Voices of Midwest Youth: A Mixed Methods Program Evaluation Centering High School Student’s Reflections and Impact from Participating in a Human Trafficking Prevention Education Program
Aleesa Nutting, MA; Aubrey Paschal, MA; Alexis Chavez, MS; Katie M. Edwards, PhD; Rochelle Dalla, PhD & Lorey Wheeler, PhD | September 20 | 1:45-2:45 pm
Topic: Research, Programming | Knowledge Level: Intermediate
Beyond offering human trafficking prevention education to youth, rigorous evaluation of programming that considers the voices of recipients is much needed to advance safety of teens across the U.S. 168 high school aged youth at a school in a Midwest School District were offered 4.5 hours (six 45-minute sessions) of programming focused on preventing human trafficking. Students’ feedback on the program was solicited following each session, and 462 written forms were thematically analyzed to determine 1) overall reception to the program, 2) grouping categories most reflected upon, 3) self-reported/perceived impact of participating, and 4) negative emotions (materials making one feel upset/unsafe) elicited. Data from pre/post surveys, and program fidelity forms were integrated to generate a rich overview of programming context, participants, and effect. The findings of the program evaluation suggest most students had positive reception, gained positive effects from participating, and with few instances of students reporting feeling upset or unsafe. Feedback primarily reflected upon program educators, program structure/layout, and materials/activities. Themes of programming impact most centered on gained skills and knowledge. Based upon student reflections, researchers curated recommendations related to generating positive human trafficking prevention programming reception and impact with 9th-12th grade students. Collectively, youth responses indicated the need for programming to be interactive, include information related to current events/focus on local sources, and be delivered by educators willing to integrate compassion, authenticity, and at times humor about a difficult topic often shrouded in a culture of silence.
Presentation Objectives:
• Explore findings of thematic analysis of the feedback generated from high school aged youth participants of a human trafficking prevention education program
• Discuss successes and areas of improvement needed for positive reception to curriculum
• Highlight lessons learned and future directions for generating community based participatory research in the field of human trafficking