Afterschool Activities as Contexts for the Development of Peer Relationships

1
After-school Activities as Contexts for
theDevelopment of Peer Relationships
Interpersonal CompetencePromises and Problems

• Joseph L. Mahoney
• Department of Psychology
• Yale University
• Learning with Excitement
• Harvard University
• October 3, 2003

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Key Features that Promote Positive Development

• Physical and Psychological Safety
• Appropriate Structure
• Supportive Relationships
• Opportunities for Belonging
• Positive Social Norms
• Support for Efficacy and Mattering
• Opportunity for Skill Building
• Integration of Family, School, Community

Source Eccles Gootman (2002)
3
Structured After-school Activities are Often High
in these Key Features

• Voluntary
• Meet Regularly
• Led by an Adult
• Emphasize Skill Building
• Aim to Promote Positive Development

4
Selection to Participate in an After-school
Activity Setting also
Selects Extent of Involvement in Other
After-school Settings
Selects Opportunities to Develop the Skills
Values Afforded by the Setting
Selects Type, Frequency, and Quality of Social
Interactions with Adults

• Selects Type, Frequency, and Quality of Social
  Interactions with Peers
• Partially Determines the Peer Group

NOT INHERENTLY POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE
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After-school Activities May Be Ideal Settings to
Promote and Maintain Peer Relationships
PROPINQUITY
INITIAL SIMILARITY BASED ON A COMMON INTEREST
INCREASING SIMILARITY THROUGH SOCIAL INTERCHANGES
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Intraclass Correlations Middle School Activity
Participation 8th Grade Social Networks
Band .24 Basketball .28 Cheerleading .41
(girls) Chorus .21 Football .32
(boys) Student Council .11
plt.01, plt.001
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Relationship Ties Among Cheerleaders
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Relationship Ties Among Matched
Counterparts(school, gender, grade, race, SES)
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Supporting Qualitative Evidence
Interviewer Who all hangs around together at
school? Michael (grade 11) Theres always
several different groups. Um, the sports
teamsthe girls tennis team, the cheerleaders,
the basketball team all seem to have their
groups. A lot of people in the BETA club hang
around other BETA club members. A lot of people
in F.F.A. hang around together. Interviewer
That kind of determines it? Michael Clubs,
clubs, clubs and sports determine a lot of things
like that.
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School Dropout

Multiple Problems
Aggressive Risk
Sources Mahoney (1997 2000)
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School Dropout

Extracurricular Activity Involvement
Sources Mahoney (1997 2000)
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Peers and School Dropout
Percentage
Neither
Peers Only
Individual Only
Both
Individual Peer Activity Involvement
Source Mahoney (2000)
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NeededProcess-oriented, Longitudinal Studies
Changes in Peer Relationships Status
Parental Beliefs, Values, Encouragement
Mentoring
Structured After-school Activity Participation
Interpersonal Competence
Individual Competence
School Attachment
Peer Influence
Parent-Child Relations
Neighborhood Demographic Factors
Sources Mahoney, Cairns, Farmer (2003)
Mahoney, Larson, Eccles Lord (in press)
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A Question from Greg Pettit

• Although after-school programs may present
  potential benefits, what are the likely impacts
  of poorly supervised after-school programs, or
  poor interactions among adults or peers within
  these programs? What are the implications?

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Peer Relationships in Less Structured
After-school Activities?
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Guiding Philosophy of the Youth Centers
(Metro News - February 1999)
Nearly half of Stockholms youth are not members
in an organization. The youth centers do not
compete with the organized activities. Youth
have the right not to do something in
particular. The centers should be available for
youth who dont want to do anything special
just to meet with peers, drink coffee, and chat
a little bit. Without our centers, the
alternative for these youth is to hang out on
the streets and city squares.
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Whats important is that there are people with
life experience that supervise the youth centers.
They dont need much of a pedagogy. Here one
can meet and be with peers, and maybe even fall
in love. That is the fundamental purpose of the
youth centers.
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Characteristics of the Youth Centers

• Open from Afternoon to 1100pm
• Boys Girls Participate
• Ages 13 to 19
• Serve Many Adolescents
• Few Adults to Supervise
• Many Youth are At-Risk
• Few Structured Activities

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High Risk Youth are Over-Represented at the Youth
Centers
Proportion
19
24
17
17
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Age 10 Adjustment Pattern
Source Mahoney, Stattin, Magnusson (2001)
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Youth Center Participation and Criminal Arrests
(ages 13-30)
2 to 3
No. of Arrests
1
Mean
0
Age 10 Adjustment Pattern
Source Mahoney, Stattin, Magnusson (2001)
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Violent BehaviorGrades 8 to 9
ONCE OR TWICE
Frequency
NEVER
Became Involved in the Youth Centers During Grade
9?
Source Mahoney, Stattin, Lord (under review)
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Property OffendingGrades 8 to 9
ONCE OR TWICE
Frequency
NEVER
Became Involved in the Youth Centers During Grade
9?
Source Mahoney, Stattin, Lord (under review)
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Substance UseGrades 8 to 9
ONCE OR TWICE
Frequency
NEVER
Became Involved in the Youth Centers During Grade
9?
Source Mahoney, Stattin, Lord (under review)
24
VandalismGrades 8 to 9
ONCE OR TWICE
Frequency
NEVER
Became Involved in the Youth Centers During Grade
9?
Source Mahoney, Stattin, Lord (under review)
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Once Involved, Youth Center Attendees Had Peers
Who More Often
Older
Stayed Out Late at Night
Had Been Arrested by the Police
The Combination of Older, Deviant Peers May Be
Especially Problematic for Girls
Sources Mahoney Stattin (2000) Stattin et al.
(in press) Persson et al. (under review)
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Do We Know Better?
For Recreation, Just Give Them a Hangout!
-Wallingford, CT Newspaper (April 12, 2000)
Unstructured Night Rec Programs Expanding
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What are the Implications for DevelopingEffective
After-school Activities?

• Characteristics of Youth Served
• Gender, Age, Behavior/Competence
• Maturity, Interests, Needs, Values

• Involvement of Activity Leaders
• Supervision/Monitoring
• Mentoring
• Guidance/Support

• Appropriateness of the Activities
• Desirable
• Purposeful
• Challenging

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Question

• What can be done to encourage a better link
  between research and practice?
• (The Swedish Centers Know About Our Findings But
  Have Not Changed)