About

Darlene Locke is an Associate Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Agricultural Education, Leadership, and Communications at Texas A&M University. Her academic background includes a B.S. in Agricultural Education from Texas A&M University, an M.Ag. in Horticulture from the same institution, and an Ed.D. in Agricultural Education from Texas A&M University and Texas Tech University. Her areas of expertise encompass cultural immersion, positive youth development, and professional development for youth practitioners. Her professional focus is on youth development and the professional development of youth practitioners, with a particular emphasis on coordinating programs such as the International 4-H Youth Exchange (IFYE) and Global Citizenship Programs for Texas 4-H Youth Development. Since 2015, she has generated over $1 million in grants and user fees to support Extension educational programs. Her research and teaching aim to enhance youth program experiences through innovative approaches such as experiential design, reflection, and immersion, contributing to the field through her publications and program leadership.

Research topics

• Political Science
• Developmental psychology
• Psychology
• Social psychology
• Advertising
• Ecology

Selected publications

• Enhancing Youth Learning Outcomes of Travel Programs through Storytelling

  Journal of Human Sciences and Extension · 2025-12-01

  articleOpen access

  We conducted two studies to evaluate strategies that Extension educators may use to enrich youth travel program experiences. Study 1 evaluated the effects of telling stories about attractions before site visits on youth experiences and learning outcomes on site. Seventeen youth in a 4-H program designed to promote cultural understanding visited eight attractions in Costa Rica. The evening before visiting three sites, youth were told a fictional or cross-fictional story about the sites. The stories elicited imaginary travel to the site (narrative transportation). After visiting the sites, the youth reported the extent to which they felt like they were in a story (narrative re-visitation) while on-site. They also reported their anticipated impact of learning experiences on one of the program’s learning outcomes. Narrative transportation significantly increased narrative re-visitation. Both factors significantly increased the anticipated impact on learning outcomes. In Study 2, 35 4-H youth visited 12 agricultural sites in the Western U.S. and Canada. Three experimental conditions were created by an Extension educator: vastness emphasized via educator comments, vastness not emphasized, and baseline. The two treatment conditions produced greater awe than baseline. The relation between awe and anticipated impact on learning outcomes was significant.

  PublisherDOI

• Sparks and Developmental Outcomes in Out-of-School Time Programs: Emipirical Evidence and Theory Development

  Journal of Youth Development · 2025-01-01

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  We examined relations among select components of the 4-H Thriving Model, focusing on youth sparks and four presumed determinants: program quality, developmental relationships, situational engagement, and dosage. Based on our results and results of previous studies, we propose a formal theory of youth program sparks. Three hundred fifty-six Texas 4-H youth from a variety of 4-H programs state-wide completed a questionnaire measuring sparks, program quality, developmental relationships, situational engagement, and 4-H program dosage. We measured two indicators of thriving: growth mindset and hopeful purpose. Sixty-eight percent of study participants reported being female, 28% reported being male, 1% reported being nonbinary/third gender, and .28% indicated being transgender. School grade levels ranged from sixth grade (n = 4) to “graduated from high school” (n=21). We found significant linear relations between sparks and three determinants: program quality, developmental relationships, and situational engagement. The relation between sparks and dosage was curvilinear. We found significant linear relations between sparks and thriving. Combined with results of previous studies, we propose a theory of youth program sparks. Using Zetterberg’s (1965) framework for theory construction, we propose scientific (Aristotelian) definitions of key concepts and propositions about relations among those concepts. The theory provides a basis for future research that can inform youth development policy.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A Labeled Magnitude Scale for Evaluating Recreation Youth Program Experiences

  Journal of Park and Recreation Administration · 2025-03-20

  article

  We created a labeled magnitude scale (LMS) for evaluating youth recreation experiences. A LMS is a questionnaire using an item response format in which linguistic amplifiers are located at empirically determined locations along the continuum to assist respondents in making decisions about where to place their ratings. Youth attending a residential camp (n=117) judged magnitudes of “not at all,” “very,” “quite,” “slightly,” “pretty,” “greatly,” and “extremely” using two modalities: hand dynamometer pressure and line drawing length. We calculated magnitudes and created an immersion LMS questionnaire by positioning the amplifiers at their respective locations along a graphic continuum, preceded by a description of immersion. Using the LMS, we evaluated immersion of 142 campers in a subsequent session in kayaking, ropes course, and archery. The LMS discriminated among immersion during the three activities and avoided halo effects, which are common to Likert-type response formats. Results suggest LMS can improve measurement of experiences.

  PublisherDOI

• Youth Sparks via 4-H: Relations with Program Quality, Dosage, and Involvement

  Journal of Human Sciences and Extension · 2024-04-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Using a statewide sample of participants in 4-H programs, we tested associations among youth sparks, program quality, program dosage, and four types of involvement (breadth of participation in out-of-school-time beyond 4-H, scope of learning strategies, degree of specialization, and cumulative program immersion). Participants were 180 Texas 4-H alumni who graduated from high school in 2013 and 2014 and had two or more years of involvement in Texas 4-H programs. Data were collected via an electronic questionnaire based on a database of former Texas 4-H members. Twelve hypotheses were tested, linking program quality to sparks through indirect and direct relations. Eleven of the twelve hypotheses were supported. Program quality had a strong direct relation to sparks (b = .41). Direct relations between sparks and the facets of immersion were also found (b = .31 for the degree of specialization in one of Texas 4-H’s program areas and b = .27 for cumulative program immersion). Indirect associations were also significant. Dosage (years in Texas 4-H) was not significantly related to sparks.

  PublisherDOI

• Youth development travel programs: Facilitating engagement, deep experience, and “sparks” through self-relevance and stories

  Journal of Leisure Research · 2024-01-10 · 9 citations

  article

  We conducted two studies as part of Texas 4-H educational travel programs. Both were directed at evaluating strategies adult 4-H professionals might use to increase youth engagement, facilitate deep experience, and potentially influence development of enduring interests, referred to as "sparks" in the youth development literature. Deep experience was defined as a subjective state with characteristics much like flow but occurring in the context of attentional focus on a story. In Study 1, thirty youth participated in tours at Hawaiian sites. Five adult 4-H professionals evaluated tour guides' use of stories while the youth participants measured engagement, deep experience, and the anticipated impact of each tour on their sparks. Study 2, conducted in Costa Rica, was similar to Study 1, but we also implemented self-relevance-eliciting techniques. Story use and self-relevance elicitation increased engagement, engagement increased deep experience, and deep experience increased youth anticipation that an interest (spark) would increase.

  PublisherDOI

• Youth Leadership Development in the 4-H Foods and Nutrition Program

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2024-01-01

  preprintOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Youth leadership development in the 4-H Foods and Nutrition program

  Children and Youth Services Review · 2024-09-30

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Academic Performance of Texas 4-H Alumni

  Journal of Human Sciences and Extension · 2023-09-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Academic achievement is one of the central outcomes targeted by all major models of youth development. Youth who succeed academically are well-positioned to thrive through meaningful careers, positions of community leadership, and fulfilling personal and family lives (Arnold, 2018). As such, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) has established a set of ambitious goals for the postsecondary education of Texas youth. Almost in tandem with the establishment of these goals, outcomes of academic achievement in relation to membership in Texas 4-H have become a keen interest for stakeholders. Through our study, we compared postsecondary academic achievement of Texas 4-H Alumni who graduated from high school in 2013, 2014, and 2015 against the Texas population. Data sources included the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC), the THECB, and an online survey. Results found that Texas 4-H alumni substantially outperformed the population of Texas higher education students on completion rates, baccalaureate graduation rates, marketable skills, student debt, ACT scores, and dual credit enrollment. To provide further direction and context, opportunities for Texas 4-H to build upon this success are provided in the recommendations section.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Assessment of Foods and Nutrition Competencies in Adolescents

  PsycTESTS Dataset · 2023-01-01

  dataset
  PublisherDOI

• Assessing Foods and Nutrition Competencies in Youth

  Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior · 2023-05-01 · 2 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Gary D. Ellis

  Texas A&M University

  23 shared

• Montza Williams

  Clemson University

  22 shared

• Jingxian Jiang

  Nanjing Medical University

  13 shared

• Alexandra Skrocki

  11 shared

• Kyle Merten

  Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi

  9 shared

• Kelli Lehman

  Vernon College

  9 shared

• Meredith Carter

  College Station Medical Center

  9 shared

• Kaylee Jorgensen

  9 shared

Awards & honors

• Meeker Endowed Lecture Series
• Dr. Chris and Dr. Joe Townsend ’67 Chair in Leadership Educa…