiential learning programs that relate soft and hard skills to their classroom learning (Yoder & Hochevar, 2005).

Experiential Learning and Character Development

Character education teaches the thinking and behavior patterns that allow families, friends, neighbors, communities, and countries to live and work together. According to Davis (2003), "character is a person's relatively established overall propensity to do what is ethically good...it is a pervasive quality of a person that appears consistently under pressure or in any circumstance" (p. 33). "This concept focuses on behavior rather than emotion or sensation" (p. 52). Good values contribute to the workplace, the home, and society for American adolescents (Klann, 2003). According to McCall (2010), well-designed outdoor adventure-based experiential learning programs provide the circumstances for a learning experience that allows students to cope with uncertainty, controlled risk, and interpersonal issues while creating connections. Eich (2008) emphasized that outdoor adventure-based leader development programs must provide appropriate guidance from experienced guides or mentors to help students make meaning of the experience through guided reflection and feedback, as well as hold students accountable for applying the lessons of the unfolding experience in future experiences. Many outdoor programs place an emphasis on the first concept (educational experiences) while neglecting to assist with the second objective (make meaning of the experience). Experiential learning opportunities, such as paintball, obstacle courses, and ropes courses, are often available outside of the classroom. Gardner (1991) said that academic information might be restricted to classroom environments, but outdoor education promotes related learning about life while promoting critical thinking chances. 54

Experiential learning programs can help students improve personally. According to Amsel (2009),

"individuation is the process that happens after separation in which you learn to identify who you are as an individual: I am humorous, sensitive, carefree, serious, tough, nervous, kind, and so on" (p.24). This learning process includes both success and failure, as well as dissatisfaction. It is a process of trial and error. It is inquiry into who you are, what fits, what you like, dislike, sometimes despise, and sometimes despise. It is what causes you to laugh, grieve, flee, and approach. It defines both who you are and who you are becoming (Amsel, 2009). According to Davidson (2014), character education programs must help students build moral and performance character. It is not enough that character education be taught in schools. Nonetheless, there must be proof that students are "attending to ethical issues" and "skilled users of their skill of conscience" (p. 77). Grant (1985) went on to say that "Education that leaves an impact on the hearts and minds of its students must be the goal of the experiential educational program (p. 2). "

Experiential learning highlights students' strong desire to achieve in their studies. Students' motivation to achieve might raise their accountability for their learning habits, and they will think they have control over the activity (Supratikya, 2011).

Conclusion

College and career readiness have evolved into measures of successful secondary school graduates. Experiential learning programs that include college and job preparedness as a component of program objectives motivate students to better negotiate such transitions. Along with real-world experience, several elements that impact college and career preparedness, decision making, and post- secondary transition planning are critical to student success. With the move to a knowledge-based economy, education has become the vehicle for students to assure a career. However, only 41% of all students complete college in four years. Many college students leave high school with little exposure to professional alternatives and change degrees numerous times throughout their college careers to discover their interests. Experiential learning programs assist students to bridge the knowledge gap by 55

connecting their interests and understandings to new concepts, topics, and abilities. This skill learning

occurs when students are actively engaged in a current, relevant task that allows for processing and

reflection. Experiential learning initiatives help students have a better understanding of their economic

prospects. Acquisition of hard and soft skills has become a crucial component of hands-on and real-world learning. Employers value soft skills such as collaboration, communication, leadership, and problem- solving more than ever before. Experiential learning programs explicitly emphasize interpersonal and technical skill development. Experiential learning programs in entrepreneurial activities, project-based learning, and service learning help to build these hard skills. Experiential learning programs that include students in these activities provide opportunities for students to get internships, apprenticeships, part- time and full-time summer employment. Character development promotes students to be good citizens, to volunteer for others, and to have an effect on their families and communities. Character development experiential learning programs can assist students with connection building and personal improvement.

Many outdoor experiential learning programs place an emphasis on the first concept (educational experiences) while ignoring the second concept (meaning the experience). Reflection is an important component of experiential learning because it allows students to make sense of their learning experiences. Outdoor experiential learning exercises, such as paintball, obstacle courses, and ropes courses, are popular with students in my study both inside and outside of the classroom. They encourage good character development via activities such as collaboration, helping others, success and failure, frustration, perseverance, persistence, and trial and error.

Diversity, Equity, Access, and Inclusion in Experiential Learning Programs

More than 200 community service-learning studies have been published over the past two decades, and all of these studies focused on how these situations benefit students (e.g., Butin, 2006;

Saltmarsh, 2005; Zlotkowski, 1998). The majority of these studies, however, have concentrated on the impacts of such programming on White and wealthy students. Few have investigated if these experiences 56

affect students of color differently (Seider, Huguley, & Novick, 2013). Seider, Huguley, and Novick (2013)

studied students of color who participated in community service-learning experiences and found that the program provided a weaker sense of community for students of color than for their White peers, and many students expressed a reluctance to engage in race discussions with their peers or to respond to perspectives they perceived as naive, and incorrect. This section of the literature review focuses on defining and addressing what is said in the literature about diversity, equity, and inclusion in two areas: teaching diversity, equity, and inclusion in experiential learning programs, and student experience with diversity, equity, and inclusion in experiential learning programs.

Few studies have looked at the nature of unique hurdles to internship participation, especially for low-income and minority students. Knouse et al. (1999) found that White students are more likely than

Black students to have an internship, and that higher-achieving students are more likely to get training than lower-achieving students. Overall, data indicate that internship participation varies by occupational field and student factors such as gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic position, and academic accomplishment (Binder et al., 2015). One question about the characteristics of internship participants is whether certain students are able to acquire these opportunities in the first place. This subject is often asked in regards to low-income students and how internships are unaffordable for students who are unable to pay for tuition, housing, and food (Hora et al., 2019, p.2).

Seider, Huguley, and Novick (2013) claim that "White students' interests, experiences, and learning objectives might unwittingly be served by programming that is intentionally meant to undermine

White privilege (p.1). "Experiential learning programs with culturally sensitive teaching, suitable role models, and community building from varied viewpoints, and overcoming obstacles to participation may be more successful in addressing diversity, equality, and inclusion. When various viewpoints are not adequately represented or heard, all students' learning suffers (Seider, Huguley, & Novick, 2013). 57

Teaching Diversity in Experiential Learning Programs

Too many experiential learning program leaders are inadequately prepared to teach ethnically

diverse students. Howard (1999) stated, "We can't teach what we don't know." This statement applies to

the knowledge of both students and subject matter. Greene (1971) explained it like this, "without the

ability to think about yourself, to reflect on your life, there is no awareness, no consciousness,

consciousness does not come automatically, and it comes through being alive, awake, curious, and often

furious. (p.147)." According to Kolb (2005), "Learners with an experiencing style greatest strength resides

in their ability to deeply involve themselves in concrete experiences while being equally comfortable in

the outer world of action and the inner world of reflection (p.298)." Some experiential learning programs

are still non-committal about including multicultural education despite the growing numbers of and

disproportionately poor performance of students of color (Melody & Cuevas, 2010). Others are trying to

decide what the most appropriate place is and "face" for it. A few are embracing multicultural education

enthusiastically (Gay, 2000).

Teaching from a culturally responsive perspective involves many things, some of which are more important for module teachers to know than others because they have direct implications for teaching and learning (Banks, 2006). Among these are ethnic groups' cultural values, traditions, communication, learning styles, contributions, and relational patterns (Andrews, Parekh, & Peckoo, 2019). Culturally responsive teaching is defined as using the cultural characteristics, experiences, and perspectives of ethnically diverse students as conduits for teaching them more effectively (Gay, 2000). It assumes that when academic knowledge and skills are situated within the lived experiences and act as a frame of reference for students, they are more personally meaningful, have higher interest appeal, and are learned more easily and thoroughly (Banks, 2006).

Leaders of experiential learning programs in my research refer to this as "building a level playground." Students attend the program with the intention of expanding "who they know and how they 58

know" via the use of a social network. The program's purpose is to ensure that every kid, regardless of

social or intellectual background, feels "all the same." The experiential learning program leaders in my

research speak about "mixing up formal," which implies mixing up the students from what they are accustomed to in school. Adams (2007), on the other hand, said that "the purpose of social justice is full and equal involvement of all groups in society" (p.14). As a result, the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion must be articulated and utilized more carefully so that all students may benefit from culturally responsive learning.

Another important aspect of culturally sensitive education is the development of community among varied learners (Roaten & Schmidt, 2009). Gay (2000) claims that "Many students of color grow up in cultural circumstances where the welfare of the group takes priority over the welfare of the individual and where people are trained to pool their resources to solve issues. Individual needs are not ignored; rather, they are handled within the framework of collective functioning (p.110)." When a group succeeds or fails, its members do as well. As a consequence, the group operates as a supportive community in which all members are accountable for assisting one another and ensuring that everyone contributes to the collective job (Gay, 2000). As a result, teaching from a culturally sensitive viewpoint and cultivating a diverse learning community are critical to the success of experiential learning programs.

Equity and Access for Students of Color in Experiential Learning Programs

Concerning equity and access, experiential learning has the potential to foster "the value of

variety and bring together individuals from diverse social, ethnic, and economic backgrounds," so

preparing students for entrance into the larger world (Cantor, 1995, p. 81). “Experiential learning

programs, on the other hand, must be willing to overcome access hurdles for students of color. One

impediment is the expense of participation. Youth would be unable to participate if scholarships were not

offered. Other activities required the involvement of parents on occasion. Not all parents have the ability

or desire to volunteer (Hobbs, 1999). Additional issues arose as a result of a shortage of transportation. 59

Most places have minimal, if any, public transportation, and many families lack either the time or the car required to drive their students to events.

Preoccupation with these issues prevented some parents from supporting youth participation, even if all that was required was a reminder of an upcoming activity. Even some of the students themselves were unwilling to carry out plans because, when the time came, they lacked the self- confidence to take the necessary measures to initiate involvement (Hobbs, 1999). Students of color struggle with a variety of social and personal issues, including poor health, low financial resources, drug and alcohol misuse, and inadequate emotional and family management skills, to name a few

(Butrymowicz, Amy & Fenn, 2020). The lack of follow-through by families has been addressed by enlisting the help of a volunteer to serve as a support (Hobbs, 1999). Volunteers may offer transportation to and from the activity as well as remind the youngsters to show up for the activity (Hobbs, 1999). Another method that has been successful in increasing youth engagement is targeted outreach to families in order to promote them to a specific youth group (Hobbs, 1999).

Finally, Kandaswamy (2007) asserts that it is critical to detect and investigate colorblind racial attitudes since the denial that race is a part in contemporary social structures strengthens and perpetuates them. Nagda, Gurin, and Lopez (2003) proposed using classroom discussions, high-level experiential activities, debriefings of those activities and discussions, journaling, and self-reflection to encourage the processing of new information, a deeper understanding and awareness of race relations and the dynamics of racism, and to assist students in exploring the areas that cause personal dissonance.

Proactive interventions that develop intercultural skills and competences may make a major impact in the lives of students of all cultures (Banks, 2006). "Diversity and social justice-related topics have important implications on human development and societal health, including building good self-images, building strong connections with others, and learning how to contribute to fairness in society," Zimmerman et al.

(2005) said (p. 47). 60

Conclusion

Experiential learning has been shown to benefit specific groups of students more than others

(Butin, 2006). "Minority students who have historically not engaged in internships and students seeking

to pursue non-traditional professions and occupational fields" are among these categories (Cantor, 1995,

p. 89). However, if diversity, equity, and inclusion are not addressed, the advantages of experiential

learning may be negated. From a multicultural standpoint, culturally responsive teaching is critical in

building experiential learning programs. A feeling of belonging is created by creating a diverse learning

community. Students feel more involved in the learning process and are more willing to share their

problems and victories with their classmates. Experiential learning programs must be dedicated to openly

tackling these topics and removing obstacles to entry for students of color.

When establishing experiential learning programs, it is necessary to address barriers such as

program cost, transportation, parent engagement, and social and personal concerns. These challenges

may be handled via a variety of ways, including but not limited to transportation scholarships and

volunteers, program communication, and follow-up. Changes in program content will also aid in issues of equity and inclusion. Identifying colorblind racial attitudes, self-reflection, and implementing activities designed to promote multicultural skills can all make a difference in the lives of all students involved in experiential learning programs

Summary

Experiential Learning Theory is a growing approach in secondary education where practitioners focus on learning as a process. All learning is relearning, and learning is a transmission between students and the environment. Experiential learning is grounded in a student-centered approach where students get the opportunity to put their ideas into action. Although I was able to find quite a bit of literature on

this topic, there is a gap in the success of this type of approach with high school students of color.

Experiential learning programs also provide an excellent opportunity for leadership development. This is 61

especially true for at-risk youth. Students can practice leadership skills, critical reflection, and positive

attitudes, which helps students learn more about themselves and how they relate to others.

Program atmosphere and culture are important factors in successful experiential learning

programs. Afterschool settings provide an ideal format for experiential learning programs. In the literature

review, scholars pointed to the need for more research on leadership development, especially high school

experiential learning programs. Afterschool experiential learning programs are more informal and flexible.

Students are grouped in smaller teams, and students can get more individual attention and feel more

relaxed in the afterschool environment. These programs prepare students for college, careers, and

citizenship and foster critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity, which are essential

for today's workforce and the future workforce.

College and career readiness has become an indicator of successful graduate profiles in secondary

education. Experiential learning programs that make college and career readiness an essential part of

program outcomes help students navigate those transitions better. Many factors that influence college

and career readiness, decision making, and post-secondary transition planning are essential to student

success along with real-world experience. Many college students leave high school with a lack of exposure to career options and change majors several times while in college to find their passions. Experiential learning programs help fill the knowledge gap by allowing students to connect their interests and understandings to new ideas, content, and skills. Hard and soft skill acquisition has become an essential part of hands-on and real-world learning. Soft skills like teamwork, communication, leadership, and problem-solving are more important than ever to employers. Interpersonal and technical skill development is an explicit focus of experiential learning programs. These hard skills are developed through experiential learning programs in entrepreneurial activities, project-based learning, and service learning. Experiential learning programs that engage students in these activities open doors for students to get internships, apprenticeships, part-time and full-time summer jobs. There is quite a bit of research 62

on college and career readiness. Still, the literature does not reveal the expediential impact that hard and

soft skills acquisition can have on students of color and their career trajectory. They were especially

tracking the students from high school to college and then on to careers.

Experiential learning programs can be used as an approach to character education. Character development encourages students to be good citizens, to be committed to the services of others, and to impact their families and communities. They promote positive character development like teamwork, supporting others, success and failure, frustration, grit, determination, and trial and error. Research has also identified certain groups of students that have the most to gain from experiential learning. However, without addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion, the benefits of experiential learning can be marginalized.

Culturally responsive teaching is vital in developing experiential learning programs from a multicultural perspective. Building a diverse learning community creates a sense of belonging. Students feel more a part of the learning experience and feel comfortable sharing their struggles and triumphs with their peers. Experiential learning programs must be committed to discussing these issues openly and addressing access barriers for students of color. The scholars in my literature discuss the resistance of the overall experiential learning community to put a face on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. This is a central issue I wants to address in the YLE program. Barriers like program cost, transportation, parent participation, and social and personal problems must be considered when developing experiential learning programs. Changes in program content will also help with issues of equity and inclusion, identifying color-blind racial attitudes, self-reflection, and implementing activities designed to promote multicultural skills can make a difference in the lives of all students involved in experiential learning programs. There is a need for a study to develop strategies like those stated in the literature and then implement them into a program and evaluate the changes to see if they make the programmatic changes to address the diversity, equity, and inclusion issues and the barriers to access for students. 63

Section Four: Contextualization

The purpose of this Action Research study was to investigate and document experiential learning

and leadership practices at Youth Leadership Experience (YLE), an afterschool program for 9th and 10th

high school students from the midlands area of Columbia, SC. The study's secondary goal was to develop

and implement practices that will enable YLE to be more equitable and accessible for students of color.

The research study asks three research questions. How have the YLE founders and staff implemented

experiential learning and leadership in the YLE program? What are the experiences of students of color at

YLE? What practice and policy changes can YLE implement that will make the experiences more equitable

and accessible for students of color? This section includes an analysis of the organizational context at YLE,

how the researcher's findings are situated within the extant literature, and implications of this research

study for organization and professional practice.

Context Analysis

Youth Leadership Experience (YLE) is a life-changing experiential learning and leadership training program for thirty-six (per cohort) ninth and tenth-grade students from nine high schools in the Midlands (Columbia) area of South Carolina. Each year the program begins in August and ends in May. Participants experience nine different experiential learning modules in which they gain exposure and opportunity to develop themselves and their leadership skills through a career- focused and experiential learning curriculum (Becraft, 2017). YLE has hundreds of supporters who donate to the program, 129 community leaders who serve in the program, multiple businesses and organizations who support the program, and the YLE alumni who come back every year to volunteer in the program. The students who participate in YLE come from nine different high schools in the Midlands area of South Carolina. The experiential learning and leadership practices at the YLE afterschool program have inspired over 550 alumni to graduate from high school, attend college, and begin careers. The YLE program uses a 12-month experiential learning and leadership 64 curriculum on various subjects like leadership, arts and culture, nonprofits management, and entrepreneurship. YLE trains the students to be committed to the service of others through modules on crime and justice, social service, and government. The focus of the leadership training at YLE is to empower the students to see themselves as leaders in all situations.

At first, there was some hesitancy by the Founder of YLE to engage in a research study because he wanted to make sure there was no cost to the organization for the research, and he also insisted we put together an MOU separate from the site agreement. The Founder also did a thorough background check of my resume and experience through some of his colleagues in the nonprofit and public charter school communities in South Carolina. I worked with the Assistant Director for 18 years in a very supportive relationship. The Executive Director embraced the study initially because he wanted to identify

YLE best practices in experiential learning and leadership. The Board of Directors at YLE approved the research study because they wished better to understand the experiential learning and leadership practices at YLE to replicate the program in other communities sometime in the future.

I analyzed the first three interviews with the YLE leadership, and the documents given to the researcher by the YLE Executive Director. Three themes were discovered during the cycle one research process: interviews, focus groups, observations, and a document review. The themes that were identified are. All are contributing factors to the success and challenges in the program, as stated by the YLE students and parents who participated in the cycle one interviews and focus groups.

Based on the findings from cycle one, the YLE staff made eight policy and practice changes in the areas of equity and access through a student needs assessment survey taken at the program orientation.

The YLE program implemented the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion module delivered during the Arts and

Culture month based on cycle two findings. The YLE Let’s Talk table discussions were implemented where students express their views and understanding so who they are and what they believe about diversity, equity, and inclusion at Poetry night. The YLE Cultural Awareness and Action exercises for the program 65

participants were implemented at the Poetry Night (Cultural Awareness) and the Culture Night (Cultural

Action). The YLE Sense of Belonging exercises for program participants were implemented at the Poetry

Night. YLE formed DEI student’s leadership groups as part of the Cultural Action exercises at Culture Night.

We captured video snippets of the participant’s response to the DEI module exercises. The final programmatic change involved the YLE alumni being invited to a summer enrichment program called “For

Reel,” where alumni would be taken on a tour of the historical sites of Brown versus the Board of

Education in South Carolina and exposed to movies and videos that talk about issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The cycle one research questions surfaced some fascinating conversations with the stakeholders.

When I asked questions about the factors that make the YLE program successful during cycle one of the research, I discovered that those factors are mainly qualitative, ideas like unleashing the student’s leadership, giving the students their voice, instilling confidence, and affirming each student’s identity and ability. I also discovered a new idea about diversity and equity when I asked how the program enabled students of color to be successful. Although I thought asking question about students of color might make the leaders at YLE uncomfortable, each one frankly addressed the issue. I learned about the YLE program concept of “all in the same space,” which means putting people in the same space. By doing so the students have no idea of each other’s socioeconomic or academic background barriers are broken down, and students learn from the different perspectives in the room. The cycle two research process created an open dialog about what needed to change to improve students of color and created opportunities for stakeholders to discuss their views of race, cultural awareness, racism and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Contextual Findings

Findings from this study, situated within the literature, advance understanding of the research questions and suggest implications for the organization moving forward. Cumulatively, the findings provided insight on how the YLE organization can become more equitable and accessible in the YLE 66

program for student of color. The findings in the study were combining several types of experiential

learning for superior outcomes, using experiential learning to teach experiential leadership, and infusing

experiential learning programs with diversity equity and Inclusion.

Finding 1 – Combining several types of experiential learning for superior outcomes

Experiential learning in secondary education can take many forms, including classroom learning,

afterschool programs, camp programs, and wilderness and ropes adventure courses. Project-based or service learning can also be referred to as experiential learning (Pizarchik, 2007). Project-based learning connects students' experiences with school life and encourages critical thinking as they learn new information (Douladeli, 2014). Service-learning is defined as "a type of experiential learning in which students and professors work with communities to solve problems and challenges while gaining knowledge and skills and improving personal development" (Higher Education Research).

When the Youth Leadership Experience founders first started the program, they attended a Youth

Program Development Conference in San Diego. In an interview, the Founder of YLE stated, "We brought back the best practices from across the country and combined them into one program." The Youth

Leadership Experience program combines all types of experiential learning programs into a nine-month module experience that reinforces the importance of the experience learning style through the different lenses of outdoor, camping, and ropes courses, the after-school setting, project-based learning through the entrepreneurship module, and service-learning through serving a community. Using various forms of experiential learning in the program also increases the students' ability to invest themselves in the program, which is why the program is so well attended and has such high program completion rates.

Learners with an experiential style excel at getting deeply involved in real-world activities while also excelling at abstract mental activity (A. Kolb & Kolb, 2005a; D. Kolb, 1984, p.298).

Furthermore, combining multiple forms of experiential learning into a single program allows the program to take students through all stages of the Kolb learning cycle, which is the foundation of 67

experiential learning. The first stage entails actual learning or experience. The student encounters a new

experience or reinterprets an old event, which leads to the next step, reflective observation, in which the learner comments on the event individually. Following thoughtful observation comes abstract conceptualization, in which learners generate new ideas or modify existing abstract concepts based on the observations made during the reflective observation stage. Then there is the active experimentation period. This is the stage at which the learner applies the new concepts to her surroundings to see if there are any differences in the event's next presentation (Kolb, 1984).

The program's commitment to having half of each cohort be students of color is a significant finding. According to research, certain student groups stand to benefit the most from experiential learning

(Butin, 2006). Among these groups are "minority students who have historically not participated in internships and students seeking to enter non-traditional professions and occupational sectors" (Cantor,

1995, p. 89). A small but growing body of research on students of color participating in experiential learning and leadership programs suggests that better educational outcomes can be obtained by enabling practice and feedback, increasing student motivation, and enabling practice and feedback (James, Humez,

& Laufenberg, 2019). Access to purposefully planned, academically integrated job experiences linked to high-quality educational credentials is critical for scaling up experiential learning methods (Butrymowicz,

Amy & Fenn, 2020). Committing to ensuring that children from all backgrounds have access to this program is critical to addressing the issue of having models that can be scaled up across the country.

Finding 2 - Using Experiential Learning to teach experiential leadership.

By incorporating leadership principles into leadership practices, experiential learning reinforces leadership principles. Experiential leadership programs in secondary schools are designed to promote decision-making, initiative, connection development, and participant responsibility. Experiential leaders are encouraged and expected to be inquisitive, to ask probing questions, to experiment, to be creative, to solve problems, and to accept responsibility. Experiential leadership programs lay the groundwork for 68

skills and experiences that can be applied and adapted to real-world situations and challenges. Greene

discusses the importance of involving students in this type of "hands-on" learning when she says, "to educate so that the young mind may be awakened to the pleasure of transformation in the smallest places, so that they may become healers and alter their surroundings" (Greene cited in Ayers & Miller,

1998, P.16).

According to stakeholders, the program included experiential leadership through the YLE

Leadership weekend, an outdoor ropes course event for students during the first month of the program.

According to the organization's leadership, hands-on leadership training was critical to experiential learning modules. This type of hands-on learning is especially important for students of color in the program. For today's at-risk children, opportunities to develop leadership skills may be limited. Many child-serving organizations primarily assist children from affluent families (Hobbs, 1999; Little, Wimer, &

Weiss, 2008). Service-learning initiatives are one way to give at-risk children more opportunities for leadership. Adolescents can exercise their leadership skills while also reflecting on their experiences to learn more about themselves through service-learning initiatives (Boyd, 2001). As adolescents organize and carry out major service projects, they may be taught and practiced skills such as brainstorming, decision-making, goal setting, and teamwork (Boyd, 2001). Many studies support service-learning as an excellent method for teaching and developing leadership skills and attitudes in young people (Conrad &

Hedin, 1983; Ladewig & Thomas, 1987; Yates & Youniss, 1996). Teaching leadership through experiential learning is critical for the development, confidence, voice, and self-efficacy of students of color (Gartland,

2020).

Finding 3 – Infusing Experiential Learning programs with Diversity Equity and Inclusion.

Diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) in experiential learning programs has received little attention. Despite increasing numbers of disproportionately disadvantaged students of color, some experiential learning programs remain unenthusiastic about integrating multicultural education (Gay, 69

2000). Gay (2000) says "others are attempting to find the ideal location and "face" for it." Few people eagerly embrace intercultural education (p.106).

YLE's stakeholders embracing, correcting, and defining their ideas of diversity, equality, and inclusion and then developing a means for the students to do the same is a major step towards increasing diversity, equality, and inclusion in the area of experiential education. According to Seider, Huguley, and

Novick (2013), students of color engaging in experiential learning programs had a poorer feeling of community than their White peers. Participating in the DEI module allows participants to be more open about racism, diversity, equality, and inclusion. The DEI module allowed students to engage with classmates and adults and gave them a chance to lead and take action on diversity equality and inclusion problems. This result advances our general understanding of how diversity, equality, and inclusion may be embedded in secondary afterschool programs as the problem becomes more prevalent in society.

When kids don't hear various views and ideas, their learning suffers (Seider, Huguley, & Novick, 2013).

Conclusion

YLE should conduct a long-term study to see if practice and policy changes have improved equity and access for students of color in the program. In addition, incorporating the DEI Task Force's diversity, equity, and inclusion module into the Arts and Culture months, administering the pretest survey to each

YLE cohort to establish a baseline of each cohort's understanding of DEI, and then administering the post- test survey to assess the effectiveness of the DEI module. Cantor (1995) claims that "in terms of equality and inclusion, experiential learning may promote "the value of variety and bring together individuals from various social, ethnic, and economic groups, "preparing students for entry into the world at large" (p. 81).

To better understand the program's and new module's implications for students of color, I also suggested that YLE conduct a study on the long-term impact of the program on the graduation, college acceptance, and career attainment rates of all its alumni, or at least the students of color who have graduated from the program. 70

Implications for the Organization

Although the organization had been around for fifteen years before the study, there had never been any documentation of the organization's practices or even a look at the various policies implemented by the organization's leadership. The study helped YLE define the program's practices in terms of secondary education and afterschool programming. Even defining the program as an afterschool program had never been established by the organization. Gaining knowledge about experiential learning and experiential leadership, program atmosphere and culture, character development, and hard and soft skill acquisition improved YLE’s ability to describe itself in the community and with donors and supports.

Spending time with the YLE staff in facilitated meetings engaging in conversation about the organization's operation practices, strategy, and leadership practices moved the organization forward in areas where the staff felt stuck. This was important because it laid the foundation for cycle two research focused on equity and access for students of color. Engaging in somewhat tricky conversations about race, racism, diversity, equity, inclusion, and White privilege changed the perspective of the YLE leadership. It opened a dialog between the YLE leadership and the Black alumni, Black parents, and Black module teachers. Implementing a DEI Task force and developing a DEI module helped the program address concerns expressed by parents and students. Developing tools like surveys, videos, and a DEI module will enhance the program in the long run and making changes in the policies and procedures of the program to make the program more equitable and accessible to students of color will benefit the program in the short and long run because it will allow the program to engage students in all areas of the state and from all socioeconomic backgrounds.

One of the critical questions from the beginning of the research study is how we replicate the program in other cities. Although the answer to that question was not the study's intent, defining program practices and addressing the barriers to equity and access are for students of color prepared the program to be replicated in communities with different demographics than the Midlands area of Columbia, SC. The 71

study added to the overall knowledge about experiential learning in afterschool settings, the importance

of experiential leadership, and how experiential learning and leadership can be woven together for

effective outcomes. The study also revealed that YLE needed to be more intentional about inspiring

college and career readiness by engaging the students in high school to college transition planning. The

study adds to the body of knowledge about diversity, equity, and inclusion in experiential learning

programs and the collaborative process with stakeholders in action research. The study added to the

overall knowledge about experiential learning in afterschool settings, and how experiential learning and

leadership can be woven together for effective outcomes.

From a social justice perspective as an action researcher, I wanted to highlight that experiential learning programs can help students of color navigate the educational systems with positive outcomes, especially in an afterschool setting. From the beginning of the research process, I highlighted experiential learning programs that engage students of color and inspired college and career readiness, soft and complex skill acquisition, and career pathways. This was a social justice issue for me because many experiential learning programs that are being highlighted are mainly for White and affluent students.

Experiential learning programs, particularly in the afterschool setting, can assist students of color in successfully navigating educational systems. According to Shujaa (1993), "if the existing social order and its structural conditions are not challenged, the social order and its power relations will be perpetuated"

(p. 179). According to Stovall (2006a), "in response to the adversarial relationship that many communities of color have experienced with urban and rural school systems, a counter-story is required to identify said communities' desire for quality education despite mainstream accounts that depict communities of color as 'anti-school or 'anti-intellectual (p. 243)." This research study sought to demonstrate that students of color at YLE do not subscribe to this line of thought.

Implication of the study on YLE Eliminating Barriers of Equity and Access Now and Moving Forward

YLE Staff views of diversity, equity and inclusion could have influenced the programs ability to properly address equity and access in the program for students of color. Having conversation to gain a baseline definition of what diversity, equity and inclusion means and allowing the voices of the students to be heard in the process created an opportunity to make program and policy changes for students of color.

Eliminating barriers of access was the central focus of the cycle two research process at YLE.

Several lessons learned have broader implications for the YLE organization now and as the organization moves forward. The first lesson learned was that the staff at YLE needed to define their views of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The Executive Director associated diversity, equity, and inclusion as popular societal buzzwords and associated the concept with acknowledging ideas that went against his value system. The

Assistant Director at YLE associated his views of diversity, equity, and inclusion from a community perspective. He grew up in a community where he felt he was the minority. The Alumni Coordinator looked at diversity, equity and inclusion from the perspective of a Black female and felt marginalized by the views of her two White male coworkers as a woman and as a woman of color. These three differing views created an environment of hesitancy in the staff's desire to have a conversation with the students.

The lesson learned from these different opinions is that diversity, equity, and inclusion needed to be defined by a definition that the entire staff could align with, or the differing views on the topic could create a barrier for equity and access for the students in the program by allowing these various opinions to cloud the issues of equity and access that the students of color faced in YLE.

The YLE Staff settled on these definitions of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion which formed the basis for positive conversations that moved the organization forward:

Diversity: Race, color, ethnicity, nationality, religion, socioeconomic status, veteran status,

education, marital status, language, age, gender, gender expression, gender identity, sexual 73

orientation, mental or physical ability, genetic information, and learning styles are all examples

of diversity (Kapila, Hines & Searby, 2016).

• Equity: The guarantee of equal treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all, while

attempting to identify and remove barriers that have prevented some groups from fully

participating. The equity principle recognizes that there have historically been under-served and

under-represented populations, and that fairness regarding these unbalanced conditions is

required to aid equality in the provision of effective opportunities to all groups. (Kapila, et. al,

2016)

• Inclusion: Inviting traditionally excluded individuals and/or groups to participate in processes,

activities, and decision/policy making in a way that shares power and ensures equal access to

opportunities and resources. (Kapila, et, al, 2016)

Another important lesson learned by the staff was that the students' perspectives on equity and access were influential in changing the staff's opinions. Learning that draws on students' cultural experiences can help fill this void (Emdin, 2011; Ladson-Bilings, 2014). Experiential learning and equity, according to scholars, include critical consciousness (Breunig, 2019), power (Grain et al., 2019), representation (Rodgers & Rose, 2019), and discrimination (Whittington, 2019). Following the first session of the DEI module at YLE, some student comments influence the staff's confidence and the importance of discussing diversity, equity, and inclusion. In the YLE DEI module, an Asian female student in 10th grade stated, "In the past month, my view of how I interact has changed to know more about myself and what

I'm like around new people." The Assistant Director stated that his attitude toward the DEI discussion had shifted as a result of how the discussion affected the students. I believe that the student voices became more important to the staff, influencing the YLE staff's willingness to address equity and access issues. 74

Most programs in experiential learning don't survey students at all. YLE surveys the students after every event. However, studying the student's experience with the program events and listening to the student voices on equity and access is not the same thing. The video snippets were vital to creating an environment for equity and access and should be continually used as a tool for learning and staff training.

When students reacted to the final portion of the YLE DEI module and a White female 9th grader stated,

"We have been able to come together with people from different backgrounds, and it has opened my eyes." A Black 11th grader said, "the module was great because it doesn't matter what race you are it's time we spend interacting with each other that matters," and another White female 10th grader stated,

"I mean obviously I was never racist, but generally only hung with people of the same race; working with those of other races showed me that people's race, culture, etc. don't define them as people." I think the conviction and voices of students made the staff more passionate about equity and access for all students, which is why student's voice is so important. The policy and practices changes that YLE made to create equitable access for students of color should be coupled with defining equity and access and diversity, equity and inclusion by the staff, and strong consideration of the student's voice on these issues so that the program can continue to create equity for all.

Implication of the study on Experiential Learning Gatekeepers Creating Equity and Access

The YLE leadership has gained some invaluable lessons as “gatekeepers” for experiential learning regarding creating equity and access for students of color. Especially for White practitioners in the experiential learning afterschool space. The lesson learned should be shared with networks of practitioners and with schools and school districts who are interested in leveling the playing field for all students. For example, engaging only the “best and brightest students of color in experiential learning programs can be addressed through scaling up best practices and then replicating the programs or portions of the programs in marginalized school settings, in summer programs, and afterschool programs.

Creating practitioner networks and train the trainer models are also important to “spread the word “about 75 how experiential learning programs can be ab effective method to help students of color navigate the education system.

I also recommended that YLE

• Be more intentional about assisting students in the program with high school to college

transition preparation - Students who do not have a defined major once in college are more likely

to struggle for several years to find one (Lent, Hackett & Brown, 1999).

• Expand the college and career module to include career pathways training – Introducing

students to role models from various career paths is beneficial. There are, however, many virtual

and in-person models of career pathway exposure and decision-making models that go much

further in informing students about the transition from college to career. Career fairs and

University 101 courses are two examples (Bryant, 2015)

• Make a long-term commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion staff development – Training

employees on diversity, equity, and inclusion is not a one-time event or something you do for a

short period of time. The YLE staff must transform into a learning community dedicated to

diversity, equity, and inclusion (Panorama, 2019).

• Make a commitment to hiring diverse full-time employees at YLE, particularly men of color –

The need for role models of success who looked like the participants was one of the most

important takeaways from the focus groups with Black parents, Black alumni, and Black students.

The program currently engages volunteers - Black male alumni, two Black male module teachers,

and one Black male parent; however, the program lacks a Black male staff member, an issue that

the organization has verbally committed to changing (Lumby & Coleman, 2007).

• YLE should conduct a long-term study of all 550 alumni - The study's goal would be to determine

graduation rates, college attendance rates, track alumni careers, and then aggregate these 76

findings by ethnicity and gender to help YLE potentially tell an even greater success story to the

community, supporters, and donors to the program.

In conclusion, action research methodology was used in this project to solve a problem of local interest, foster organizational change, and bridge research and practice (Stringer, 2014). The implications from this project extend far beyond effectively defining organizational experiential learning and experiential leadership practices. The principles of action research were applied to solve an organizational problem when it came to being more intentional about creating policy and practices that enable to program to be more equitable and accessible for students of color. Both of these efforts have the opportunity to give voice to a broader swath of the organization and provide access paths for marginalized groups, as demonstrated through this project.

References

Adams, M., Bell, L. A., & Griffin, P. (2007). Teaching for diversity and social justice. Routledge. 1-14.

Adcox, S. & Moore, T. (2019, February 25). We broke down South Carolina’s education overhaul bill

section by section Post and Courier. https://www.postandcourier.com/politics/we-broke-down-

south-carolina-s-education-overhaul-bill-section/article_f32b8600-3468-11e9-9d6a-

7f2421c61fa7.html

Ambrose, S. & Poklop, L. (2015) Do Students Really Learn from Experience? Change: The Magazine of

Higher Learning, 47:1, 54-61, DOI: 10.1080/00091383.2015.996098

Amsel, B. (2009). The Separation / Individuation Process: The Struggle to Become an

Adult. http://www.beverlyamselphd.com/separation-transition-to-adult

Anderson, J. D. (1998). The Education of Blacks in the South, 1860 to 1935. Chapel Hill, NC:

The University of North Carolina.

Andrews, K., Parekh, J., & Peckoo, S. (2019). How to embed a racial and ethnic equity perspective in

research: Practical guidance for the research process. Child Trends.

https://www.childtrends.org/wpcontent/uploads/2019/09/RacialEthnicEquityPerspective_Child

Trends_October2019.pdf.

Anney, V.N. (2014). Ensuring the Quality of the Findings of Qualitative Research: Looking at

Trustworthiness Criteria.

Ayers, W, & Miller, J.L. (1998). A Light in Dark Times; Maxine Greene and the Unfinished Conversation.

New York Teachers College Press: Columbia University.

https://doi.org/10.1177/105382599802100302 78

Azzam, A. (2007). Why Students Drop Out. Educational leadership: Journal of the Department of

Supervision and Curriculum Development, N.E.A 64(7)

Balfanz, R. (2009). Can the American high school become an avenue of advancement for all? The Future

of Children, 19(1), 17-36.

Banda-Mutalima, I. (2018). Action research: The advantages and limitations of practice in responding to

poor people’s voices through microfinance. In SAGE Research Methods

Cases. https://www.doi.org/10.4135/9781526442215

Banks, J. A. (2006). Cultural diversity and education: Foundations, curriculum, and teaching. Boston:

Pearson.

Bardick, A., Bernes, K., Magnusson, K., & Witko, K., (2007). Junior High Career Planning: What Students

Want. Journal of Educational Enquiry. 38.

Baum, F., MacDougall, C., & Smith, D. (2006). Participatory action research. Journal of epidemiology and

community health, 60(10), 854–857. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech.2004.028662

Becraft, J. (2017). About Youth Leadership Experience. Youth Leadership Experience Website retrieved

from: https://www.youthcorps.net/overview

Bell, L. (1997). ‘Theoretical foundations for social justice education’, in Adams, M, Griffin, P & Bell, L

(eds.), Teaching for diversity and social justice: a sourcebook, Routledge, New York.

Berv, J. (1998). Service Learning as Experiential Education’s Bridge to Mainstream

Education. Journal of Experiential Education, 21(3), 119–

123. https://doi.org/10.1177/105382599802100302 79

Bodilly, S. J., & Beckett, M. K. (2005). Making out-of-school time matter: Evidence for an action agenda

(Report No.MG-242-WF). Santa Monica, CA: RAND.

Bonn, C. A. (1999). Volunteer toolbox. Texas Agricultural Extension Service, Texas A&M University

System. College Station, TX.

Boud, D., Keogh, R., & Walker, D. (2013). Promoting reflection in learning: A model Reflection: Turning

Experience into Learning, Routledge, pp.18-40.

Bowers, P., Smith, G., Adcox, S., Berry Hawes, J. & Moore, T. (2018, November 14) Minimally Adequate:

SC’s persistent failure in education leave students unprepared Post and Courier.

https://data.postandcourier.com/saga/minimally-adequate/page/1

Boyd, A. (2021, December 24th). Creating Career Pathways for High School Students by Partnering with

the Community Getting Smart. https://www.gettingsmart.com/2020/12/creating-promising-

career-pathways-for-minority-high-school-students-by-partnering-with-the-business-

community/

Boyd, A. (2021, January 7th). Academic Magnet High School is on a Mission for Excellence Creating

Opportunity for All Getting Smart. https://www.gettingsmart.com/2021/01/academic-magnet-

high-school-is-on-a-mission-of-excellence-through-creating-opportunity-for-all/

Boyd, B. (2001). Bringing Leadership Experiences to Inner-City Youth. Journal of Extension,

v39 n4

Breunig, M. (2005). Turning Experiential Education and Critical Pedagogy Theory into Praxis. Journal of

Experiential Education, 28(2), 106–122. https://doi.org/10.1177/105382590502800205

Brofenbrenner, U. (1979). The Ecology of Human Development: Experiments by Nature and Design.

Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 80

Brown, K. M. (2004). Leadership for Social Justice and Equity: Weaving a Transformative Framework

and Pedagogy. Educational Administration Quarterly, 40(1), 77–108.

https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X03259147

Brungardt, C. (1996). The Making of Leaders: A Review of the Research in Leadership Development and

Education. Journal of Leadership Studies, 3(3), 81-95

https://doi.org/10.1177/107179199700300309

Bryant, R. T. A. (2015). College preparation for African American students: Gaps in the high school

educational experience. Washington, DC: Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP).

Brydon-Miller, M., Greenwood, D., & Maguire, P. (2003). Why Action Research? Action Research, 1(1),

9–28. https://doi.org/10.1177/14767503030011002

Bryman, A. & Bell, E. (2011). “Business Research Methods” 3rd edition, Oxford University Press

Butin, D. (2006). The limits of service-learning in higher education. Review of Higher Education, 29(4),

473–498.

Cantor, J.A. (1995). Experiential Learning in Higher Education. Washington, D.C.: ASHEERIC Higher

Education Report No. 7

Carnevale, A., Smith, N., & Strohl, J. (2013). Recovery: Job growth and education requirements through

2020. Washington, DC: Georgetown University, Center on Education and the Workforce.

Carver, R. (1996). Theory for practice: A framework for thinking about experiential education. Journal of

Experiential Education, 19, 8-13.

Chapman, S., McPhee, P., & Proudman, B. (1992). What is Experiential Education? Journal of

Experiential Education, 15(2), 16–23. https://doi.org/10.1177/105382599201500203 81

Coghian, D. (2001). Insider Action Research Projects: Implications for Practicing Managers. Management

Learning, 32(1), 49–60. https://doi.org/10.1177/1350507601321004

Coghlan, D. (2003). Practitioner Research for Organizational Knowledge: Mechanistic- and Organistic-

Oriented Approaches to Insider Action Research. Management Learning, 34(4), 451–

463. https://doi.org/10.1177/1350507603039068

Collis, J. & Hussey, R. (2003). “Business Research. A Practical Guide for Undergraduate and Graduate

Students” 2nd edition, Palgrave Macmillan

Conrad, D. & Hedin, D. (1987). Youth service: A guidebook for developing and operating effective

programs. Washington, D.C.: Independent Sector.

Corbin, J. (2004). Memos, memoing. In M. S. Lewis-Beck A. Bryman & T. F. Liao (Eds.), The SAGE

encyclopedia of social science research methods (Vol. 1, pp. 635-635). SAGE Publications

Creswell J., & Plano C. (2011). Designing and conducting mixed method research. 2nd Sage

Creswell, J. W. (2013). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches.

Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Curtis, D. (2002). The power of projects, Educational Leadership (Vol. 60, pp. 50-53).

Dannin, E. (1999). Toward promoting diversity in legal education: A model program for at‐risk high

school students. Journal of Legal Education, 49(2).

Davenport, S., & Leitch, S. (2005). Circuits of Power in Practice: Strategic Ambiguity as Delegation of

Authority. Organization Studies, 26(11), 1603–1623. 82

Davidson, M. (2014). A character education research perspective for the 21st century. Journal of

Character Education, 10(1), 77-83.

Davis, M. (2003). What’s wrong with character education? American Journal of Education, 110, 32-57.

https://doi.org/10.1177/0170840605054627

Devault, G. (2019, August 20th). Establishing Trustworthiness in Quantitative Research. The Balance

Small Business. Retrieved from: https://www.thebalancesmb.com/establishing-trustworthiness-

in-qualitative-research

Dewey, J. (1897). My Pedagogic Creed. In Flinders, D.J. & Thornton, S.J. (2017). The

Curriculum Studies Reader, 5th edition. Routledge.

Dewey, J. (1915). The School and Society, 2nd ed., in the School and Society and the Child and the

Curriculum, pp. 5-65, Digireads.com Publishing, 2010.

Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and education. New York: Macmillan.

Dewey, J. (1958). Experience and nature. New York, NY: Dover.

Dick, B. (2014). Action research. In Qualitative methodology (pp. 50-66). SAGE Publications, Inc.,

https://www.doi.org/10.4135/9781473920163

Douladeli E. (2014). Experiential Education through Project Based Learning Procedia - Social

and Behavioral Sciences, Volume 152, Pages 1256-1260, ISSN 1877-0428,

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.09.362.

Doyle S. (2007). Member Checking with Older Women: A Framework for Negotiating Meaning, Health

Care for Women International, 28:10, 888-908, DOI: 10.1080/07399330701615325 83

Drago-Severson, E. (2009). Leading adult learning: Supporting adult development in our schools.

Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.

Druian, G., Owens, T., & Owen, S. (1980). Experiential Education: A Search for Common Roots. Journal

of Experiential Education, 3(2), 5–10. https://doi.org/10.1177/105382598000300202

Duzak, A. (2002). Us and Others: An Introduction in Us and Others: Social Identities Across

Languages, Discourses and Cultures. Philadelphia: John Benjamins

Edmundson, A. (2012). Teamwork on the Fly – How to master the art of teaming, Harvard Business

Review, 1-10

Eich, D. (2008). A grounded theory of high-quality leadership programs: Perspectives from students

Eng, D. (2017). GAME ON! An interpretative phenomenological analysis of games-based learning in an

undergraduate liberal arts environment. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest.

(10264891)

Estes, C. A. (2004). Promoting student-centered learning in experiential education. Journal

Of Experiential Education, 27(2), 141–160.

Fabel, L. (2019, June 4th). In South Carolina Moving beyond Minimally Adequate Teach for America -

https://www.teachforamerica.org/stories/in-south-carolina-moving-beyond-minimally-

adequate-schools.

Ferrazzi, K. (2014). How virtual teams can create human connections despite distance. Harvard Business

Review, web. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2014/01/how-virtual-teams-can-create-human-

connections-despite-distance. 84

Furco, A. (1996). Is Service-Learning Really Better Than Community Service? A Study of High School

Service Program Outcomes in A. Furco and S.H. Billigs (Eds.) Service Learning the Essence of

the Pedagogy (pp. 23-50).

Gallagher, S., Jona, K., Waggoner, K., Knepler, E., Zapata-Gietl, C., Blochinger, S., Cardenas-Navia, I.,

Chen, J. & Fitzgerald. B. (2019). Designing and implementing work-based learning: a call to

action for CHROs. Boston, MA: Northeastern University

Gallagher, S., & Brown Thompson, C. (2020, December 17th). How experiential learning can improve

educational and workforce equity, EdSurge. https://www.edsurge.com/news/2020-12-17-how-

experiential-learning-can-improve-educational-and-workforce-equity.

Gardner, H. (1991). The tensions between education and development. Journal of Moral

Education, 20(2), 113-125.

Gartland, S. (2021). Exploring Elementary Student Perceptions of Experiential Learning within Critical

Service-Learning. Journal of Experiential Education, 44(1), 50-

64. https://doi.org/10.1177/1053825920980786

Gay, G. (2002). Preparing for culturally responsive teaching. Journal of teacher

education, 53(2), 106-116.

Gaylor, L., & Nicol, J. (2016). Experiential High School Career Education, Self-Efficacy, and

Motivation. Canadian Journal of Education / Revue Canadienne De L'éducation, 39(2), 1- 24.

Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/canajeducrevucan.39.2.

Glass, John E. (2002). David Coghlan & Teresa Brannick (2001). Doing Action Research in Your Own

Organization [20 paragraphs]. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social

Research, 3(4), Art. 44, http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0204446. 85

Gill, L. & Ladewski, G. (2018). How Much Do We Care! A Comprehensive Look at Closing the Readiness

Gap in Charleston County Schools, Clemson University Division of Inclusion and Equity.

Gillis, A., & Jackson, W. (2002). Research methods for nurses: Methods and interpretation. Philadelphia:

F.A. Davis Company.

Gorski, P. (2008). The Myth of the Culture of Poverty, Educational leadership: Journal Department of

Supervision and Curriculum Development, N.E.A 65(7)

Grant, G. (1985). Schools that make an imprint: Creating a strong positive ethos. In J. H. Bunzel (Ed.),

Challenge to American schools: The case for standards and values (pp. x-y). New York, NY:

Oxford University Press.

Greenwood, D.J., & Levin, M. (1998). Introduction to action research. Social research for social change.

Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications

Halpern, R. (2002). A different kind of child development institution: The history of after-school

programs for low-income children. Teachers College Record, 104(2), 178-211.

Hamilton, S. F, (1980). Experiential Learning Programs for Youth, American Journal of Education, 88, no.

2: 179-215.https://doi.org/10.1086/443514

Henze, I., van el, J., & Verloop, N. (2009). Experienced science teachers’ learning in the context of

educational innovation. Journal of Teacher Education, 60(2), 184-199. DOI:

10.1177/002248710832927

Herr, K. & Anderson, G. L. (2005). Introduction: what is an action research dissertation? In The action

research dissertation: A guide for students and faculty (pp. 1-7). SAGE Publications, Inc.,

https://www.doi.org/10.4135/9781452226644 86

Hess, A. (2019, June 16th). Graduating in 4 years or less helps Keep College costs down—but just 41% of

students do, CNBC, Retrieved From: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/19/just-41percent-of-

college-students-graduate-in-four-years.html

Hobbs, B. H. (1999). Increasing the 4-H participation of youth from high-risk environments. Journal of

Extension [On-line]. 37(4). Available: http://www.joe.org/joe/1999august/rb1.html

Hoffman, N., Steinburg, A. & Wolfe, R. (2012). Students at the Center: Teaching and Learning in the Era of the Common Core, Jobs for the Future, Boston MA

Hora, M, Chen, Z., Parrott, E., & Her, P. (2019). Problematizing college internships: Exploring issues with

access, program design, and developmental outcomes in three U.S. colleges. (WCER Working

Paper No. 2019-1). Retrieved from University of Wisconsin–Madison, Wisconsin Center for

Education Research website: http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/publications/working-papers

Huerta-Wong, J. & Schoech, R. (2010). Experiential Learning and Learning Environments: The Case of

Active Listening Skills, Journal of Social Work Education, 46:1, 85-101,

DOI: 10.5175/JSWE.2010.200800105

Hurley, T. (2011), Collaborative Leadership - Engaging collective intelligence to achieve results across

organizational boundaries. Oxford Leadership, 1-16

Irvin, M. J., Byun, S., Meece, J. L., Reed, K. S., & Farmer, T. W. (2016). School characteristics and

experiences of African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Native American youth in rural

communities: Relation to educational aspirations. Peabody Journal of Education

(0161956X), 91(2), 176-202. doi:10.1080/0161956X.2016.1151739

James, N., Humez, A. & Laufenberg, P. (2020). Using Technology to Structure and Scaffold Real World

Experiential Learning in Distance Education. TechTrends 64, 636–645.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-020-00515-2 87

Johnson, B. R. (1997). Examining the validity structure of qualitative research. Education, 118(3), 282-

292.

Junge, S. K., Manglallan, S., & Raskauskas, J. (2003). Building life skills through afterschool participation

in experiential and cooperative learning. Child Study Journal, 33(3), 165+.

Kapila, M. Hines, E., Searby, M. (2016, October 16th). Why Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Matter,

Independent Sector, Retrieved From: https://independentsector.org/resource/why-diversity-

equity-and-inclusion-matter/

Kielsmeier, J. (1989). Growing with the Times: A Challenge for Experiential Education. The Journal of

Experiential Education. 12(3), 12–16. https://doi.org/10.1177/105382598901200303

Kemmis, S., & McTaggart, R. (2000). “Participatory Action Research," pp. 567-605 in Norman K. Denzin

and Yvonne S. Lincoln, eds., The Handbook of Qualitative Research, 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA:

Sage Publications.

Klann, G. (2003). Character study: Strengthening the heart of good leadership. Leadership in Action,

23(3), 3-7. 48-60. Retrieved March 10, 2015, from Business Source Complete database.

Koch, T., & Kralik, D. (2006). Participatory action research in health care. Malden, MA: Blackwell

Publishing

Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development.

Prentice‐Hall.

Kolb, A. Y., & Kolb, D. A. (2009). Experiential learning theory: A dynamic, holistic approach to

management learning, education, and development. The SAGE handbook of management

learning, education, and development, 42-68.

Kolb, A, & Kolb, D. (2009). The Learning Way Meta-Cognitive Aspects of Experiential Learning. Simulation

& Gaming. 40(3). P. 297-327. 88

Kolb, A, & Kolb, D. (2009). The Learning Way Meta-Cognitive Aspects of Experiential Learning. Simulation

& Gaming. 40(3). P. 297-327.

Kolb, A. Y., & Kolb, D. A. (2009). Experiential learning theory: A dynamic, holistic approach to

management learning, education, and development. The SAGE handbook of management

learning, education, and development, 42-68.

Kolb, A. Y. and Kolb, D. A. (2017). "Experiential Learning Theory as a Guide for Experiential Educators in

Higher Education," Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education: Vol. 1: No. 1, Article 7.

Koshy, E., Koshy, V., & Waterman, H. (2011). What is action research? In Action research in

healthcare (pp. 1-24). SAGE Publications Ltd, https://www.doi.org/10.4135/9781446288696.n1

Ladewig, H. & Thomas, J. K. (1987). Assessing the impact of 4-H on former members. College Station:

Texas A&M University.

Ladson-Billings, G.J., & Tate, W.F. (1995). Toward a Critical Race Theory of Education. Teachers College

Record, 97, 47-68.

Ladson-Billings, G. (1997). The Dream keepers: Successful teachers of African American children. San

Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Larmer, J. & Mergendollar, J. (2010). 8 Essentials to Project-Based Learning, Educational Leadership 68)1

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/530e32e2e4b02e9cbe11317b/t/54b044c9e4b0265c9

Larmer, J., Mergendoller, J. R., and Boss, S. (2015). Setting the standard for project-based

learning: A proven approach to rigorous classroom instruction. Alexandria, VA: ACSD

https://my.pblworks.org/resource/document/top_10_reasons_why_teaching_key_compete

Evaluation Brief No. 10. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Family Research Project. 89

Lent, R. W., Brown, S. D. and Hackett, G. (1994). “Toward a Unifying Social Cognitive Theory of Career

and Academic Interest, Choice, and Performance” [Monograph]. Journal of Vocational Behavior

45:79-122.

Lent, R. W., Hackett, G. and Brown, S. D. (1999). “A Social Cognitive View of School-to-Work Transition.”

Career Development Quarterly 44:297-311.

Lent, R. W., Brown, S. D. and Hackett, G. (2000). “Contextual Supports and Barriers to Career Choice: A

Social Cognitive Analysis.” Journal of Counseling Psychology 47:36-49.

Lent, R. W. (2005). “A Social Cognitive View of Career Development and Counseling.” Pp. 101-127 in Career

Development and Counseling: Putting Theory and Research to Work, edited by S. D. Brown and

R. W. Lent. New York: Wiley.

Lewis, L.H. & Williams, C.J. (1994). In Jackson, L. & Caffarella, R.S. (Eds.). Experiential

Learning: A New Approach (pp. 5-16). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Lincoln, Y. S. (1992). Sympathetic connections between qualitative methods and health research

in Qualitative Health Research, 2(4), 375-391.

Little, P., Wimer, C., and Weiss, H. B. (2008). After school programs in the 21st century: Their

potential and what it takes to achieve it. Issues and Opportunities in Out-of-School Time

Lumby, J. & Coleman, M. (2007). Introduction: diversity, leadership, & education. Leadership and Diversity

Challenging Theory and Practice in Education. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

MacDonald, C. (2012). Understanding participatory action research: A qualitative research methodology

option, The Canadian Journal of Action Research, 13(2), 34-50 90

Mayer, A. P., & Tucker, S. K. (2010). Cultivating Students of Color: Strategies for Ensuring High Academic

Achievement in Middle and Secondary Schools. Journal of School Leadership, 20(4), 470–490.

https://doi.org/10.1177/105268461002000405

McCall, M. W. (2010). Recasting leadership development. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 3, 3-

19.

McClintock, C. (2004). Scholar practitioner model. In A. DistefanoK. E. Rudestam, & R. J. Silverman

(Eds.), Encyclopedia of distributed learning (pp. 440-396). SAGE Publications, Inc.,

https://www.doi.org/10.4135/9781412950596.n134

McNiff, J. & Whitehead, J. (2006). All You Ever Need to Know About Action Research. Sage Publications:

Thousand Oaks, CA.

Melody, A. L., & Cuevas, M. (2010). Teaching Racism: Using Experiential Learning to Challenge the

Status Quo, Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 30:3, 288.

299, https://doi.org: 10.1080/08841233.2010.497130

Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2019). Qualitative data analysis: A methods

sourcebook (4th Ed.). SAGE Publishing

Miller, B. M. (2003). Critical hours: Afterschool programs and educational success: Highlight’s sheet.

Quincy, MA: Nellie Mae Education Foundation.

Mohrman, S. A., & Lawler, E. E., III. (2012). Generating knowledge that drives change. (Symposium). The

Academy of Management Perspectives, 26(1), 41-51.

Moon, J.A. (2004). A Handbook of Reflective and Experiential Learning: Theory and Practice. New York:

Routledge Falmer.

NAACP. (2005). Interrupting the School to Prison Pipeline. Washington DC. 91

Nagda, B. A., Gurin, P., & Lopez, G. (2003). Transformative pedagogy for democracy and social justice.

Race, Ethnicity, and Education, 6, 165–191. doi:10.1111/j.0022 4537.2004. 00097. X

National Association of School Psychologists. (2006). Zero Tolerance and Alternative Strategies: A Fact

Sheet for Educators and Policymakers. Bethesda, MD: NASP

Niemi, R.G., Hepburn, M.A. & Chapman, C. (2000). Community Service by High School Students: A

Cure for Civic Ills? Political Behavior 22: 45. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006690417623

O'Brien, R. (2001). An Overview of the Methodological Approach of Action Research. In Roberto

Richardson (Ed.), Theory and Practice of Action Research. Available:

http://www.web.ca/~robrien/papers/arfinal.html (Accessed 20/1/2002)

O'Reilly, K. (2009). Interpretivism. In Key concepts in ethnography (pp. 119-124). SAGE Publications Ltd,

https://www.doi.org/10.4135/9781446268308

Ospina, S., & Foldy, E. (2009). A critical review of race and ethnicity in the leadership literature: Surfacing

context, power and the collective dimensions of leadership. Leadership Quarterly, 20(6), 876-

896. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2009.09.005

Panorama Education (2019). Reliability and Validity of the Panorama Equity and Inclusion Survey.

Panorama Education (2019). User Guide: Panorama Equity and Inclusion Survey.

Papadimitriou, A., & Gyftodimos, G. (2007). Use of Kolb's learning cycle through an adaptive

educational hypermedia system for a constructivist approach of electromagnetism.

Patton M. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods. 3rd Sage Publications

Pizarchik, M. (2007). "The effects of experiential learning: An examination of three styles of experiential

education programs and their implications for conventional classrooms" Theses Digitization

Project. 3305. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/3305 92

Reason, P., & Bradbury, H. (2001). Introduction: Inquiry and participation in search of a world worthy of

human aspiration. In P. Reason & H. Bradbury (Eds.). Handbook of action research. Participative

inquiry and practice. (pp. 1-14). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/b978-

075065398-5/50002-9

Reason, P., & Bradbury, H. (2008). The SAGE handbook of action research: Participative inquiry and

practice. Los Angeles, Calif: SAGE.

Resnik, D.B. (2015). What is Ethics in Research & Why is it Important? National Institute of

Environmental Health Sciences

Ritter, B., Small, E., Mortimer, J., & Doll, J. (2018). Designing Management Curriculum for

Workplace Readiness: Developing Students' Soft Skills. Journal of Management

Education, 42(1), 80-103.

Roaten, G. K., & Schmidt, E. A. (2009). Using Experiential Activities with Adolescents to Promote Respect

for Diversity. Professional School Counseling.

https://doi.org/10.1177/2156759X0901200406

Rogers, E. B., & Rose, J. (2019). A Critical Exploration of Women’s Gendered Experiences in

Outdoor Leadership. Journal of Experiential Education, 42(1), 37–50.

Roulston, K., & Shelton, S. A. (2015). Reconceptualizing Bias in Teaching Qualitative Research

Methods. Qualitative Inquiry, 21(4), 332342. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800414563803

Saldaña, J. (2015). The coding manual for qualitative researchers. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

Publications

Saltmarsh, J. (2005). The civic promise of service learning. Liberal Education, 91(2), 50–55. 93

Scales, P. C., Roehlkepartain, E. C., Neal, M., Kielsmeier, J. C., & Benson, P. L. (2006). Reducing academic

achievement gaps: The role of community service and service-learning. Journal of experiential

education, 29(1), 38-60.

Schmidt, M. (2005). Individuation: finding oneself in analysis—taking risks and making sacrifices. Journal

of Analytical Psychology, 50, 595-616.

Schneider, B., Ehrhart, M. G., Macey, W. (2013). Organizational climate and organizational culture theory and research are reviewed. Annual Review of Psychology 2013 64:1, 361-388

Schultz, C. R., Greenberg, El., Kohler, M., & Heath, D. (1979). The Educator's Role in Equal Rights: A Panel

Discussion. The Journal of Experiential Education, 2(1), 14–16.

https://doi.org/10.1177/105382597900200104

Search Institute (2020). The Intersection of Developmental Relationships, Equitable Environments, and

SEL [Insights & Evidence Series]. Minneapolis, MN: Author.

Seidel, S., A., L., & Steinberg, A. (2002). Project-based and experiential learning in Afterschool

programming. Cambridge, MA: Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education.

https://doi.org/10.1177/1053825918820710

Seider, S., Huguley, J. P., & Novick, S. (2013). College students, diversity, and community service

learning. Teachers College Record, 115(3), 1–44.

Shenton, A. (2004). Strategies for Ensuring Trustworthiness in Qualitative Research Projects.

Education for Information. 22. 63-75. 10.3233/EFI-2004-22201.

Shujaa, M. J. (1993). Education and Schooling: You Can Have One without the Other. Urban

Education, 27(4), 328-51. 94

Siebdrat, F. Hoegl, M. & Ernst, H. (2009). How to Manage Virtual Teams. MIT Sloan Management Review.

Retrieved from http://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/how-to-manage-virtual-teams/

Smith, Jennifer G, & McGinnis, J Randy. (1995). Experiential Education for Urban African Americans.

The Journal of Experiential Education, 18(3), 153–157.

https://doi.org/10.1177/105382599501800308

Solansky, S. T. (2008). Leadership style and team processes in self-managed teams. Journal of Leadership

and Organizational Studies, 14(4), 332–341. https://doi.org/10.1177/1548051808315549

Spencer, S. (2010). Visual Research Methods in the Social Sciences: Awakening Visions (1st Ed.).

Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203883860

Spillane, J.P. (2006). Distributed leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Staats, C. (2016). Understanding Implicit Bias: What Educators Should Know? American Educator, 39 (4)

p. 29-33.

Stewart, E. B. (2007). Individual and school structural effects on African American high school students'

academic achievement. High School Journal, 91(2), 16-34.

Stovall, D. (2006a). Forging community in race and class: Critical race theory and the quest for social

justice in education. Race Ethnicity and Education 9 (3), 243-259.

Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. M. (1990). Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and

techniques. Sage Publications, Inc.

Streubert, H.J., & Carpenter, D.R. (2011). Qualitative research in nursing. Advancing the humanistic

imperative (5thed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins.

Stringer, E. T. (2014). Action Research. SAGE Publications, Inc. 95

Supratikya. (2011). Merancang Program dan Modul Psikoedukai. Yogyakarta: Universitas Sanata

Dharma.

Sverdrup, T. E., & Schei, V. (2015). “Cut Me Some Slack”: The Psychological Contracts as a Foundation for

Understanding Team Charters. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 51(4), 451–478.

https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886314566075

Thomas, J.W. (2000). A Review of Research on Project-based Learning. San Rafael, CA: The

Autodesk Foundation.

Thompson, C. B., & Gallagher, S. (2020). How Experiential Education Can Improve Workforce Equity.

Retrieved from EdSurge website: https://www.edsurge.com/news/2020-12-17-how-

experiential-learning-can-improve-educational-and-workforce-equity.

Truong, H. Q. T. (2011). High School Career Education: Policy and Practice. Canadian Journal of

Educational Administration and Policy.

Wade, N., Ward, J., McGlynn, M., & Sparkman, D. (2016). A Case Study on Experiential Learning and

Character Development at One Preparatory Military Academy, ProQuest Dissertations and

Theses.com.ezproxy.neu.edu/docview/303320202?accountid=12826

Washington, B. T. (2000). Up from Slavery: An Autobiography. New York: Doubleday, 1901; Bartleby.com.

Warren, K., Roberts, N. S., Breunig, M., & Alvarez, M. G. (2014). Social Justice in Outdoor Experiential

Education. The Journal of Experiential Education, 37(1), 89–103.

https://doi.org/10.1177/1053825913518898

Warren, K. (2019). Reflections on Social Justice in Experiential Education: Expanding the Dialogue.

Journal of Experiential Education, 42(1), 3–6. https://doi.org/10.1177/1053825918823680 96

Waymer, Z. (2019). College and Career Readiness. South Carolina Afterschool Alliance website

retrieved from: http://www.scafterschool.com/digital-badges/.

Weisburd, Claudia. (2005). Academics Afterschool Style: Informal, Experiential Approaches to

Learning, with Flexibility Built in, Are Ideal. School Administrator.

Weiss R., Geppert, C., Coverdale, J., Louie, A., & Edenharder, K. (2005). Ethical and regulatory

considerations in educational research. Academic psychiatry: the journal of the American

Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training and the Association for Academic

Psychiatry, 29(1), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ap.29.1.1

Weisburd, Claudia. (2005). Academics After-School Style: Informal, Experiential Approaches to

Learning, with Flexibility Built in, Are Ideal. School Administrator.

Wenger, E. C., & Snyder, W. M. (2000). Communities of practice: The organizational frontier. Harvard

business review, 78(1), 139-14

Whiston, S. C., Tai, W. L., Rahardja, D., & Eder, K. (2011). School counseling outcome: A meta‐analytic

examination of interventions. Journal of Counseling & Development, 89(1), 37-55.

Whitehead, G. (2009). Adolescent Leadership Development: Building a Case for an Authenticity

Framework. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 37(6), 847–

872. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143209345441

Wolcott, H. F. (1994). Transforming qualitative data: Description, analysis, and interpretation. Thousand

Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications.

Wong, J. & Schoech, R. (2010). Experiential Learning and Learning Environments: The Case of Active

Listening Skills, Journal of Social Work Education, 46:1, 85-101, 97

Woyach, R. B. & Cox, K. J. (1997). Principles for youth leadership development programs.

Leadership Link. Spring, 1996). Columbus, OH: The Ohio State University Leadership Center.

Wuest, J. (1995). Breaking the barriers to nursing research. The Canadian Nurse, 91 (4), 29- 33.

Wurdinger, S.D. (2005). Using Experiential Learning in the Classroom. Lanham: Scarecrow

Education.

Wurdinger, S. D., & Carlson, J. A. (2010). Teaching for experiential learning: Five approaches that work.

Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Education.

Van De Ven, A. H. (2007). Engaged Scholarship: A guide for organizational and social research. Oxford:

Oxford University Press.

Yates, M. & Youniss, J. (1996). Community service and political-moral identity in adolescents. Journal of

Research on Adolescence. 6(3). 271-284.

Yeh, S. (2015). Two models of learning and achievement: An explanation for the achievement gap?

Teachers College Record, v117 n12

Yoder, J. D., & Hochevar, C. M. (2005). Encouraging active learning can improve students’ performance

on examinations. Teaching of Psychology, 32(2), 91-95.

Young, D., & Hoffman, D., & Chung, J. (2018). Exploring College and Career Readiness in South Carolina

Secondary Schools, 2016. 10.13140/RG.2.2.20900.78721.

Zlotkowski, E. (1998). Successful service-learning programs: New models of excellence in higher

education. Bolton, MA: Anker.

Zimmerman, T., A., J., & Krafchick, J. (2005). FAIR: A diversity and social justice curriculum for school

counsellors to integrate school wide. Guidance & Counselling, 21, 47-56. 98

Vanclay F., Baines, J., & Taylor C. (2013). Principles for ethical research involving humans: ethical

professional practice in impact assessment Part I, Impact Assessment and Project

Appraisal, 31:4, 243-253, DOI: 10.1080/14615517.2013.850307

Appendix A: Research Design

Aspects of the scholar-practitioner framework that attempt to bridge the gap between the

classroom and the workplace are typically defined. Scholar practitioners consider and evaluate the

outcomes of their work consciously. Collaborative and relational learning underpins their professional

activities and knowledge development through active exchange within communities of practice and

scholarship (McClintock, 2004). Scholar practitioners are dedicated to the well-being of their clients and

colleagues, to learning new ways to be more effective, and to conceptualizing their work in relation to

larger organizational, community, political, and cultural contexts (Distefano, 2004). The term scholar

practitioner expresses a professional excellence ideal based on theory and research, informed by

experiential knowledge, and motivated by personal values, political commitments, and ethical behavior

(Silverman, 2004). Working as a scholar-practitioner outsider with the YLE organization on a specific

problem of practice led to the use of qualitative methods and the action research methodology for this

study.

Qualitative Research Approach

The goal of qualitative research is threefold. The researcher must first ask a question, then collect data to answer the question, and finally answer the question (Creswell, 2012). Through various ways, all studies follows this format.

Research Paradigm

In qualitative research, a constructivist-interpretivist paradigm refines this method. There are two parts to this. The first is constructivism, which defines knowledge formation as a socialized process (Kolb,

2005; Dewey 1966). Constructivism is a theory that holds that instead of passively absorbing information, learners generate knowledge. People's perceptions of the world, as well as their reflections on those 100 perceptions, are shaped by their experiences; they construct their own representations and incorporate new information into what they already know.

The second element is interpretivism, which holds that reality is not completely objective.

Interpretivism, on the other hand, assumes that "reality is intersubjective" and has been socially constructed from various perspectives. It establishes the existence of multiple perspectives on reality and emphasizes the significance of these perspectives in determining how information is understood. The primary goal of interpretivists is to identify patterns in data sets and to comprehend how meaning is created (Butin, 2010). The term interpretivism refers to the processes by which we acquire knowledge about the world, which are loosely based on interpreting or comprehending the meanings that humans ascribe to their actions (O'Reilly, 2009, p.119). Furthermore, this paradigm presumes that "truth" is constructed. According to interpretivism, truth is constructed through the lens of an individual. Thus, the true quest is not for truth itself, but for the meaning that underpins it. The goal of interpretivism is to develop and identify the "story" that lies behind the data set. Information is provided, which is then interpreted through distinct and specific lenses that impart meaning. The unit of analysis for interpretivist researchers is the creation, comprehension, and interpretation of "meaning making." Thus, the primary criterion for interpretivists is the dependability and authenticity of both the data collected and the conclusions drawn from a study. Accurate meaning cannot be extracted without both. The constructivist- interpretivist paradigm underpins this research study.

The research setting, participants, nature of the practice problem, and desired outcomes are all constructivist-interpretivist in nature. To better understand the organization's experiential learning and leadership practices, as well as the experiences of students of color in the organization in terms of equity and access, the qualitative research method was used. According to the literature, Lincoln, and Guba

(2004) define this paradigm as one that follows a specific format of inquiry. Constructivist-interpretivist 101 research frequently relies on "participants' perceptions of the situation under investigation." This type of knowledge carries the subjectivity that each party's learned experiences entail.

Qualitative Method

According to Jencik (2011), qualitative research makes use of the natural environment to gain a better understanding of a specific phenomenon. The goal of qualitative methodology is to describe and comprehend rather than predict and control (Streubert & Carpenter, 1995). Qualitative methods prioritize the entirety of human experience and the meanings ascribed by those who live it; they enable a more comprehensive understanding and insight into complex human behaviors (Lincoln, 1992; Mason, 2006).

When discussing qualitative research, Jencik (2011) states, "The researcher interacts and frequently collaborates closely with the individuals or groups being studied and serves as the primary instrument for data collection and analysis (p.5)." Qualitative research employs methods and techniques for observing, documenting, analyzing, and interpreting the characteristics, patterns, attributes, and meanings of the human phenomena under consideration (Gillis & Jackson, 2002, p.264). Creswell (2013) claims that "For exploratory studies, qualitative research is appropriate. The research method is circular, starting with

"philosophical assumptions and ending with interpretive lenses and procedures for studying social or human problems" (p.44)." In this study, qualitative research employs narratives and stories to describe phenomena, in this case, the experiences of students and other stakeholders. The section that follows discusses action research.

Action Research Methodology

This study used an action research methodology; action research begins with a definition of the issue, then explores participants' experiences, and concludes with an assessment of the impact of those 102

experiences (Stringer, 2014). An action researcher's role is to challenge established knowledge and to

initiate change strategies in response to a clearly defined problem of practice.

Action Research and the Problem of Practice

Action Research is a more holistic approach to problem solving than a single data collection and analysis technique (O'Brien, 2001). Action research allows for the use of a variety of different research tools while carrying out the project. According to O'Brien (2001), these methods are generally associated with the qualitative research paradigm and include the following: keeping a research journal, collecting, and analyzing documents, recording participant observations, questionnaire surveys, structured and unstructured interviews, and conducting case studies. Action research is widely accepted as a method for testing hypotheses in the real world (O'Brien, 2001, p.7). "Systematic and data-driven, requiring the collection and analysis of data and the generation of interpretations that are directly tested in the field of action," according to the definition of action research (Greenwood & Levin, 1998, p.122). As a result,

"there is no single objective reality; rather, multiple realities are contingent on subjective experience and circumstance" (Wuest, 1995, p.30). Wuest is referring to the various perspectives on individual experiences that emerge during a participatory action research study. Participatory action research is a democratic method of conducting research (Greenwood & Levin, 1998; Koch & Kralik, 2006; Reason &

Bradbury, 2001; Streubert, & Carpenter, 2011). Because everyone involved takes some responsibility during the research process, participatory action research places a high value on participant participation and democracy (Greenwood & Levin, 1998). Furthermore, the democratic nature of PAR ensures that all stakeholders (students and teachers) participate as co-researchers (Greenwood & Levin, 1998). PAR, according to Koch and Kralik (2006), is a democratic process for creating new knowledge. They also claim that researchers collaborate with participants to co-generate knowledge that solves a problem. PAR allows for a democratic and non-hierarchical relationship between researcher and participant(s) because of this relationship and environment (Koch & Kralik, 2006). 103

Data was collected and analyzed using participatory action research methodology. Unobtrusive observations, interviews, focus groups, video snippets, and constant collaboration were all part of the process. Students, alumni, module teachers, program staff, program board members, and parents provided data that was triangulated. When I looked at the experiential learning and leadership practices and policies at YLE, I included critical action research as part of the study. Critical action research is a type of action research that takes a critical approach to business processes and seeks to improve them (Banda-

Mutalima, 2018).

Action Research Cycles

The primary goal of the 'Look' phase of the process, according to Stringer (2014), is to collect information that allows researchers to gain a better understanding of stakeholders' experiences and perspectives (p.101). "The first cycle of action research is thus qualitative," Stringer (2014) continues,

"requiring researchers to collect data about participants' experiences and perspectives as well as define the problem or issue in terms that "make sense" to them (p.101)." Meeting separately with the Executive

Director and Assistant Director, as well as with the staff, aided in data collection, as the leadership team was instrumental in developing the YLE process. Interviewing alumni members provided a better understanding of the perspectives of the young men and women involved in YLE. Action research is methodical. A step-by-step procedure ensures consistent, thorough, and reliable data. Because action research is an iterative process, it is cyclical. Attempting to answer one question inevitably leads to the discovery of others (McNiff & Whitehead, 2006, p.2). I investigated YLE policies and practices to determine whether they have an impact on students of color. When YLE discovered that policies and practices needed to be changed, these changes were implemented to ensure that the program could be implemented in communities across South Carolina.

Data was collected from a diverse group of participants, including the YLE program founder, board, staff, alumni, parents, module teachers, community partners, and current program participants, 104

during the first cycle of the research to gain an understanding of the experiential learning and leadership

practices at Youth Leadership. The researcher was able to identify eight experiential learning and

leadership practices at YLE through interviews, focus groups, and observations. The stakeholders

concluded that YLE's practice of diversity, equity, access, and inclusion needed to be more intentional,

particularly with students of color. As a result, the second cycle of research focused on how YLE could

become more equitable and accessible to students of color.

Action research, according to Stringer, is "a localized, pragmatic approach that investigates

specific issues and problems in specific locations at specific times in the lives of interacting individuals and

groups" (p. 62). This statement's components demonstrate why action research is the best methodology

for this study. One of the primary benefits of action research is the ability to iteratively refine the research

via iterative cycles or research spirals (Stringer, 2014). Focus groups were held with YLE Black alumni in

college and various professions, the YLE staff, Black alumni parents, and the Arts and Culture Month

module teachers during the second cycle of research. All these stakeholders collaborated to identify the

access and socialization barriers that might prevent students of color from fully participating in the

program. Following the focus groups, the staff formed a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force to

develop program and policy changes to improve the program's equity and accessibility for students of

color (i.e., need scholarships for program tuition, the purchase of laptops and Wi-Fi hot spots for students

who do not have computers at home or internet access, transportation allowance for parents). Students

in the program were given pre-test surveys to assess their knowledge of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

A post-test survey was also distributed to assess students' reactions to the diversity, equity, and inclusion module delivered during Arts and Culture month. (Please refer to Appendix A.)

I reviewed all the interviews, focus groups, and observations data after collecting cycle one data, triangulated the data, and member checked the findings. Three major themes were discovered by the researcher (Experiential learning and leadership, inspiring college and career readiness and diversity, 105

equity and inclusion). "An action researcher works with people in a community or organization who want

to improve their situation." As a result, action research is concerned with a social change agenda that

embodies the belief in pooling knowledge to define a problem before solving it (Greenwood & Levin, 1998,

p.122).”

Data Collection and Analysis: Cycle 1

Participants

The YLE program has 550 alumni, and 129 community leaders involved in the program. The

Module Teachers, Community Partners, Parents, Alumni were chosen through snowball sampling technique through a blind email sent by the Executive Director with the researchers email contact

information. The parents were also sent the snowball sampling email with a request for current student

participation in the study.

Procedures

Site approval was received from the YLE Founder and Executive Director, and Board of Directors

for data collection on April 2nd, 2019. Corrections to the IRB application were made and final IRB approval was given on August 2nd, 2019. An overall study consent form was developed, and a parent/guardian consent and child assent forms were also developed.

Inclusion Criteria:

● All participants were selected from diverse sectors of the community.

● The research study allowed for adequate representation of different perspectives and to

account for attrition of members.

● The diverse community members included representatives from different stakeholder’s

groups who can provide the appropriate insight, knowledge, or documentation.

106

Exclusion Criteria:

● Youth younger than 16

● Individuals and/or groups who do not live in the community or not stakeholders.

● Individuals, groups and/or organizations that do not provide services to the program.

To maintain analytical rigor, the study used a variety of strategies. Wolcott (1994) proposed

strategies such as unobtrusive observations, interviews, focus groups, and constant collaboration. Validity

criteria were also followed, as advocated by R. B. Johnson (1997). Extensive field time, the use of low

inference descriptors, and triangulation were among the strategies employed. Data was gathered from a

variety of sources, including students, program alumni, module teachers, program staff, program board

members, and parents.

Interviews. – The researcher conducted 22 hours of semi-structured interviews with all participants

consenting. Informed consent forms were collected in person or by email after the participants signed the

form. All in-person interviews were conducted at the YLE office, and interviews were recorded and

transcribed verbatim. Interviews were held with the YLE Founder and (4) staff members (2), Board (2),

module teachers (2), community partners (2), parents (2), and alumni (4).

Focus Groups. – Three focus groups were held with current program participants (3) at the YLE office with

parents’ consent. Parents were present on-site at the YLE office in an adjoining room.

Observations. – The Financial and Investment module, as well as the YLE Leadership weekend, Legislative

Day, Career and Soft Skills Workshop, and Valentine Rose Sale, were all observed. Video cameras and field

notes were used to record observational data. The researcher took extensive open field notes while

observing, highlighting events and interactions between students in accordance with Corbin and Strauss

(2015). The researcher expanded these open field notes and coded them in accordance with Miles,

Huberman, and Saldana (2014). 107

Data Analysis

Observations were held at the Financial and Investment module and the YLE Leadership weekend,

Legislative Day, Career and Soft Skills Workshop and Valentine Rose Sale. Observational data were archived via video cameras, and field notes. While observing, the researcher took extensive open field notes, highlighting events and interactions between students as per Corbin and Strauss (2015). The researcher converted these open field notes to expanded write-ups and coded them as per Miles,

Huberman, and Saldana (2014).

Data Collection and Storage

Written records, field notes, and documents were stored in a locked file cabinet at my office that was accessed by key or passcode-protected device. Audio recordings, and other sources of electronic data were stored on a recording device and electronic database management system that is password protected for security purposes. All electronic items were backed up on a secure cloud that only the researcher has access to for security purposes.

Data Sampling

A snowball sampling strategy was used by engaging in an initial phone call with the YLE Executive

Director and a separate call with the Assistant Director. During the initial phone call, the scope of the research study, the consent process, and what their participation would involve was explained. If the prospective participant volunteers to participate, a one hour face-to-face semi-structured interview at a mutually agreeable time and place was scheduled. It was made clear to the participants that the Executive

Director or Assistant Director would never know who did or did not volunteer.

None of the program participants were contacted until after the parent had consulted with the child and the child volunteered to participate. All participants were selected from diverse sectors of the program. The research study allowed for adequate representation of different perspectives and to 108 account for attrition of members. The diverse community members included representatives from different stakeholders’ groups who could provide the appropriate insight, knowledge, or documentation.

Those who email me at My Northeastern email were provided with the next steps. The volunteers were only contacted once the consent form was signed.

Youth Participants were recruited according to this outline:

1. An emailed letter was sent to the parents or guardians of the current students in the

program. The letter consist of information about the study and my email address and

telephone number. This allowed parents or guardians to contact the researcher to ask any

questions related to the study. The letter encouraged parents to speak with their children to

see if they wish to participate.

2. Once participants volunteered via email to [email protected], the researcher held

office hours to further discuss the study with the parents or guardians if they so choose. At

this time, the researcher provided additional information about the study and an informed

consent. Only one recruitment email was sent—no follow-ups occurred. The parents signed

the consent form before any interaction with youth and the parents were present at all

explanations of the study and focus groups.

3. The researcher was never alone with any minor at any time—the YLE Assistant Director

and the parents were present for the focus group.

109

Data Collection and Analysis: Cycle 2

Participants

The participants in the second cycle of research included the Executive Director, the Assistant

Director, Alumni Coordinator, the Arts and Culture Experiential Learning Module Teachers, the DEI facilitator, four YLE Black alumni, and two Black parents of former participants. The Executive Director,

Assistant Director, and Alumni Coordinator served as both internal participants and collaborators.

Throughout the process, they advised me, member-checked the data, discussed the current policies and practices in place to provide equity and access to the students of color in the program, and served in both communication and logistic capacities to data collection process. The parents, and alumni, served as internal participants and stakeholders. They provided feedback on what YLE policies and practices needed to be added or changed to make the program more accessible and equitable for students of color. The

Black YLE alumni provided invaluable insight into their experiences with other students in the program when they went through the program, which helped the YLE staff and module teacher know what needed to change. The Arts and Culture Month module teacher served as an internal participant and a stakeholder by helping to develop the pre and post-test survey and serving on the YLE DEI Task force to establish the

YLE DEI module.

The staff at the Furman University Diversity Leadership Institute and the team at the Panorama

Education Group served as external participants by providing their expertise and survey tools for the pre- and post-survey. The DEI facilitator served as an external participant and a stakeholder by giving input on the surveys, the implementation process, and the development of the YLE DEI module and facilitating interaction with the YLE students. The students in the 2020/2021 cohort served as participants and stakeholders in the research process because they participated in the pre and post-test surveys and the

YLE DEI module and then reflected on their experience through video snippets and spoken word presentations during the Poetry night and Culture night. 110

Procedures Cycle 2

To maintain analytical rigor, the researcher used a variety of strategies. Wolcott (1994) proposed

strategies such as unobtrusive observations, focus groups, and constant collaboration. Furthermore, the

researcher followed the validity criteria advocated by R. B. Johnson (1997). Extensive field time, the use

of low inference descriptors, and triangulation were among the strategies employed. In particular, the

researcher triangulated (a) data from various sources. The researcher took extensive open field notes

while listening to the focus groups, highlighting key findings according to Corbin and Strauss (2015). The

researcher expanded these open field notes and coded them in accordance with Miles, Huberman, and

Saldana (2014).

Pre and post-test surveys were developed in consultation with the Diversity Leadership

Institute at Furman University. The pretest survey was developed by the Pandora Education

Group at Harvard University. The YLE DEI Task force reviewed the pretest surveyed and modified

some of the questions and added technology access questions at the beginning of the survey and demographic questions at the end of the survey. The posttest survey was developed by the YLE

DEI task force completely. The YLE DEI task force also developed the module on YLE DEI task force zoom calls with the YLE staff present to give logistical support and to discuss the timing of the module being implemented into other activities on schedule for the YLE Poetry night and Culture night three weeks later. The surveys were taken before the Poetry night activities and after the new module was delivered during the Culture night. The DEI facilitator interviewed a diverse

group of YLE students (one Black male, one Black female, one White male and one White female)

after Poetry night and Culture Night. Students were asked to express their impressions of the DEI

module as expressed through poetry or sharing about the experience with the new module. 111

Questions like “Are diversity, equity, and inclusion important? If so, why? Why is it important to

you as future leaders in the community?” was asked. Video performances of the spoken word

reflections of diversity, equity, and inclusion were recorded at the Poetry night and the Culture

night.

Data Collection

Cycle two action research procedures were designed to assess the impact of a practical solution

developed to address an identified problem within the organization, building on data from previous

research cycles in which participants described their experience with the issue (Brydon-Miller et al., 2003;

Stringer, 2014). To maintain analytical rigor in the second cycle of the research, unobtrusive observations, participant interviews, focus groups, and constant collaboration were used (Wolcott, 1994). To improve the validity of the findings, extensive field time, low inference descriptors, and triangulation were used

(Johnson, 1997). Data was checked by members from a variety of sources, including students, program alumni, module teachers, program staff, program board members, and parents.

At the start of cycle two, I used constant member checking to recheck for any biases and

maintained a position of letting stakeholders influence future actions rather than my own. According to

Resnik, “research frequently requires a great deal of cooperation and coordination among many different

people in different disciplines and institutions; ethical standards promote the values that are essential to

collaborative work, such as trust, accountability, mutual respect, and fairness” (Resnik, 2015, p.1). We

investigated how YLE can improve the program's equity and accessibility for students of color (Dannin,

1999). By conducting focus groups with two YLE Black alumni (“Doug”) and (“Tammy”) in college, two YLE

Black alumni professional (“Oscar”) and (“Sharon”), and two Black parents of former participants, we were able to identify the barriers to access and socialization that might prevent students of color from fully participating in the program (Creed et al., 2004). (Davia & Mora, 2007). The Director of Special Projects, 112

the only person of color on the YLE staff, and the Assistant Director were also in attendance to listen and

provide context for the discussion. When diverse perspectives are not adequately represented or heard,

all students' learning suffers (Seider, Huguley, & Novick, 2013).

After the initial focus groups were held, a DEI task force was formed that consisted of YLE staff,

the Arts and Culture module teacher and a DEI facilitator. The researcher also held focus groups with the

YLE staff and the DEI task force to develop the surveys and DEI module used during the Arts and Culture

modules. There were two observations during the Arts and Culture Month and recorded video interviews

after the DEI module was implemented. Thirty-Five students were surveyed during the pretest (22

Females and 13 Males, 23 White, 11 Black 1 LatinX and 1 Asian American). Only thirty one percent of the

students surveyed indicated they hang out with students from different races. When asked how often the

teachers at their school teach, discuss, or hold events around race and issues of race in the classroom,

thirty four percent said sometimes. When asked do they feel connected and valued by their peers and the

adults in school thirty three percent of the students said somewhat. Both numbers represent the largest

quantity of student responses. Both data points helped the YLE DEI task force see the need for the YLE DEI

module so that students could express their feelings around race in a safe environment and feel that their

views were valued by other students. Students stated that the table discussions were very enlightening

and helped them to overcome their fears of speaking in front of others about their feelings on diversity,

equity, and inclusion. They also stated sharing the poems in front of the entire group helped them to

overcome their fears of public speaking. The students also shared that they learned they had a lot in

common with students from different backgrounds.

There were thirty-three students who participated in the post-test survey after the YLE DEI module was delivered (22 Females and 11 Males, 20 White, 11 Black 1 LatinX and 1 Asian American). 113

Focus Groups. – Two focus groups were held with YLE staff members on zoom to get a baseline of their understanding of the diversity equity and inclusion practices at YLE. Two focus groups were held with YLE

Black alumni, Black parents, and module teachers on zoom to get a baseline of their understanding of the diversity equity and inclusion practices at YLE.

Observations. - Two observations were held with YLE staff members on zoom as they discussed and developed changes in the program practices and policy to make the program more assessable for students of color. A program policy and practices matrix was developed by the YLE staff to document what the current policy or practices are and then to document what changes in the policies or practices were made to document when the change in policy or practice would be implemented. Two observations were held with YLE staff and the DEI task force on zoom to develop a diversity, equity, and inclusion module and also to develop a pre and post-test survey for the students in the new diversity, equity and inclusion module.

Two observations were held at the Poetry Night and the Culture night of the implementation of the module and surveys.

Video interviews. – Eight video interviews were capture of the YLE student’s immediate reaction to the diversity, equity, and inclusion module and to capture how the new YLE DEI module impacted of the student’s views about diversity, equity, and inclusion after participating in the module.

Based on what the YLE staff and the YLE DEI task force learned from the pretest survey, eight program and policy changes were made to the YLE program. The Likert pretest and post-test survey were tabulated and grouped by students’ responses from a scale of one to five based on the student’s answers;

One being the most negative response to a question and five being the most positive response to a

question. The student’s answers were then grouped by number and a percentage was given based on the number of students grouped in a number divided by the total number of students. For example, if twenty students answered five on a question then the number twenty would be divided by the total number of students to gain the percentage that answered five. (20 students who answered 5 divided by 36 total 114

students time 100 = 55%) This was the process to evaluate the pretest and posttest surveys. Then a matrix

was created to capture participant demographic information and survey answer data.

Data Collection and Storage Cycle 2

All written records, field notes, and documents were locked in a file cabinet in my office that is

accessed by key or passcode-protected device. All saved my audio recordings, and other sources of electronic data on a device and electronic database management system that is password protected for security purposes. All electronic items were backed up on a secure cloud that the researcher only had access to for security purposes.

Data Analysis

Data analysis from each phase of the evaluation process was intended to determine the action step’s effectiveness. The data analysis method was tailored for each evaluative technique used in the study. During the beginning of the Cycle two action research process, the primary goal was to work with the YLE staff to identify policy and practice changes that would make the program more equitable and accessible for students of color. A secondary goal was to form a diversity, equity, and inclusion task force, and to hold meetings with the DEI Task force and the YLE Staff to develop a diversity, equity and inclusion module to be implemented with the students during the programs Arts and Culture month. During the

DEI task force meetings, the YLE staff heard from alumni and parents about their experiences in the program and about the need to make changes for equity and access for current YLE program participants.

YLE Staff developed eight programmatic and policy changes that would go into effect this year. Those policies addressed technology, economic, and socioemotional issues. These were identified as issues that students of color might face based on feedback from YLE Black alumni and Black parents of former participants.

115

Equitable Access

The students were surveyed and asked questions about access to technology. The students who stated they did not have access to a computer, internet, or YLE would be given a Wi-Fi Hot Spot, or the technology needed to participate in the program. YLE added this change based on the information discussed in the focus groups and based on the survey data. Students who requested a scholarship based on need were granted a full-tuition scholarship for the program, and parents were responsible for paying a one-hundred-dollar fee for materials. After discussing with the YLE staff, the materials fee was reduced to fifty dollars and could be paid on a monthly payment plan for the youth to participate in the program.

YLE added a question about access to transportation to the participant orientation in the initial program paperwork. The staff added a plan to ask parents of program students who live close to each other to pick up nearby students for program events. The YLE program decided to purchase gas cards to support parents who volunteered to provide participant rides as a policy in the program. The other practice and policy changes are documented in the YLE Program, Practice, and Policy Change matrix in Appendix F.

Socialization and Understanding of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The second cycle of the research evaluation approach was intended to assess whether the program collaboratively designed DEI pre and post-test surveys and the delivery of the DEI module effectively enabled the YLE a more equitable and accessible experience for students of color. The pretest was a baseline survey of student’s understanding of socialization and dialog about diversity, equity, and inclusion. The DEI module facilitated discussion and exercises that engage students through poetry, discussion groups, and group role-playing. The post-test measured the student’s responses to the new

DEI module and measured whether the model affected the student’s understanding, socialization, and dialog about diversity, equity, and inclusion. The video snippets capture real-time responses to the DEI module from students from four students each session, with two of the four students being students of 116

color. More broadly, through the evaluation process, I sought to discern whether the action research

process affected change in the organization. Survey results and module responses are captured in

Appendix F.

The focus group process with the YLE staff, Alumni, and parents was very successful based on the

dialog and knowledge generated by the discussion and the programmatic and policy changes made by the

staff. Member checking was essential to make sure that what the stakeholders felt needed to change was

changed. The matrix used was an excellent way for YLE to document what happened, when, and why. The

formation of a DEI task force was effective because the task force was made up of diverse stakeholders,

and the discussions were very collaborative and informative for the participants. Knowledge was

generated, and perspectives were voiced and heard on diversity, equity, and inclusion. The DEI task force

modified the pretest survey slightly from the Panorama Education Equity and Inclusion Survey, a proven

practice given to students in grades 6th through 12 in school districts across the country. The survey

provides schools and districts with a clear picture of how students, teachers, and staff think and feel about

diversity, equity, and inclusion in school (Panorama Education, 2019).

The main barriers and challenges with the process were implementing the pretest and post-test survey during COVID 19, hesitancy by the YLE Staff with how the process would logistically be feasible with all the other barriers that were present in the middle of the pandemic, and how students might feel about taking the surveys. The DEI facilitator did a great job creating an environment where the students

fully engaged the process. I judged the worth of the work, effectiveness, and outcomes of the activities in the evaluation plan by analyzing the pre and post-test data and student surveys by member checking the entire process with the YLE staff and YLE DEI task force and through viewing the student videos and reflections. I concluded the most important way to judge if the process was worthwhile is through changes

in student perspective to the topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion and through the policy and

programmatic changes in the program. 117

Ethical Considerations

All aspects of the study were discussed with relevant people and authorities by the researcher.

The research study's guiding principles were agreed upon in advance by all parties involved. Participants were given the opportunity to influence the work, and those who did not wish to participate had their wishes respected. The progress of the work was kept visible and open to suggestions from others. Before making observations or examining documents produced for other purposes, permission was obtained.

The researcher's supervisor, stakeholders, and participants collaborated to determine the research's direction and likely outcomes.

Participants are unlikely to suffer physical, psychological, or emotional harm as a result of this study. Despite this, Weiss, Geppert, Coverdale, Louie, and Edenharder (2004) state that researchers must be aware of ethical considerations while conducting research. As a result, this study remained fully compliant with the intuitional review board guidelines and mandates regarding human subject protection at both the home and participating institutions.

Furthermore, this study acknowledged the presence of cultural divisions, power imbalances, and political influences that could jeopardize the integrity of the procedures outlined. These limitations, however, were mitigated by providing a safe, open, and welcoming environment for participants in order to reduce these negative effects. The study ensured this by keeping participants' identities private. During the study, each participant was given a pseudonym to conceal their identity. Furthermore, any information that could be used to identify the participant was kept strictly confidential. Any key used to identify participants in audio recordings and transcript files was securely stored in different locations. All identifying markers on any documents were removed. Interview transcripts were labeled with participant pseudonyms.

118

Transcription services were also used to transcribe audio data. As a result, the outside transcriber

had no contact with any of the participants and could only identify them by pseudonym. Only the

researcher and primary investigator had access to the audio files used for interview transcription.

Following the study, these audio files were permanently deleted. Physical documents, such as signed

consent forms and interview notes, were kept in a locked receptacle that only the researcher had access

to. Finally, all digital documentation was encrypted, and password protected to ensure confidentiality.

Trustworthiness

Unlike quantitative research, which focuses on the data, qualitative research focuses on the trustworthiness of the data (Devault, 2009). The four elements of Guba's construct can be used to assess the trustworthiness of qualitative research: credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability

(Shenton, 2004). The contextual and experiential focus of a qualitative study distinguishes it from quantitative research. Creswell (2012) identifies several verification strategies used by qualitative researchers to validate their findings. Participant integrity, data corroboration, and triangulation are examples of these strategies. As a result, establishing the study's credibility is critical for supporting any conclusions reached. Furthermore, the researcher made the purpose of the study clear to selected participants, ensuring an open, welcoming, non-judgmental, and confidential environment.

Credibility:

The credibility metric considers how well the study's findings reflect the participants' actual experiences (Shenton, 2004). The research methodology for this study was chosen based on the nature of the research, the practice problem, and the research questions. Based on action research literature, the research methods were sound and well documented, and they were approved by the Institutional

Review Board. The use of research methods was well established in both a qualitative study and participatory action research. Before the first data collection dialogues, there was an early familiarity with the cultures of the participating organizations. Individuals were chosen at random to serve as informants. 119

Triangulation was used in the use of various methods, particularly observation, focus groups, and

individual interviews, which serve as the primary data collection strategies in much qualitative research

(Shenton, 2014). The study's sampling criteria were broad, and all individuals who met the inclusion

criteria were invited to participate; the final participant pool was made up of volunteers who responded

to recruitment efforts. The problem of practice and resulting data evolved as common themes were

triangulated as the action research cycles progressed, beginning with baseline data collection efforts

through two cycles of iterative research (Shenton, 2004; Stringer, 2014).

The study made use of member checking and clarified the researcher's bias. During the data

collection stage, members were checked. Transcripts of one-on-one interviews with participants were provided to verify the integrity and accuracy of their statements. Furthermore, member checking was critical in correlating participant statements and confirming the communicative essence of the experience

(Doyle, 2007). As a result of member checking, the researcher was able to annotate primary data sources to most accurately represent the perspectives of participants. These annotations were incorporated into the transcript and referred to during the data analysis phase. Furthermore, my own bias was closely examined in conjunction with the study's verifiability efforts. Finally, during the data collection and analysis stages, the thesis advisor's background in qualitative data analysis informed and provided feedback.

Transferability:

Transferability considers the applicability of study results in other situations (Shenton, 2004). The

research study provides a "baseline understanding" with which the results of subsequent work should be

compared. The study conveys to the reader the boundaries of the study. This additional information must

be considered before any attempts at transference are made. The researcher provided details about the

setting, participants, and methods for readers to make educated decisions about the study's

transferability. The researcher provided complete, transparent, and contextually supported information 120

regarding the study's structure and implementation for the readers to make their judgment regarding

veracity within the context of their own experience and claims in existing literature (Smith et al.,

2009). This study provided thick descriptions (Spencer, 2010) to offer both the reader and the researcher

a fuller portrayal of experiences. As such, this process utilized the researcher's own experiences,

education, values, and philosophy to inform the discussion and conclusions drawn from data gathered

during the study (Saldana, 2015).

Dependability:

The research design and its implementation described what was planned and executed on a strategic level. The operational details of data gathering were detailed and addressed the specifics of what was done in the ﬁeld. Guba and Lincoln (1985) propose the application of internal credibility for qualitative studies. As such, external validity is replaced with transferability, reliability replaces dependability, and confirmability replaces objectivity. More specifically, the proposition of dependability refers to the ability of readers to review and audit the findings of this study to determine if conclusions are supported by empirical data (Anney, 2014).

This study accomplished dependability through three methods: establishing an audit trail, utilizing coding cycles, and implementing member checking. The first step involves an audit trail that provides readers with a comprehensive presentation of the research data to verify the study's integrity of conclusions and claims. This audit involves accounts of research decisions and methods for how data from the study was gathered, documented, and analyzed (Anney, 2014). Coding cycles describe how the researcher will perform the first cycle of coding and then pause to reflect and compose analytic memos before engaging in the second cycle after a significant amount of time has passed (Anney, 2014). Lastly, member checking constitutes the internal auditing process in which transcripts were provided to participants to review and annotate such data. In qualitative research, dependability indicates whether the study can be replicated in the same context, although not necessarily with the same results (Shenton, 121

2004). By presenting a step-by-step overview of research procedures, another researcher could feasibly reproduce this study or use it as a prototype for other research efforts (Shenton, 2004).

Confirmability:

The concept of confirmability examines whether the research findings accurately reflect the

participants' rather than the researcher's experience (Shenton, 2004). A process "audit trail" was created,

allowing any observer to trace the course of the research step by step through the decisions made and

procedures described. Three methods were used to confirm the findings of this study. The first is made

available to participants during the data collection phase of the study through member checking. After

each one-on-one interview, participants were given uuencoded raw transcripts to annotate any text and

clarify meaning and experience before the researcher began the coding process (Creswell, 2013). This was

done to fully capture and comprehend the raw data prior to the coding process's interpretive phase. The

second method entails providing an audit trail. This enables readers to trace and confirm the veracity of

the researcher's claims, providing confirmability (Anney, 2014). The third and final method is to write and

include analytic memos that detail the researcher's point of view during the data collection and analysis

phases (Smith et al., 2009). These memos provide both initial and reflective documents about the state of

the data as well as the researcher's appraisal and interpretation to be used in the analytical process. The

use of all three methods demonstrates a level of confirmability consistent with Shenton's (2004)

expectation that findings emerge from the study's data rather than solely from the researcher's

interpretations.

122

Limitations

The main advantage of the Action Research Spiral model is the ability to analyze the phenomenon in greater depth each time, resulting in a higher level of understanding of the problem. The Action

Research Spiral model has several drawbacks, including the assumption that each process takes a long time to complete, which is not always the case (Kemmis & McTaggart, 2000). The core themes of action research are action and learning. In participatory action research, the research community contributes their expertise and collaborates with the researcher to generate new knowledge while attempting to effect change (Kemmis & McTaggart, 2000). The researcher has the advantage of basing his research vision on the practice he wishes to study and drawing on his own experiences. Simultaneously, the researcher must set aside their practiced value judgments to allow other voices to inform the research.

The challenge is to strike a balance between drawing on those resources and separating themselves from what they know to collect and analyze research data objectively (Kemmis & McTaggart, 2000). What

Kemmis and McTaggart describe is the researcher's experience, particularly when discussing diversity, equity, and inclusion with stakeholders. The researcher was required to lay out his own bias, his emotions about what was going on in society, and the views and opinions of stakeholders who impacted him personally. This was extremely difficult, but it was necessary to ensure that each voice in the study was valued. Finally, the use of experiential learning as the theoretical framework (Kolb & Kolb, 2005) limits any conclusions. The subjective nature of the theory, the structured and progressive form of knowledge creation, personal reflection, the situated learning process, and the perspective from which learning occurs are all examples of limitations. The current participant's cycle one research focus group was limited to the three students who volunteered. The COVID 19 pandemic required us to move all the cycle two focus groups online. Because of COVID 19, program observations, including the Leadership Games and

Graduation, were also conducted online. These impediments hampered the researcher's ability to interact with the student participants in a variety of settings. 123

Appendix B: Dissemination Plan

The researcher presented the preliminary findings of the study to the YLE Board of Directors in

October 2020. The researcher will present a final presentation of the findings to the YLE Board of Directors at the July 2021 Board meeting. Included are the links to the preliminary finding’s presentation and a copy of the draft of the final presentation to the YLE Board of Directors:

YLE Staff and Board Presentation October 2020 - https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX- 1vSyUadjB6GYnbnwVSMymhGItuIVvhgvyxLWTF9OzmnRDdrKiNNYJI_rAqo5NdvNIQ/pub?start=false&loop=false&d elayms=3000

Board Presentation Draft July 2021 - https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vQ6ppSqpUF-J9G-0- e_Zf-pZcAT1XW4dPBAsdNqZ3GH0oTFeBtfALbsQVHqTI_B85KjdSMDqXev- PAN/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000 In the last two years, the researcher presented this research study at the University of South Carolina College of Education Center for the Education of African American Students, the North Carolina Association of Research in Education Conference at a Roundtable discussion and Sage Publishing Method Space on Action Research.

• Presented at the 2020 Equity in Education Conference at the University of South Carolina, College of Education, January 2020 – “Promises and Challenges of Experiential and Profession- Based Learning Towards Equity: Networks, Representation, and Deficit Perspectives” https://sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/education/research/units/ceeaas/events/event- archive/3rd-conference.php

• Presented Preliminary Findings at the 2020 North Carolina Association of Research in Education Conference, February 2020 - “Creating a Culture of Career Confidence and Leadership for Students of Color: Exploration of a High School Experiential Learning Program” https://ncafrie.wildapricot.org/resources/Documents/2020%20Program%20Final.pdf

• Sage Publishing Method Space on Action Research, October 2020 - “A Qualitative Action Research Exploration of an Experiential Learning Afterschool Program: Developing Equity and Access for Students of Color” https://www.methodspace.com/a-qualitative-action-research-exploration-of-an-experiential- learning-afterschool-program-developing-equity-and-access-for-students-of-color/

• Presented Study at the 2021 North Carolina Association of Research in Education Conference, February 2021 – 3MT Competition – “A Qualitative Action Research Exploration of an Experiential Learning Afterschool Program: Developing Equity and Access for Students of Color” https://www.ncare.us/NCARE-2021-Virtual- Conference?fbclid=IwAR01TPHpJeDdVdnfBppWaMEec_5B1X3_9JeLG033jbKQQIu9rOPQ2owUSF g

124

Appendix C: Critical Reflection

Critical reflection was removed to protect confidentiality of researcher and participants.

125

Appendix D: Interview, Observation and Focus Group Protocols

Youth Leadership Experience (YLE) Interview Protocol Form

Interviewee (Title and Name): Interviewer: Antonio B. Boyd, Student Investigator Interview Place and Time Begin: Interview Time End:

RESEARCH QUESTION: You were a part of the model and curriculum development and implementation, or you wrote the program guideline or hired the key staff. From your perspective, what factors from your perspective have been key to the success of Youth Leadership Experience? Part I: Introductory Session Objectives (5-7 minutes): Build rapport, describe the purpose of the interview, answer any questions (under normal circumstances, an informed consent form would be reviewed and signed here).

Introductory Protocol: You have been selected to speak with me today because you have been identified as someone who has a great deal to share about developing a successful high school leadership program using experiential learning and a career-focused curriculum. My project focuses on the experience of students and the qualitative factors that contribute to their success. Through this study, I hope to gain more insight into what makes YLE successful regarding career readiness and experiential learning, graduation rates, and college acceptance rates. I plan to look at factors like effective leadership training, program culture, parent involvement, etc. Hopefully, this will allow me to identify ways in which we can improve the overall graduation and college acceptance rate for other high school students in the state who could potentially participate in programs like YLE.

Because your responses are important and I want to make sure to capture everything you say, I would like to audiotape our conversation today. Do I have your permission to record this interview? [If yes, thank the participant, let them know you may ask the question again as you start recording, and then turn on the recording equipment].

I will also be taking written notes. I can assure you that all responses will be confidential, and only a pseudonym will be used when quoting from the transcripts. I will be the only one privy to the tapes which will be eventually destroyed after they are transcribed. To meet our human subjects' requirements at the university, you must sign the form I have with me [provide the form* - note there is no actual form for this class project]. Essentially, this document states that: (1) all information will be held confidential, (2) your participation is voluntary, and you may stop at any time if you feel uncomfortable, and (3) we do not intend to inflict any harm. Do you have any questions about the interview process or how your data will be used?

This interview should last about 30 minutes. During this time, I have several questions that I would like to cover. If time begins to run short, it may be necessary to interrupt you to push ahead and complete this line of questioning. Do you have any questions currently?

126

Part II: Interviewee Background (5-10 minutes)

Objective: To establish rapport and obtain background information about the participant. This section should be brief, as it is not the focus of the study.

A. Interviewee Background

Background Questions:

1) Please tell me about your background and how you began working or participating with the YLE?

2) Tell me more about your professional experience and how your background helped you to found, develop, and support the YLE?

Part 2:

One of the things I am interested in learning about is your thought about the YLE experience for the students. What are the top three reasons you think YLE is successful? I would like to hear about your perspectives and experiences with students from other high schools in the districts that YLE serves. What are some of the issues these students face that may inhibit them from being as successful as students who participate in YLE? To do this, I am going to ask you some questions about the key experiences you encountered. If you mention other people, please do not mention names. You can say that you are giving the person a pseudonym.

Interview Questions:

1. You all have served or been involved in education and various educational leadership roles. From a thirty-thousand-foot view, what are the challenges of the minority students in your program, and how does YLE help them?

2. Tell me about ways you decided to create a different high school leadership model based on what you learned from the challenges you just expressed?

3. In your opinion, how important are program culture and program environment, module teachers, and parent involvement in the success of YLE?

4. How do you manage to maintain a consistent level of success regarding graduation and college acceptance rates? How can this level of success be replicated in other District high schools, in your opinion?

5. What District-wide changes would you like to see in the future to create an equitable environment for all students to have the high school experience that students at YLE are experiencing?

Ask participants if they have any questions and thank them for their participation. 127

Youth Leadership Experience (YLE) Observation Protocol

Institution: YLE Observation Site: Interviewer: Antonio B. Boyd, Student Investigator Date: Time Begin: Time End:

RESEARCH QUESTIONS: • What are the factors that enable the students at the YLE to be successful in preparing students for careers and college? • How does the opportunity for experiential learning contribute to the success of the students at the school in preparing for careers and college? • How does gaining an early career focus contribute to the success of the students at the school in preparing for careers and college? • Is each one of these factors of equal importance? Or do some of these factors have a more significant benefit than others towards student's success?

1. Subjects of Observation: ______

2. Program Setting: ______

3. Session Beginning: ______

4. Chronology of Events:

a. 15 Minutes______b. 30 Minutes______c. 45 Minutes______d. 60 Minutes______

Interactions That Take Place During the Observation? How does the opportunity for experiential learning contribute to the success of the students at the school in preparing for careers and college from what I am observing?

128

What challenges are observed for the module teacher, How do the module participants respond to the alumni, or staff members? experiential learning and leadership curriculum?

Additional notes

Program Ending______

129

Youth Leadership Experience (YLE) Focus Group Protocol

1. Begin with one facilitator providing introductory comments:

a. Welcome and thank everyone for volunteering to participate.

b. Introduce yourself, the facilitator, and the note taker.

c. Hand out the consent form.

2. Ask participants to review, ask any questions, and then sign the consent form. Offer a copy of the consent form (unsigned) to each person. Some will want a copy, others will not, but always offer. 3. Give a very brief overview of the project and the goals for the focus group or interview. For example, “My research study proposes to look at what makes the YLE program successful with helping students from all socioeconomic backgrounds and academic levels be success regarding college acceptance and career focus. My research focuses on the factors that make this kind of success possible.

4. Give participants information about the process, times, and breaks, outside smoking areas, bathrooms, and so forth. 5. Distribute name tags for focus groups (first names only).

6. Provide basic guidelines for the focus group, review them with participants, and consider posting them for everyone to see.

7. Let people know that project staff will be taking notes about what is discussed, but that individual names or identifying information will not be attached to comments.

8. An opening question can help break the ice and should be easy to answer. A first question can be as simple as “How did you find out about YLE?” Your goal is to put the group at ease while keeping the focus on getting the information you need.

Key questions for any of my focus groups:

a. What are the factors that enable the students at YLE to be successful in preparing for careers and college?

b. Can you give some examples of your experiential learning experiences?

c. How does the opportunity for experiential learning contribute to the success of the students at the school in preparing for careers and college? 130

d. What has it meant to be exposed to business and community leaders in enabling you to gain a career focus?

e. How does gaining an early career focus contribute to the success of the students at the school in preparing for careers and college?

f. Is each one of these factors of equal importance? Or do some of these factors have a greater benefit than others towards student’s success? g. Let people know when you are going to ask the last question. This cues participants to share relevant information that may not have come up in answer to your key questions. For example, "Is there anything else you want to share that we haven't talked about yet?"

Thank you all for participating.

131

Appendix E: Data Display and Coding Matrix

YLE Data Display

132

YLE Coding Matrix with Theme

Codes Category Themes

“Run and Gun” Role Models of Success “Golden Nuggets’ Hands On “Real World” Soft and Hard Skill “Practical” Acquisition Experiential Learning “Less is More” Experiential Leadership

“Get Them Engaged”

“Bump and Run” “Lead from Anywhere” “Leading the Mind and Leadership Studies Heart” “Leadership Unleashed” “train outside and inside” “train mind and heart” Character Development

“believe in and love” Treat with Respect "be sincere and work in love” ‘huddles and teams’ “identity and security” Atmosphere and Culture Proactive Atmosphere “have fun” “High expectation and high encouragement.” “life long learner”

“Changed Academic Focus” Academic Background Inspiring College Readiness “I needed a Mentor”

Career Focused “Changed my worldview” Socioeconomic Background “Opened my mind to doors of

Opportunity” “Visualized my career

path”

Creating a level playing field

Who they know how they know All The Same Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Level Playing Field

Mix Up Is Formal

133

Appendix F: Organizational Practice Assessment Chart and YLE SWOT Analysis

Organization Practice Assessment Chart

YLE SWOT Analysis:

Strengths Weaknesses

• Institutional knowledge of the Founding ● Clearly defined roles and responsibilities Executive Director ● Executive Director and Assistant Director • Staff experience in understanding the YLE communication styles experiential learning and leadership process. ● Procrastination of the Executive Director to • Detailed and organized module schedules and call meetings and respond to emails. communication protocols ● The Executive Directors out of town travel • 15 years of collaborations with the module schedule causes confusion when not teachers and community partners documented. • The G.R.I.P. teaming principles ● Lack of staff training by Executive Director. • Strong understanding of the YLE experiential ● Lack of staff professional development learning and leadership process and meeting ● New staff onboarding procedure (Lack of schedule by the YLE alumni, module leaders, clear onboarding process) community partners ● Not living out the GRIP Teaming Process that YLE teaches the student participants 134

Opportunities Threats

• Defining roles will increase productivity. ● Infrequent meetings and trainings breeds • Using a more situated leadership style will independence and division. build trust and allow for all the team members ● Lack of professional development breaks to engage. down trust. • Delegating some of Executive Directors ● Lack of organization will destabilize YLE. responsibilities will strengthen staff and create ● Too many hands in the pot for certain roles is a broader knowledge base and level of confusing and slows down productivity. experience. ● Mission drift is caused by a lack of training. • Holding staff training will build trust and ● Lack of leadership leads to a lack of vision for maintain levels of performance. the organization. • Staff professional development will allow for ● Lack of humility in the leadership alienates the staff to grow as professionals and people. staff. • Writing down the onboarding process will ● Lack of clarifying roles does not allow for help new staff members to be more productive ownership and accountability. and feel welcomed.

135

Appendix G: Programmatic Practice and Policy Change Matrix and Survey Results

YLE Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Programmatic Practice and Policy Change Matrix

YLE Programmatic and Policy Change Matrix

136

137

138

139

Appendix H: Participants Table Cycle One and Cycle Two

Participant Table-Pseudonyms, Roles, Age, and Race:

Name Title Age Race “Steve” Founder Sixties White “Jim” Executive Sixties White Director “Tim” Assistant Forties White Director “Sue” Alumni Forties Black Coordinator “Carol” Operations Twenties White Manager “Bob” Board Member Sixties White “Frank” Board Member Thirties White “Sam” Module Teacher Sixties White “Jane” Module Teacher Forties Black “Doug” Alumni Twenties Black “Tammy” Alumni Twenties Black “Sharon” Alumni Twenties Black “Penny” Alumni Twenties White “Oscar” Alumni Twenties Black “Jenny” YLE Participant Teens White “Cheryl” YLE Participant Teens Black “Tommy” YLE Participant Teen White “Max” Parent Fifties Black “Rebecca” Parent Sixties Black “Sally” Community Sixties White Partner “Maggie” Community Sixties White Partner

The participants in my study were the organizations Founder “Steve” and Executive Director “Jim”, the

Assistant Director” Tim”, Operations Manager “Carol” Alumni Coordinator “Carol” two Board Members

“Bob” and “Sam”, two Experiential Learning Module Teachers “Sam” and “Jane”, four YLE alumni “Doug”,

“Tammy”, “Sharon” and “Penny,” and three current YLE participants “Jenny”, “Cheryl”, and “Tommy”: two parents “Max” and “Rebecca” and two community partners “Sally and “Maggie”.