Research Shows Cub Scouting Has Positive Impacts on Children
A Boy Scouts of America program, the Cub Scouts, was created to teach young people how to make good moral and ethical decisions as they develop. Much of these values are embedded in the scouting laws, which dictate that scouts aspire to be courteous, kind, brave, loyal, friendly, and respectful, among other characteristics. Children who participate in the program also learn about thriftiness and cleanliness.
Research has shown that Cub Scout participation positively impacts the character development of children participating in the program. Cub Scouts eventually embody all these attributes through participating in grade-level activities, such as hiking, citizenship, sports, safety, and first aid. Each time the scout learns a skill associated with the activity, they earn a badge or a pin.
Usually, the child receives recognition for mastering these skills. This is important in instilling a sense of personal achievement and getting family members to understand the significance of the scouting activities and the badges/pins children earn.
Not only does the scouting program focus on child development, but it also integrates principles related to family and community within its mission. Regardless of the family arrangement, the Cub Scouts encourage family members to participate in their children's growth and development. Furthermore, it requires children to serve the neighborhood as a part of learning how these values play out in the real world.
With that said, research does support that this program does have positive impacts on children. In 2015, the John Templeton Foundation sponsored the research project that Tufts University conducted to see whether the program was effective or not. The project involved surveying 1,800 Cub Scouts and 400 non-Cub Scouts ages six to 12 in the Philadelphia area. The study used data and interviews to conclude the program.
The researchers discovered that at the beginning of the study, there were no character differences between the two groups. By the end, however, the study found marked differences in a few areas, leading them to conclude that Cub Scout participation positively impacts young children.
The study measured whether the children showed improvement by focusing on the attributes like hopefulness, helpfulness, obedience, cheerfulness, kindness, and trustworthiness. The study found that the more time the subjects spent in scouting activities, the children exhibited more positive character development outcomes. Scouts were more likely to welcome positive social values compared with children belonging to the group who did not participate in the program.
The study also revealed insights about Cub Scout attendance. Those scouts that regularly attended meetings had higher outcomes in all the targeted areas than those who did not consistently attend meetings.
More importantly, the participating cohort showed marked improvement across all targeted categories. Children who participated in the scouts’ program were more cheerful than children who did not. The bar graph reveals non-participants were less cheerful, obedient, and helpful by the end of the study.
Cub Scouts also showed improvement in hopefulness, kindness, and trustworthiness. While the children who did not participate in the program improved as well, they did not do so at the rate that the scouting group did.
Being a Cub Scout holds a host of benefits for young children. Some benefits are ample opportunities to engage in outdoor activities and nature, exposure to new experiences, necessary life skills, and setting and meeting goals.