Study of Promising After-School Programs: Follow-Up

Investigators: Deborah Lowe Vandell, Kim Pierce, Gil Conchas
Researchers: Andrea Karsh, Leticia Oseguera, Estela Zarate, Claudia Pineda
Graduate Student Researchers: Femi Vance, Briana Hinga
Funding: C. S. Mott Foundation

The follow-up to the Study of Promising After-School Programs comprises three studies. One study is a long-term follow-up with the student participants, who were in Grades 3, 4, 6, and 7 when the earlier study started. We collected surveys from the students and obtained information from their school records. With these data, we will examine the long-term impacts of program participation on student outcomes in Grades 8, 9, 11, and 12 (achievement test scores, grades, school attendance, work habits, task persistence, misconduct, substance use, school engagement, and expectations for the future). We also will look at current activity participation and peer group characteristics.

The second study is a qualitative examination of students' experiences in after-school programs. We conducted follow-up interviews with a subsample of Latino/a youth from the Study of Promising After-School Programs. The students were asked to describe and reflect on their experiences in the promising programs and in other activities. The interviews are now being coded and offer one of the first systematic investigations of the after-school experiences of Latino/a youth.

The third study is a quantitative examination of the features of after-school programs that support student outcomes. We will examine relations among specific structural and process features of the programs and relate these features to students' academic, social, psychological, and behavioral development. We expect that our findings will inform the research and policy communities about specific components of programs that are more strongly associated with positive developmental outcomes for children and youth.

For more information about this study, visit http://childcare.gse.uci.edu/