Needs assessments serve two primary functions. First, and most obviously, they help the school counselor understand the needs of the subpopulations they serve (e.g., students, parents, teachers). Second, needs assessments help to establish priorities, which aid in the construction and continual improvement of comprehensive counseling programming and services ( 2003). For this paper, issues facing our youth today and the overall development of youth are dominant concerns of any community worldwide. Youth development is a rallying issue for every citizen, public servant and corporation. The recreation profession, to make the best use of its innate potential, should align itself with the youth development movement, thus the need for a needs assessment for youth.
The research process in needs assessment usually consists of the following: problem identification, study design, conducting the study, data analysis, and use of the findings. Initially the researcher identifies an area of inquiry, which in this case is the assessment of the needs of a youth group. Following the identification of the problem and review of literature, the researcher must design the study protocol. In this case, the researcher might design a research study focusing on needs of the youth.
Let us take for example, a youth recreation needs assessment plan that involved surveying middle-school students within a particular locale or area. For this particular research, the sample will include basically teenagers who are middle school students. This study will have no randomization into groups. The researcher will also select appropriate instruments to measure needs assessment. In the study design the researcher will have to note that all subjects will be followed in exactly the same manner. The research plan will show how a community can deal effectively with issues outside the typical civic planning activities. Students will then be asked about their recreational needs and demonstrate that they knew about the issues involved.
The researcher will then conduct the study. Before conducting any study with human subjects, appropriate approvals must be obtained from the agency’s human subject committee. Additional approvals from the agency in which the study is to be conducted may also be needed. Informed consent is also needed. The researcher will consistently collect all data from the subjects as indicated in the study design protocol. Each subject will receive the designated assessment. Most research in the applied social sciences and in education, such as this particular study, relies on self-reports of the participants. However, such reports are always influenced by the fact that the participants know they are in a study; they may want to please the researcher, they may want to hide things, or they may have forgotten or not know some things. Many investigators prefer researcher-observed behavioral data, even though these data also have potential limitations. On the other hand, sensitive, well-trained interviewers may be able to establish enough rapport with participants to alleviate some of the biases inherent in self-reports ( 2000).
The most popular needs-assessment approaches are advisory boards or councils, town hall meetings and comment cards. These approaches are perceived as easy to use, convenient, inexpensive and requiring little specialized expertise. Other popular approaches are in-person surveys, mail surveys, pick-up surveys and focus groups. Parks and recreation directors didn’t identify any major drawbacks to pickup surveys or focus groups. Time required was a concern for mail and in-person surveys. Another concern about mail surveys was the expense ( 2002).
The strength of the nominal group technique is that it gives everyone a voice in planning while minimizing opportunities for a few individuals to dominate the process. This technique can accommodate large numbers of participants as well as small groups. It provides professionals with clear data about participants’ primary concerns in a short time. The key to conducting a successful nominal group is following a step-by-step process (2002).
The Delphi method is most often used to determine priorities, set goals or establish future directions. As with the nominal group technique, the Delphi provides professionals with a format for exploring opinions and reaching a consensus. Panelists voice their opinions, examine the opinions of other panelists and then re-evaluate their original opinions. The process is similar to that of the nominal group technique except that the data collection process takes place by mail (electronic or postal). Data collection via postal mail takes 45 to 90 days; electronic data collection can reduce the time by half. A significant advantage to the Delphi is that the recreation professional can draw from the insights of experts on a particular topic, regardless of their geographic location. As with the nominal group technique, following a step-by-step process is key (2002).
In this particular study, members of the planning department will facilitate groups, listen, and record information. The staffs of other city departments concerned with youth or recreation may also participate in the study. From police officers to social workers, the assessment will be able to provide a great opportunity for all youth services people to work together. The researcher will conduct a survey of student recreational needs, and to use middle school-aged youth because they had never participated in city planning. Facilitators will also conduct the recreational needs survey at parties after school in each of the city’s community planning areas. The assessment will ask the participants three questions: What did you do last summer? What do you like to do after school, and what programs and services do children your age need?
Furthermore, queries such as when offered the opportunity to identify activities the youth would like to try for the first time or participate in more often, the researcher must identify if respondents are more geared towards several adventurous, high-risk activities such as rock climbing and horseback riding. This would imply that recreation providers need to seek innovative ways to provide youth the opportunity to experience these costly activities or to provide suitable adventures that are less costly and dangerous. Among the possibilities, for example, is the new technology of virtual reality. Opportunities for high adventure may be a useful tool in providing positive challenges for the ever-increasing population of youth-at-risk. A question remains about whether the reported desire for high-risk activity is real or imagined; and further research is needed to determine the seriousness of the wishes young people express about potentially dangerous activities.
The researcher will then analyze the results after collecting all information from the participants studied. The results will then be compared to determine similarities and differences about recreation needs of youth. The data collected from this sample can also be then compared with the results from a normative sample composed of adolescents from another study.
It is important to realize that while adults may not consider certain recreational activities such as hanging out to be a viable or useful activity, the researcher must not dismiss this activity when planning youth programming. After all, the youth are the ones who will participate; so programs should address their interests. To have their opinions respected and needs considered such as in the needs assessment study will give the youth self-esteem and increased confidence, which are essential for a healthy outlook on life.
The information gathered regarding recreation needs of the youth can be used to develop services and recreational activities for youth and objectives for a counseling program. The information gathered in this study will also help the researcher target young people with programs, thereby increasing their participation in and enjoyment of recreational activities. Discovering what recreational activities the youth most enjoy is key in planning and providing recreation opportunities and in a way helps the youth avoid doing what is not appropriate for them. Therefore, surveys that assess public demand are vital components of any successful program.
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