4-H Teen Leadership

Background: Leadership -
A Component Of 4-H Youth Development

Ages and Stages Milestones In Youth Development and Implications for Leadership Development

Humans develop through a series of predictable stages, which normally occur within specific age ranges. Leadership development is a multi-faceted, complex process which involves growth and attainment in leadership knowledge, attitudes, skills, and aspirations. In order to actually develop leadership in beyond-the-family settings such as school or 4-H, youth must be ready physically, emotionally, cognitively, and socially.

Younger children may exhibit leadership characteristics such as "charisma", "bossiness", and "industriousness". They may successfully be taught rudimentary "leadership readiness" knowledge and skills, such as cooperation and parliamentary procedure. With adult help, some younger children may successfully perform certain specific, basic leadership skills, tasks and roles such as giving demonstrations and assisting with committees.

However, it is not until youth a) are able to think abstractly, b) develop the meta-cognitive abilities associated with formal operational thinking and post-conventional moral thinking, c) develop the ability to understand other people's thinking, and d) begin taking responsibility for their own actions that they are able to begin developing the complex knowledge, attitudes, skills, and aspirations associated with actual leadership development. For most people, this level of readiness in development occurs in early adolescence, between the ages of eleven and thirteen. Leadership development capability continues to increase throughout adolescence as youth develop adult physical, emotional, cognitive, and social characteristics.

4-H leadership development experiences should be appropriate for the capabilities of the youth involved. Listed on the next four pages are some of the major characteristics of youth physical, emotional, cognitive, and social development in the early elementary, middle school, early adolescence, middle adolescence, and late adolescence stages. In addition, a copy of the "What Makes Teens Special: Implications for Leadership Development" and the "An Investment in the Future" articles from the Spring 1993 edition of the Leadership Link newsletter is included on pages 13-15. This information should be used as a basis for planning, conducting, and evaluating all 4-H youth leadership development programs and experiences.

The North Central Region Ages and Stages publication provides additional information in the form of an overview of the major ages and stages of concern to 4-H professionals and volunteers. If additional information is needed related to youth cognitive, social, emotional, or physical development and its implications for 4-H youth development work, consult with the State Extension 4-H Specialist, Youth Development.

Physical Development

• Early Elementary (Age 5 to 8)

  period of slow physical growth

  learning to master physical skills using small and large muscle structures

  lack muscular coordination skills

  
  
• Middle School (Age 9 to 11)

  physical growth is still slow, although puberty may occur for some girls

  very active and enjoy endeavors which involve movement; cannot sit still for long periods of time

  
  
• Early Adolescence (Age 11 to 13)

  Beginning of adolescence is marked by a growth spurt which occurs across a wide range of ages, with females maturing before males

  Rapid physical changes are often a source of embarrassment for teens:

  • hands and feet grow first, causing clumsiness
  • acne is often a problem
  • voice changes occur
  • teens who develop physically later than their peers may become uneasy about the lack of physical changes

  Females reach puberty (begin menstruation)

  menstrual cycles are often unpredictable and irregular

  Males reach about 80% of adult height, females 90%

  Reaction time improves.

  
  
• Middle Adolescence (Age 14 to 16)

  Physical changes have been accepted by most middle adolescents, and most awkwardness has been overcome, although some boys are still growing quickly.

  Most females reach maximum height by age 14, most males by age 16.

  Males reach puberty (begin sperm production).

  Males gain muscle cells, females gain fat cells.

  Anorexia and bulimia may be a problem for some females.

  Most teens know their own abilities and talents. Athletic talent may be perfected during long hours of training, and new skills such as driving a car serve to move teens toward independence.

  Reach fastest reaction time.

  
  
• Late Adolescence (Age 17 to 19)

  Growth has tapered off, and late adolescents are no longer preoccupied with body changes and body image.

  Perfect performance levels in sports.

  Males continue to gain muscle strength and mass. Both sexes continue to develop bone mass.

Emotional Development

• Early Elementary (Age 5 to 8)

  ego-centric / self-centered / wrapped up in themselves

  need and seek approval from adults

  like to play games, but can't accept losing; emphasis needs to be placed on success and cooperative games where everyone can win; failure should be minimized

  adult help is needed in learning to cope with failures and problems

  
  
• Middle School (Age 9 to 11)

  need to feel accepted and worthwhile; successes should be emphasized and failures kept in perspective as learning opportunities

  performance should be compared with past personal performance rather than with the performance of other youth

  
  
• Early Adolescence (Age 11 to 13)

  Begin to demonstrate Kohlberg's post-conventional moral thinking

  During puberty, emotions begin the roller coaster ride which characterizes adolescence.

  Changes in hormones and changes in thinking contribute to mood swings.

  Begin to test values

  Have a weak sense of individual identity. Feel challenges to personal self-concepts.

  Feel the need to be part of something important.

  
  
• Middle Adolescence (Age 14 to 16)

  Actively involved in search for independence and personal identity, although neither goal is completely achieved during this age period.

  Achieving satisfactory adjustment to sexuality and defining career goals are important.

  Seek emotional autonomy from parents. .

  Learning to cooperate with each other as adults do.

  Learning to interact with the opposite sex may preoccupy middle adolescents.

  Unsettled emotions may cause teens to be stormy or withdrawn at times.

  Take pride in responsibility and respect from others.

  
  
• Late Adolescence (Age 17 to 19)

  Independence and identity formation are achieved.

  Feel they have reached the stage of full maturity and expect to be treated as adults.

  Leave home for education, employment, and establishing own households, separate from parents.

  Clubs, meetings, rituals, uniforms, and traditions have lost much of their appeal for late adolescents.

Cognitive Development

• Early Elementary (Age 5 to 8)

  move into a state of industry; more interested in doing things than in the end product; beginning projects is more important than finishing them

  thinking is concrete; learn through senses by touching, seeing, smelling, tasting, and hearing rather than by thinking alone; verbal instruction should be accompanied by demonstration

  learning to sort things into categories; collecting things is important and fun

  
  
• Middle School (Age 9 to 11)

  still think concretely, but begin to think more logically; new ideas are best understood when related to previous experiences

  think of things as absolutes, black or white, right or wrong

  
  
• Early Adolescence (Age 11 to 13)

  Move from concrete to abstract thinking, but still tend to think in all-or-nothing terms.

  Demonstrate formal operational thinking.

  Speak in longer sentences, use principles of subordination, understand multiple levels of meaning, increase vocabulary.

  Will intensely explore subjects of interest . Often reject solutions offered by adults in favor of finding their own solutions.

  Justice and equality become regarded important issues.

  
  
• Middle Adolescence (Age 14 to 16)

  Continue to gain meta-cognitive abilities and improve study skills. Write longer, more complex sentences. Can adapt language to different contexts. Use teen slang.

  Mastering abstract thinking. May imagine things that never were in a way that challenges, and sometimes threatens, adults who work with them.

  Egocentric. Believe in imaginary audience and personal fable.

  Have difficulty understanding compromise; may label adult efforts to cope with inconsistencies as "hypocrisy".

  Explore and prepare for future careers and roles in life.

  Set goals based on feelings of personal needs and priorities. Goals set by others are likely to be rejected.

  
  
• Late Adolescence (Age 17 to 19)

  Metacognitive abilities and study skills continue to improve with instruction and practice.

  Plans for the future are very important and influence in which activities late adolescents choose to participate.

  Can determine their own schedules.

  Only general directions are needed when they are assigned familiar tasks.

Social Development

Early Elementary (Age 5 to 8)

can depend on other adults such as teachers or youth group leaders in addition to parents

learning to be friends with others; younger boys and girls enjoy playing together, but by the end of the stage, boys and girls will separate; fighting occurs but does not have lasting effects

peers become important; want to impress peers more than parents; small groups are effective.



• Middle School (Age 9 to 11)

  joining clubs becomes important; will form clubs with a group of others similar to themselves

  begin to identify with peers, although they still need and want guidance from adults

  have difficulty understanding another person's thinking, but are beginning to discover the benefit of making others happy

  satisfaction in completing projects comes more from pleasing the adults in their lives than from the value of the activity itself

  toward the end of this period, are ready to start taking responsibility for their actions

  divide themselves into sex-segregated groups

  
  
• Early Adolescence (Age 11 to 13)

  Move away from dependence on parents toward eventual independence.

  Dependence on opinions of adults shifts to dependence on opinions of peers.

  Enjoy participating in activities away from home.

  
  
• Middle Adolescence (Age 14 to 16)

  Generally self-centered, but capable of understanding what other people are feelings.

  Relationship skills are well developed. Friendships formed at this stage are often sincere and long-lasting.

  Recreation moves away from the large group and more away from the family. Dating increases and moves from group dates to double dates to couple-only dating.

  Acceptance by members of the opposite sex is now of high importance.

  May begin sexual relationships.

  Want to belong to groups, but he recognized as unique individuals within the groups.

  
  

  Late Adolescence (Age 17 to 19)

  Become preoccupied with the need for intimacy. Some will marry at this age.

  Likely to be sexually active.

  Employment and education fill the need for social relationships which were earlier filled by club and group activities.

  Control their own activities.