Research Projects
4-H Study of Positive Youth Development (4-H Study of PYD)
The 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development: Reconnection and Replication, funded by National 4-H Council, was a two-part study that aimed to extend and replicate the original 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development (Bowers et al., 2014; Lerner et al., 2005, 2015) that took place between 2002-2012.
The original 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development involved over 7,000 youth across Grades 5 to 12 from 42 states. The main findings indicated that when PYD鈥攄efined as Competence, Confidence, Connection, Caring, and Character鈥攚as promoted by youth development programs, youth would contribute positively to their communities and, by the end of the high-school years, become active and engaged citizens. The study also identified three key facets of youth programs effective in promoting PYD, facets that are hallmarks of the 4-H Theory of Change: 1. Positive and sustained relationships between a young person and an adult; 2. Life-skill building activities; and 3. Opportunities for youth participation in and leadership of valued activities in family, school, or community settings (see also Lerner, 2004; Tirrell et al., 2020).
4-H Study of PYD: Reconnection and Replication聽
The Reconnection Study reconnected with participants from the original study, who are now young adults, to explore whether this prediction came true. The Reconnection Study connected with about 500 of the original 4-H and non-4-H participants in order to learn about the contributions to society that they are making as young adults today. Using both quantitative (i.e., survey) and qualitative (i.e., semi-structured interview) methods, we are examining these young adults鈥� work activities, health and well-being, purpose, and, especially, their family, community, and national contributions and civic engagement. By doing so, we will be able to link the follow-up survey data with the data collected in the original 4-H Study of PYD to explore participants鈥� developmental trajectories.
In addition to the Reconnection Study, we conducted an accelerated longitudinal Replication Study to examine how the youth-development leadership of 4-H programs is impacting the current generations of American youth. The Replication Study included youth from Grades 6 to 12 from across the United States. In addition to using measures and constructs that were used in the original study, we capitalized on refinements of measurement that have occurred in the last decade in regard to indexing constructs central to the original 4-H Study of PYD (i.e., PYD and, as well, intentional self-regulation, hope for the future, contribution and civic engagement, and leadership). We plan to assess the paths of PYD from Grades 6 to 12 of both youth participating in 4-H currently and youth currently not involved in 4-H.
Original 4-H Study selected publications
Lerner, R. M., Lerner, J. V., Almerigi, J., Theokas, C., Phelps, E., Gestsdottir, S.聽Naudeau, S., Jelicic, H., Alberts, A. E., Ma, L., Smith, L. M., Bobek, D. L., Richman-Raphael, D.,聽 Simpson, I., Christiansen, E. D., & von Eye, A. (2005). Positive youth聽development, participation in community youth development programs, and community聽contributions of fifth grade adolescents: Findings from the first wave of the 4-H Study of聽Positive Youth Development. Journal of Early Adolescence, 25(1), 17-71.
Geldhof, G. J., Bowers, E. P., Mueller, M. K., Napolitano, C. M., Callina, K. S., Walsh, K. J., Lerner, J. V., & Lerner, R. M. (2015). The Five Cs Model of Positive Youth Development. In E. P. Bowers, G. J., Geldhof, S. K. Johnson, L. J. Hilliard, R. M. Hershberg, J. V. Lerner, & R. M. Lerner, Promoting Positive Youth Development: Lessons Learned from the 4-H Study. (pp. 161-186). New York, NY: Springer.
Reconnection and Replication Study selected publications
Lerner, R. M., Lerner, J. V., Buckingham, M. H., Le, T. U., & Kim, E. J. (2025). Promoting positive youth development: The meaning and significance of models. In M. E. Arnold & T. M. Ferrari (Eds.), Positive Youth Development: Integrating Research and Practice (pp. 57-76). Springer.
Kim, E., Lerner, J. V., Her, S, Zhang, R., Buckingham, M, Le, T, Park, Y,. & Lerner, R. M. (2025). The Development of Hopeful Purpose.聽 In M. E. Arnold & T. M. Ferrari (Eds.), Positive Youth Development: Integrating Research and Practice (pp. 271-286). Springer聽
Buckingham, M. H., Le, T, Park, Y,. Kim, E. J, Casey, D. K, Lerner, J. V, & Lerner, R. M. (2025). When every youth thrives, we all thrive. In M. E. Arnold & T. M. Ferrari (Eds.), Positive youth development: Integrating research and practice (pp. 341-356). Springer.
The Compassion International Study of Positive Youth Development (CI Study of PYD)
The CI Study of PYD was a 10 year, three鈥恘ation, longitudinal study of the use of the Lerner and Lerner model of Positive Youth Development (PYD) for understanding the bases of PYD among some of the world鈥檚 poorest youth enrolled in Compassion鈥檚 child development centers. Compassion International (CI) is a faith-based child鈥恠ponsorship organization that partners with over 8,000 churches to promote thriving in over 2.1 million children living in poverty in 25 countries located in Central and South America, the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia. The project includes both quantitative (in El Salvador, Rwanda, and Uganda) and qualitative (in El Salvador) research studying the development of youth involved in CI鈥檚 programs. The study ended in 2025.
In short, the project moved the field of PYD and the study of religious and spiritual development in international settings forward. The results of analyses can be used to enhance the work of CI and improve the child-sponsorship sector through never-before available theory-predicated developmental data.
Abbasi-Asl, R., Yu, D., Hasse, A., Lerner, R. M., Tirrell, J. M., Dowling, E. M., Sim, A. T. R., Lerner, J. V., Zhang, R., Keces, N., Mackin, M., Olander, K., Douglas, K., Kibbedi, P, N., Wanyama, J, R., & VanderKlok, E. (2025). Using youth-specific approaches to illuminate character-well-being relations. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 30(1).
Tirrell, J. M., Keces, N., Abbasi-Asl, R., Dowling, E. M., Hasse, A., Mackin, M., Olandar, K., Douglas, K., Kibbedi, P. N., Wanyama, J. R., Lerner, J. V., Sim, A. T. R., & Lerner, R. M. (2025). Character strengths and well-being: Establishing a measurement model and exploring the interrelations among youth in Uganda. Journal of Moral Education.
Abbasi-Asl, R., Lerner, R. M., Keces, N., Yu, D., Tirrell, J. M., Dowling, E. M., Sim, A., Lerner, J. V., Mackin, M., Hasse, A., Olander, K., Douglas, K., Kibbedi, P., & Wanyama, J. (2025). Character attributes scale: An integrative idiographic and differential approach to measuring character. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 1-14.
Abbasi-Asl, R., Yu, D., Tirrell, J. M., Keces, N., Dowling, E. M., Hasse, A., Mackin, M., Olander, K., Douglas, K., Kibbedi, P, N., Wanyama, J, R., Sim, A. T. R., Lerner, J. V., & Lerner, R. M. (2025). Character development among Ugandan youth: A person-specific approach. Journal of Moral Education, 1鈥�33.
Hay, S., Tirrell, J. M., Lerner, J. V., Dowling, E. M., Sim, A., King, P. E., Vaughn, J. M., Iraheta, G., & Lerner, R. M. (2024). 鈥淲e are protected.鈥� Examining youth perceptions of safety within a faith-based positive youth development program in El Salvador. Journal of Youth Development, 19(1), 3.
Sim, A. T. R., Dowling, E. M., Tirrell, J. M., Lerner, J. V., & Williams, K. (2024). International faith-based organizations: Integrating science and ideology. In M. D. Matthews & R. M. Lerner (Eds.), Routledge International Handbooks of Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Character Development, Volume II (pp. pp. 444-467). Routledge.
Tirrell, J. M., Dowling, E. M., Kibbedi, P., Namurinda, E., Iraheta, G., Dennis, J., Malvese, K., Abbasi-Asl, R., Williams, K., Lerner, J. V., King, P. E., Sim, A. T. R., & Lerner, R. M. (2022). Measuring youth perceptions of being known and loved and positive youth development: Cross-national findings from Rwanda and El Salvador. Child & Youth Care Forum.
Vaughn, J. M., King, P. E., Mangan, S., Noe, S., Hay, S., O鈥橬eil, B., Tirrell, J. M., Dowling, E. M., Iraheta Majano, G. A., & Sim, A. T. R. (2022). Agentic and receptive hope: Understanding hope in the context of religiousness and spirituality through the narratives of Salvadoran youth. Religions, 13(4), 376.
King, P. E., Yoo, Y., Vaughn, J. M., Tirrell, J. M., Geldhof, G. J., Iraheta, G., William, K., Sim, A., Stephenson, P., Dowling E., Lerner, R. M., & Lerner, J. V. (2021). Evaluating the Measure of Diverse Adolescent Spirituality in samples of Mexican and Salvadoran youth. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 13(2), 246-253.
Lerner, R. M., Tirrell, J. M., Gansert, P. K., Lerner, J. V., King, P. E., Geldhof, G. J., Dowling, E. M., & Sim, A. T. R. (2021). Longitudinal research about, and program evaluations of, positive youth development in low- and middle-income countries: Methodological issues and options. Journal of Youth Development, 16(2-3), 100-123.
Tirrell, J. M., Hay, S. W., Gansert, P. K., Le, T. U., O鈥橬eil, B. C., Vaughn, J. M., Bishara, L., Tan, E., Lerner, J. V., King, P. E., Dowling, E. M., Williams, K., Iraheta, G., Sim, A. T. R., & Lerner, R. M. (2021). Exploring the role of the 鈥淏ig Three鈥� features of effective youth development programs in El Salvador: The sample case of programs of Compassion International. International Journal of Behavioral Development.
Tirrell, J. M., Dowling, E. M., Gansert, P., Buckingham, M., Wong, C. A., Suzuki, S., Naliaka, C., Kibbedi, P., Namurinda, E., Williams, K., Geldhof, G. J., Lerner, J. V., King, P. E., Sim, A. T. R., & Lerner, R. M. (2020). Toward a measure for assessing features of effective youth development programs: Contextual safety and the 鈥淏ig Three鈥� components of positive youth development programs in Rwanda. Child & Youth Care Forum, 49, 201-222.
Lerner, R. M., Lerner, J. V., Geldhof, G. J., Gestsd贸ttir, S., King, P. E., Sim, A. T. R., Batanova, M., Tirrell, J. M., & Dowling, E. (2018). Studying positive youth development in different nations: Theoretical and methodological issues. In J. J. Lansford & P. Banati (Eds.), Handbook of adolescent development and its impact on global policy (pp. 68鈥�83). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Connecting Adolescent Beliefs and Behaviors (CABB)
CABB was a mixed-method, multi-reporter study of the positive development of students in 5th through 12th grades, with a specific focus on character development, role models and other important relationships, and civic attitudes and engagement. Data collection took place over the course of four waves between March 2015 and April 2017. CABB includes data from adolescents, their parents/guardians, and adult staff members at their schools (e.g., teachers, coaches, school administrators).
Publications from CABB have provided researchers and practitioners with important information about character role models (Johnson et al., 2016), including famous character role models (Hammond et al., 2022); youth character strengths (Lerner et al., 2020) and their associations with civic actions (Kim et al., 2025); as well as civic assets and engagement among diverse young people (Le et al., 2024; Suzuki et al., 2022).
Johnson, S. K., Buckingham, M. H., Morris, S. L., Suzuki, S., Aymong, C. C., Weiner, M. B., Hershberg, R. M., Fremont, E., Batanova, M., Bowers, E. P., Lerner, J. V., & Lerner, R. M. (2016). Adolescents鈥� character role models: Exploring who young people look up to as examples of how to be a good person. Research in Human Development, 13(2), 126鈥�141.聽聽 聽
Johnson, S. K., Weiner, M. B., Callina, K. S., & Tirrell, J. M. (2018). Configurations of young people鈥檚 important life goals and their associations with thriving. Research in Human Development, 15(2), 139 - 166.聽
Lerner, J. V., Wong, C. C., Weiner, M. B., & Johnson, S. K. (2021). Profiles of adolescents鈥� character attributes: Associations with intentional self-regulation and character role model relationships. Journal of Moral Education, 50(3), 293 - 316.聽
Johnson, S. K., Odjakjian, K. O., & Park, Y. (2022). I am whatever I say I am: The salient identity content of U.S. adolescents. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 32(2), 737 - 755.
Suzuki, S., Morris, S. L., & Johnson, S. K. (2022). Profiles of civic assets and relations with civic actions among U.S. youth of color. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 83, 101476.聽
Johnson, S. K. & Ettekal, A.V. (2023). The Five Cs of Positive Youth Development: Configurations of thriving in four U.S. adolescent samples. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 33(2), 656-679.聽
Le, T., Johnson, S. K., & Lerner, J. V. (2023). Exploring moderators of the relationship between adolescents鈥� social responsibility and civic actions. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 33(2),391 鈥� 405.聽
Hammond, A. B., Johnson, S. K., Weiner, M. B., & Lerner, J. V. (2024). From Taylor Swift to MLK: Understanding adolescents鈥� famous character role models. Journal of Moral Education, 53 (1), 157-175.聽
Le, T. U., Johnson, S. K., & Lerner, J. V. (2024). The apple doesn鈥檛 fall far from the tree: Longitudinal relationships among American adolescents鈥� civic engagement and family and school characteristics. Applied Developmental Science, 28(3), 302-322.聽
Kim, E., Le, T. U., Johnson, S. K., & Lerner, J. V. (2025). Longitudinal associations between adolescents鈥� character attributes and civic actions. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 54(2), 326-338.聽
Suzuki, S., Marchand, A. D., & Johnson, S. K. (2025). The role of parents' and adolescents' critical reflection in the development of white youths' commitments to dismantling oppression. Journal of Research on Adolescence, (1), e1305.聽