How do I work this? A mixed‐methods evaluation of relationship education for high school youth

• Published date: 01 February 2024
• Author: Kay Bradford,Jennifer Harris,Raquel Boehme,Joshua J. Turner,Brian Higginbotham
• Date: 01 February 2024
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12916

RESEARCH

How do I work this? A mixed-methods evaluation

of relationship education for high school youth

Kay Bradford | Jennifer Harris | Raquel Boehme |

Joshua J. Turner | Brian Higginbotham

Department of Human Development &

Family Studies, Utah State University,

Logan, UT

Correspondence

Kay Bradford, Department of Human

Development & Family Studies at Utah State

University, 2705 Old Main, Logan, UT

84322-2705, USA.

Email: k.bradford@usu.edu

Funding information

Utah Department of Workforce Services

Abstract

Objective: Guided by social exchange theory, we used mixed

methods to examine youth romantic relationship concerns,

perceived gains from a relationship education curriculum,

and the extent to which the curriculum addressed adoles-

cents’concerns.

Background: Adolescents’relationships influence the health

of their future romantic relationships. Relationship educa-

tion is increasingly offered to youth in the United States,

but few studies examine how well these programs address

youth concerns.

Methods: Phenomenological content analysis was used to

analyze short-response qualitative data (n=267) about

romantic relationship concerns (pretest) and programmatic

gains (posttest). Themes were then compared to examine

how well the curriculum addressed youth concerns. Quanti-

tative pretest–posttest outcomes were also examined among

a larger sample (n=9,130). Complementarity was used to

consider qualitative and quantitative findings together.

Results: Participants’pretest concerns included relationship

knowledge (i.e., how, with whom, and when to have a rela-

tionship), and relationship risks (e.g., cheating, coercion).

Posttest themes suggested that program content largely

addressed participant s’concerns (i.e., increased knowledge,

ability to discern healthy and unhealthy relationships).

Quantitative analyses yielded significant changes in four

measures of participant attitudes pretest to posttest, with

increased relationship knowledge and healthier attitudes.

Author note: Funding for this project was provided, in part, by Utah Department of Workforce Services. Any opinions, findings,

conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the

Utah Department of Workforce Services. We express thanks to them, the educators, and the youth who participated in relationship

education courses.

Received: 4 May 2022 Revised: 6 February 2023 Accepted: 17 April 2023

DOI: 10.1111/fare.12916

© 2023 National Council on Family Relations.

340 Family Relations. 2024;73:340–358.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/fare

Conclusions: Youth perceived that relationship education

gave them tools that addressed their stated concerns; quan-

titative data suggest the program had its intended effect.

Implications: Youth relationship education is a positive

preventative intervention.

KEYWORDS

adolescents, mixed-methods, phenomenology, relationship education

Adolescents’peer and romantic relationships have impact on their well-being and on romantic

relationship quality into adulthood (Collins et al., 2009; Madsen & Collins, 2011; Manning

et al., 2014). Scholars have thus urged educators to prioritize relationship education for youth

as well as adults (Hawkins, 2018). Initial research suggests that such programs help youth

change faulty relationship beliefs, acquire healthy expectations, and build relationship skills

(Adler-Baeder et al., 2007; Brower et al., 2012; Rice et al., 2017). Questions remain, however,

as to how well such programs address the relationship concerns of adolescent participants

(Kanter, Lannin, Russell, & Yazedjian, 2021) and the perceived benefits of participation.

To shed light on these questions, we used social exchange theory to guide our mixed-

methods approach. We qualitatively examined (a) participant concerns about romantic rela-

tionships (characterized by closeness, emotionality, and intimacy; Shulman et al., 2011) and

(b) perceived gains from youth participation in a relationship education course (Premarital

Interpersonal Choices and Knowledge [PICK]; Van Epp, 2011); moreover, we (c) quantitatively

evaluated adolescent participants’understanding of key relationship concepts. The mixed-

methods approach of complementarity was used to consider qualitative and quantitative find-

ings together (DeCuir-Gunby, 2008). Mixed-methods approaches give voice to participants and

allow researchers to identify possible similarities and differences between quantitative and qual-

itative results (Creswell, 2013). In this study, a mixed-methods approach was used to elicit

youth voices relative to their own romantic relationship concerns, to ascertain their opinions on

how well the program addressed the concerns, and to examine outcomes of the course quantita-

tively among a larger sample. Such results may help inform practitioners on best practices, as

adolescent relationship education programs become more widely implemented.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK: SOCIAL EXCHANGE IN

RELATIONSHIP FORMATION

This study takes a social exchange perspective, with the basic assumptions that interactions are

characterized by rational choice and reciprocity and are based on perceived benefits and costs

(Smith & Hamon, 2022). Likewise, relationships are formed and develop according to assump-

tions based on personal values and social norms (Cropanzano & Mitchell, 2005). Adolescents’

relationship experiences (e.g., in family and peer settings) help shape their expectations of

exchange dynamics (Sabatelli et al., 2018). For example, positive appraisals of past and current

relationship exchanges may foster increased mutual trust, which in turn may strengthen rela-

tionship commitment (Nakonezny & Denton, 2008). The notion of comparison level—defined

as profitability of something against what a person feels is deserved—suggests that as past expe-

riences shape cost–benefit exchanges, these exchanges, in turn, shape ongoing relationship

expectations and actions (Sabatelli et al., 2018). An exchange perspective on youth relationship

education thus considers youth to be agentive, with perceptions that potentially shape the inter-

vention’s outcomes (Nakonenzy & Denton, 2008). For this reason, we examine adolescents’

concerns about romantic relationships, as well as perceived gains from their participation in a

RELATIONSHIP EDUCATION FOR HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH 341