Volunteer educators bring their own ideas about effective teaching to a 4-H curriculum

other out-of-school youth programs, relies heavily on volunteers to extend its reach with youth clientele. Volunteers serve as the direct educator to youth, and thus are often described as the “heart and soul of 4-H” (Radhakrishna and Ewing 2011). Not enough is known about when and how 4-H volunteer educators change their pedagogical practices. The educational value of design-based science teaching, for example, is an emerging pedagogical model (e.g., Apedoe and Schunn 2013); it is learner-centered and has shown success in school environments when facilitated by trained teachers (e.g., Kolodner et al. 2003), but there is limited empirical study of its applicability when facilitated by volunteers. Adults fulfilling volunteer positions bring diverse experiences, abilities and values; they “come from all walks of life, bringing varied and rich experiences to the 4-H program” (Radhakrishna and Ewing 2011). Some may identify as a content expert, others with youth development experience, but many lack competence or confidence in implementing a learner-centered educational approach (Chi et al. 2013; Kaslon et al. 2005). Regardless of experience and abilities, volunteers serving in an educator role develop programs, select and adapt curriculum, and facilitate activities (Fritz et al. 2003; White and Arnold 2003); thus their pedagogical practices become primary contributors to program quality and, ultimately, youth outcomes. While the literature on volunteer educator pedagogical practices is broad, varied and incomplete, researchers agree the volunteer educator role is complex RESEARCH ARTICLE