Implications of out-of-school activities for school engagement in African American adolescents

Aryn M. Dotterer, Susan M. McHale, Ann C. Crouter

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

100 Scopus citations

Abstract

The connection between out-of-school activities and school engagement was examined in 140, 6th through 9th grade African American adolescents. Youth's out-of-school activities were measured with a series of 7 nightly phone calls and focused on time in structured (homework, academically-oriented, extracurricular/sports) and unstructured (watching television, hanging out with peers) activities. School engagement was assessed during a home interview in terms of affective (school bonding), behavioral (school grades), and cognitive (school self-esteem) dimensions. Regression analyses controlling for parents' education and youth grade in school showed that more time in extracurricular activities was associated with greater school self-esteem and school bonding. In addition, more time spent on homework was associated with greater school bonding for boys. Conversely, more time watching television was associated with lower school self-esteem and school bonding.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)391-401
Number of pages11
JournalJournal of youth and adolescence
Volume36
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2007

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Social Psychology
  • Education
  • Developmental and Educational Psychology
  • Social Sciences (miscellaneous)

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