Appendix B YEARS Research Questions, Data Sources, and Respondents

Appendix B: YEARS Research Questions, Data Sources, and Respondents*
	Pre- existing Grantee data	Web-based staff survey	Semi-structured interviews	Program observation
Research Topic 1: HMRE Program and Partner Characteristics and Settings (Objective 1)
What types of organizations provide HMRE programming for youth (school and non-school settings)?	X	D
Why do organizations offer HMRE programs for youth?			P, D
Why do schools choose to partner with grantees to provide HMRE programs?			P, D
Why do partner organizations in non-school settings choose to provide HMRE programs for youth?			P, D
What are the benefits, if any, to a partner organization that provides an HMRE program?			P, D
How do partner organizations find out about HMRE programs for youth?			P, D
Which person, or group of people, is involved in making the decision to offer an HMRE program?			P, D
How is a specific HMRE program chosen over other HMRE programs, or over other types of youth-serving programs?			P, D
Where does funding for HMRE programs for youth come from?	X	D	D
How many programs are operating with supplemental non-OFA funding?	X	D
What other entities or organizations are funding grantees?	X	D	D
What proportion of program funds are spent serving youth?	X
How do services for youth vary by the type of partner organization offering the program (school vs. non-school settings)?	X	D, F	D, F
How do the target populations of HMRE programs vary by program setting (Who is served in schools? Who is served in non-school settings? Where do older youth participate)?	X	D, F
What are the benefits, if any, of providing programming for youth in a non-school setting?			D, F
What services, if any, do non-school settings uniquely provide?			D, F
Which populations can non-school settings best reach?			D, F
What are some of the successes and challenges to providing this programming to youth in school settings?			D, F
What are some of the successes and challenges to providing HMRE programming to youth in non-school settings?			D, F
How do partner organizations decide to offer HMRE programs for youth in communities where other youth development programs may be available?			P, D
When HMRE programs for youth are provided concurrently with other youth development programs, is there competition or collaboration?			D, F
Research Topic 2: Youth Characteristics (Objective 1)
How many youth (aged 14-24) are served by HMRE programs?	X
Do HMRE programs serve older youth, younger youth, a combination, or something else?	X	D	D, F
What proportion of participants are 14-17 years old?	X	D	D, F
What proportion of participants are 18-24 years old?	X	D	D, F
Do HMRE programs distinguish between youth and older adults in program activities?	X	D	D, F
What are the demographic characteristics (e.g., gender, race/ethnicity, relationship status) of youth being served?	X	D	D, F
Are grantees serving the populations of youth they originally intended to serve?	X	D	D, F
How many grantees serve more disadvantaged populations, such as youth in foster care, racial/ethnic minority youth (including AI/AN populations), pregnant and parenting youth, and unemployed youth?	X		D, F
Research Topic 3: Program Implementation (Objectives 2+3)
What implementation practices are commonly being used across HMRE grantees?		D, F	F	X
What program curricula/approaches/service delivery approaches and strategies are being used?	X	D, F	F	X
Are these curricula and approaches age-appropriate? Are the curricula developmentally appropriate?	X	D, F	F	X
What are the primary goals or expected outcomes for youth in HMRE programs?	X	D, F	D, F
Do the curricula being delivered address these goals?			F	X
What topics are being addressed by the curricula being used?	X	D, F	F	X
If programs are serving more disadvantaged populations, are any using curricula or approaches that have been adapted to be culturally appropriate?			F
Which populations? Which curricula and why? How are the curricula or approaches adapted?			F
What are the characteristics of programs that make them culturally appropriate and help them better serve at-risk youth?			F
What are the characteristics of a culturally competent (e.g., sensitive to LGBTQ youth, minority youth, youth in complex families, community context, etc.) youth-serving HMRE program?			D, F	X
What strategies are used to recruit youth? How do the strategies differ between school and non-school settings?	X	D, F	D, F
What strategies are used for engaging and retaining youth in HMRE programs? How do the strategies differ between school and non-school settings?	X	D, F	D, F	X
Does recruiting and retaining at-risk youth look different from recruiting and retaining other groups?			D, F
How do HMRE programs for youth align with HMRE funding and legislation requirements?	X
How do HMRE grantees align program implementation with the needs and characteristics of their target populations?	X		D, F
How does community context (e.g., socioeconomic status, funding structure, local infrastructure) influence HMRE grantees’ implementation?		D	D, F
What role do community partners play, if any, in establishing HMRE programs for youth in schools or non-school settings and in providing services?	X	D, F	D	X
What role does technology play in programs and how they are delivered?		D, F	F	X
How is technology used to recruit and retain participants?		D, F	F	X
How is technology incorporated into program activities?		D, F	F	X
To what extent are HMRE programs for youth aligned with assessment criteria identified for best practices in the field? For example:	X	D, F	D, F	X
Is the curricula content aligned with best practices identified in the field?	X	D, F	F	X
Are best practices being used in the delivery of program activities?	X	D, F	F	X
Are best practices being used to create a positive group climate for effective program delivery?	X	D, F	F	X
Do staff exhibit the attributes and skills necessary for successful implementation?	X	D, F	D, F	X
Are organizational practices aligned with best practices for implementation?	X	D, F	D, F	X
What specific areas of programming are well aligned with best practices? What areas are not well aligned?	X	D, F	D, F	X

*D=Program Director/Administrator; F= Program Facilitator; P=Partner organization/provider

Note. Pre-existing grantee data provides information about programming that occurred between October 2013-September 2014 and October 2014-September 2015. Web-based staff survey data provides information about programming October 2014-September 2015. Semi-structured interviews provide information about programming that is current to the interviews (i.e., Spring 2016). The research questions listed in this table do not reflect the actual items included in the data collection instruments. Each instrument consists of a unique set of questions, even if they address the same research topic or broad research question.

Appendix B: YEARS Research Questions, Data Sources, and Respondents
Page 5