Effects of Participation in After-School Programs for Middle School Students: A Randomized Trial

Abstract

This study assessed the effects of attending an after-school program (ASP) on a range of outcomes for middle school youths. The program operated for 9 hr per week for 30 weeks and included attendance monitoring and reinforcement, academic assistance, a prevention curriculum, and recreational programming. Participants were 447 students randomly assigned either to the ASP or to after-school activities as usual. Program attendance was sporadic. Although treatment students experienced increased exposure to ASPs relative to controls, nearly all youth in both groups reported participating in some organized activity during the after-school hours, and the number of different activities in which youths reported being involved did not differ across groups. Participation in the treatment reduced time spent with friends with no adults present during the after-school hours. No differences between treatment and control youths were found on measures of conduct problems, academic performance, school attendance, or any of the intermediate behaviors and attitudes targeted. The study replicates findings from the national evaluation of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program for middle school students using a more rigorous research design.     

Low-Income Children's After-School Care: Are There Beneficial Effects of After-School Programs?

4 types of after-school care (formal after-school programs, mother care, informal adult supervision, and self-care) were examined for 216 low-income children ( M age = 9.1 years). After-school care was associated with maternal education, race, and family income but not with child gender, family marital status', neighborhood safety, or parenting style. When maternal education, race, and family income were controlled, attending a formal after-school program was associated with better academic achievement and social adjustment in comparison to other types of after-school care. Children's activities and experiences also varied in different after-school settings. Children in formal programs spent more time in academic activities and enrichment lessons and less time watching TV and playing outside unsupervised than other children. They also spent more time doing activities with peers and adults and less time with siblings than did other children. The time that children spent in these activities was correlated with their academic and conduct grades, peer relations, and emotional adjustment.     

Highlights of the Chicago convention (August 30 ‐ Sept. 3, 1975)

Homework does not always occur at home. With the perceived demand for higher academic performance has come an increase in the amount and complexity of assigned homework. Given the number of parents who work outside the home, and the need for safe and structured after-school activities, after-school programs have become a venue for helping students with their homework. This article examines the potential of after-school homework-assistance programs within the larger context of after-school programs in general. There is limited data on the outcomes associated with programs that offer homework assistance. The data suggest that after-school homework-assistance programs can serve a protective function for children at-risk for school failure, particularly those who do not have other structured after-school activities or those whose parents do not speak English at home. In general, the availability of homework assistance at home, the quality of the after-school homework program and the nature of the homework assigned will mediate the effect of these programs. Questions for future implementation and evaluation efforts are raised.     

学科视域中的校外教育理论建设

中国校外教育机构现已初步形成了覆盖全国县级行政单位的网络体系和制度安排,但因自身定位的不明晰,教育功能难以实现。故应明晰校外教育概念,阐释学科建设立场,坚持学术自觉,做到体系建构与问题取向相融,整体研究与类型研究并重,学理意识与方法意识兼顾。以此为基础,在学科视域中解释校外教育实践,开展校外教育理论建设,构建真正意义上的校外教育理论体系。这既是校外教育建设的重要选择,也是教育理论工作者的责任和使命。     

An ecological analysis of after-school program participation and the development of academic performance and motivational attributes for disadvantaged children

This longitudinal study evaluated after-school program (ASP) participation and the development of academic performance (school grades, reading achievement) and teacher-rated motivational attributes (expectancy of success, effectance motivation) over a school year. Participants were 599 boys and girls (6.3 to 10.6 years) from an urban, disadvantaged city in the United States. An ecological analysis of after-school arrangements identified 4 patterns of care: ASP care, parent care, combined parent/self-sibling care, and combined other-adult/self-sibling care. Aspects of academic performance and motivational attributes were significantly higher (p<.05) at the end of the school year for children in ASP care compared with those in the 3 alternative patterns of care. Differences were marked for children rated as highly engaged in ASP activities.     

大学生课余生活满意度的实证研究——以四川省某普通高校为例

以四川省某普通高校950个样本为例,对大学生课余生活满意度进行了分析研究。结果表明：当前大学生的课余生活满意度处于基本满意状态;课余生活质量处于较低水平;性别、年级、专业和学习成绩等个人基本属性,以及父母的婚姻状况、文化程度等家庭基本属性都影响着大学生的课余生活满意度。     

Arts involvement predicts academic achievement only when the child has a musical instrument

We examined the associations between academic achievement and arts involvement (access to a musical instrument for the child at home, participation in unspecified after-school arts activities) in a sample of 2339 11–12-year-olds surveyed in the USA between 1998 and 2008. We compared the contributions of these variables to other kinds of cognitive stimulation at home (e.g. books), participation in after-school sports, and socioeconomic factors. Involvement in after-school arts was positively related to academic achievement only for those children who also reported access to a musical instrument. Access to a musical instrument predicted academic achievement independently of socioeconomic status. We consider the possibilities that the results may be indicative of differing parental attitudes in homes with musical instruments and/or a causal link between instrumental music learning and academic achievement.     

Effects of an Animal-Assisted Intervention on Reading Skills and Attitudes in Second Grade Students

Reading skills are an important component of academic success for school-age youth, and are associated with increased academic performance and positive attitudes about school. The presence of an animal appears to reduce stress during reading. Therefore, the goal of this study was to assess the feasibility and effects of a 6-week after-school canine-assisted reading program in a public elementary school setting. Second-grade students were randomized to either an intervention group (n?=?14) in which they read to a registered therapy dog for 30 min once weekly for 6 weeks or a control group (n?=?14) with a standard classroom curriculum. Children’s reading skills were assessed biweekly and attitudes about reading were assessed pre- and post-intervention. The 6-week after-school canine-assisted reading program was feasible. Reading skill scores did not change significantly for either group. Although scores on recreational reading attitudes also did not change significantly for either group, the academic reading attitudes scores increased significantly in the intervention group (p?=?.002), but not in the control group (p?=?.06). These results support the benefits of an animal-assisted intervention for child literacy on children’s attitudes about reading and can inform future programs evaluating reading programs that include dogs.     

阳西高中生英语成绩差异的调查研究

采用问卷调查法,随机对阳西两所高中部分学生英语学习成绩差异进行调查。结果显示:英语成绩处于中间水平的人数最多,达77.6%,分数分布接近正态;口语、听力、语法、阅读发展极不平衡;影响英语成绩的主要因素有性别、城乡差异、父母文化程度、学习兴趣、是否参加辅导班、课余用于英语的学习时间和教师的教学方法等。     

The Importance and Difficulty of Disciplined Adherence to the Educational Reform Model

Policymakers, researchers, educators, parents, and citizens alike recognize the need for quality programs that address the pressing developmental and learning needs of our youth, particularly those most at risk. Community-based youth programs are being viewed increasingly as a productive means to facilitate the successful physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development of adolescents (Girod, Martineau, &; Zhao, 2004). To address the challenges of growing up in unhealthy environments where high-risk behaviors such as smoking, drinking, experimentation with drugs, physical violence, and unprotected sex can lead to profound negative outcomes, carefully organized and supervised after-school programs have been developed to provide a positive alternative to such problematic adolescent activity (Riggs &; Greenberg, 2004). Notwithstanding, research evidence of program effectiveness—academic and otherwise—is scant, which sets the stage for underresearched after-school programs to be eyed with greater fiscal scrutiny.     

挽救放学后的童年——解析美国中小学课外计划

美国青少年课后生活的＂家长缺席＂现象愈发严重,使得他们面临空前的成长危机。为此,美国教育部门提出中小学课外计划,旨在保障学生的学业进步、安全和健康,促进家庭与社区的参与。计划的主要形式包括日间看护项目、21世纪社区学习中心以及其他种类的活动。虽然计划已经取得巨大进展,但仍然存在一些障碍。将学生课外生活纳入教育体系中是我国亟待解决的问题,美国的经验对能够为我国提供一些启示。     

After-School Pursuits,Ethnicity, and Achievement for 8th- and 10th-Grade Students

Abstract

The purpose of this article was to examine students' after-school pursuits in a categorization framework and to consider the association of the pursuits with achievement after disaggregating the data by ethnicity. Student pursuits were categorized as in- or out-of-school, academic or nonacademic, organized or unorganized instead of simply in or out of school. For example, varsity football would be categorized as in-school, nonacademic, organized. A sample of 8,305 8th- and 10th-grade students who were enrolled in both years and had complete data was drawn from the National Education Longitudinal Study (1988) data set. The authors used multiple regression to analyze the models by ethnic background and found that different pursuits had differing levels of association after disaggregating by ethnicity. Also, classifying all after-school pursuits into 1 or 2 categories masked important differences in their associations with achievement.     

The impact of after-school programs on educational equality and private tutoring expenses

The purpose of this study was to examine how the implementation of after-school programs in Korea’s public schools is related to educational equality and private tutoring expenses. The analyzed data was from the Survey on the Status of Private Tutoring and the Study of the Policy Measures to Reduce Private Tutoring Expenses conducted by KEDI (Korea Education Development Institute) in (International conference for exploring the ways to activate the after-school program, KEDI, Seoul, 2007). The Chi-square test was employed to investigate (a) the relationship between after-school participation and family income and residential location of students (b) the association between after-school engagement and the reduction in private tutoring expenses. The study found that: (a) in general, low-income and rural students participated more than higher income and urban peers in after-school programs and (b) after-school participation was generally negatively associated with private tutoring engagement and the impact of after-school participation on the reduction in private tutoring expenses was stronger for low-income students in elementary and high schools and rural students in high schools. The overall findings provide further research issue regarding whether after-school programs can help foster educational equality by offering more opportunities for learning and achievement improvement for disadvantaged students. The results also imply the potential of after-school programs in reducing private tutoring expenses, particularly for low-income families.     

Primary school children’s beliefs associating extra-curricular provision with non-cognitive skills and academic achievement

ABSTRACT

This article focuses on the beliefs of primary school children aged 7–11 years in England concerning the impact of adult-led after-school extended provision (EP) on their development of non-cognitive skills (NCS). In responses to a questionnaire survey and focus group interviews, children were more positive than parents, teachers and school governors, believing EP enabled them to acquire numerous NCS, including most emotional intelligence competences, but excluding social skills related to locus of control. Findings support the argument that EP affording NCS development may enhance academic achievement, indicating that NCS development embedded in primary curricula may also benefit academic achievement.     

Social experiences of hearing-impaired high school youth

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the reasons why hearing-impaired students describe their high school experiences as positive or negative and to identify the specific classroom dynamics that contribute to or detract from social development. Data were collected from 49 hearing-impaired undergraduate students who were asked to describe their high school experiences on an open-ended questionnaire with a follow-up interview. The results indicated that graduates of residential programs described their social experiences significantly more positively than graduates of mainstream programs. Reasons included their teachers' ability to sign, socializing with friends and participation in after-school activities. Positive feelings in mainstream programs were associated with such factors as availability of supportive services, ability to voice and lipread, parent involvement, encouragement of interaction and deaf awareness by the teachers. Mainstream students who had the benefit of supportive services reported different perceptions of supportiveness of the academic environment and of teachers' expectations than did those who had no such services in high schools. Implications are drawn for the improved academic and social development of hearing-impaired high school students.     

课后服务的性质与课后服务的改进——基于我国小学“三点半难题”解决的思考

课后服务是为学生课后活动提供的服务,由政府经费补贴、学校酌情收费、教师获取适当劳酬的课后服务具有准公共产品属性。课后服务不仅具有解决小学“三点半难题”的本体价值,还具有预防校园欺凌、践行素质教育、保证教育公平的育人价值和增加人民幸福感、缓解社会矛盾的发展价值。我国已形成了学校、学校家委会、青少年校外教育场所和社区主导的四种课后服务基本方式,也存在部分地区未开展课后服务、服务性质定位不明确、服务主体权责不明、服务的教育功能彰显不够、课后服务配套缺失等问题。改进课后服务还需明确定性收费、建立公正合理的课后服务成本分担机制,重视发挥学校主渠道作用的同时积极鼓励社会力量参与,遵循自愿原则的同时对亟需服务群体给予优先保障,严格教育目标取向不断丰富课后服务内容与形式,加强课后服务过程管理与课后服务质量评估,健全课后服务统筹配套管理制度、整体联动化解课后服务难题。     

Hybrid literacy texts and practices in technology-intensive environments

US youths’ lives are increasingly divided between the academic requirements of school and immersion in new media and culture outside school. Educators can help bridge in-school and out-of-school literacy practices by encouraging students to engage with hybrid texts that draw on multiple modes of representation. In this paper, we analyze the ‘disconnect’ between academic literacy and new media, discuss the concept of hybridity as a way to bridge it, and provide a linguistically grounded analysis of students’ hybrids texts and practices in two technology-intensive learning environments: a digital storytelling project in an after-school university-community collaborative and a one-to-one laptop program in an urban school district.     

Teacher Evaluation in an Era of Educational Change

Teachers can help minority children close the academic achievement gap in intermediate and middle school by combining literacy instruction and content-area material. This connection improves reading achievement and increases curriculum knowledge, even if students have previously experienced difficulty with primary school reading. Fortunately, upper-elementary and middle-level learners are still naturally curious, are developing cognitively, and have acquired some basic reading skills. Teachers can therefore extend students' previous learning by using a spiral curriculum, in which curricular concepts are introduced at an appropriate level and then revisited at more challenging levels. Teachers can also increase the academic complexity for students by using strategies that include picture books, word recognition skills, intensive subject matter, vocabulary in a meaningful context, Readers Theater, and after-school activities.     

Effect of Students' After-School Activities on Teachers' Academic Expectancies

Teacher expectancies can have an impact on students' academic achievement. These expectancies can be based on diverse student characteristics, only one of which is past academic performance. The present study investigated three student individual differences that teachers may use when forming academic expectancies: the sex of the student, the family socioeconomic status (SES) of the student, and the student's after-school activities. Results indicated teachers held higher grade, graduation, and college attendance expectancies for females than for males and for middle-SES than low-SES students. Also, students who participated in extracurricular activities were expected to achieve more academically than either students who were employed after school or who did nothing after school. The latter two groups did not elicit different teacher expectancies. Interactions revealed that (a) lowest expectations were held for low-SES males who did nothing after school and (b) the difference in graduation expectancies between the SES groups was only half as great for students who took part in extracurricular activities than it was for students who had no involvements after school or who had jobs. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.