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Saturday, September 28, 2019
After School Activities and the Effect on Student Academic Performance Essay
Due to an increase in concern surrounding the academic performance of students, a growth in the number of mothers working outside of the home and the risks surrounding children who are unsupervised after school a national concern has been raised as to the after school activities that captivate the students’ attention. As the result of numerous studies showed the manner in which students spend their time after school is dismissed significantly influenced the students’ behavior a number of after-school programs were created. In a study performed by the National Center for Education their findings showed the number of schools providing extended programs for elementary and middle school students increased drastically between 1987 and 1999, an increase from 16% to 47%. [1]       As the various research studies conducted focusing on after-school student activities, researchers began to report their findings surrounding the sudden implementation of school affiliated after school programs. Many reported results that not only showed an increase in academic achievement, they also revealed that as a result the safety of the children improved and an overall reduction in â€Å"negative behaviors such as drug and alcohol use†had occurred.  [1]  One study performed by White, Russell and Birmingham in 2004 reported that one afterschool program increased the overall student attendance and also had a positive impact on the scores students were receiving in mathematics, a subject that has proven to be a struggle to many students. There were studies; however that reported findings where no change as well as negative change had occurred. These reports however, were very few. [1]     Marzano’s study performed in 2003 uncovered 11 factors that afterschool activities influence student behavior, which were then divided into three categories – â€Å"school level practices, teacher-level practices and student-level characteristics.† School level practices involve policies and initiatives within the educational facility; teacher-level practices focus on the activities directly under the teacher’s control; and the student-level characteristics are items that are related to the student’s actual background. [2]     Marzano’s study found that the school and teacher level practices gave the institution and the educator the opportunity to focus on various improvements possible to improve the quality of education provided to the students. An interesting finding revealed that â€Å"only 20% of the variance in student achievement and that on a student-level characteristics account for an astounding 80%.†[2] As a result, educators came to the realization that in order to increase the level of impact on student achievement, educators must turn their focus on student-level characteristics, which consist of focusing on students’ â€Å"home environment, background knowledge and motivation.† [2] More specific, â€Å"educators can affect three factors of the home environment: parents’ communication with their child about schoolwork, parents’ supervision of their child’s homework, and parents’ communication of their expectations for academic achievement.† [2] Through the act of providing an education for parents and creating a â€Å"home away from home†for students, after school programs can have a positive influence on the overall success of their students in and out of the academic environment. [2]     Marzano suggested that educators should pay careful attention to the knowledge students have already obtained concerning their personal environment, as this has a significant impact on their success in the classroom. Specifically, â€Å"What students already know about academic content is one of the strongest indicators of how well they will learn new information.† [2] This study concluded that after school programs can stimulate improved academic performance if staff members developed methods â€Å"for enhancing students’ background knowledge include direct academic-oriented experiences; virtual experiences and vocabulary instruction.† [2]     Marzano’s study also stressed the benefits of the cultural exposure through fine art and museums as well as the Internet for students. Data revealed that by simply having access to â€Å"a computer and a high speed Internet connection, students can visit the Egyptian pyramids at Google Earth, investigate the science of skateboarding at the Exploratorium.edu or watch an Elephant Seal in action at NationalGraphic.com† without having to leave the building to gain exposure. [2] As many studies revealed, low income students stood to benefit from these activities the most, as the opportunity to experience such a wide range of activities was limited. Many parents who were economically challenged not only lacked the funds to provide certain extras for their children, such as an Internet connection, they lacked the educational background to convey their experiences. [2]     Sandra Hofferth and Zita Jankuniene conducted a study in 2001 that posed specific questions surrounding how students spent their time once school had been dismissed. The focus was placed on preadolescent students and investigated where students went after school and who they spent time with once they had arrived. The study revealed that students spend approximately 30% of their time free from obligations and supervision weekly and the activities performed during this time has been shown to have a profound impact on â€Å"their long-term achievement and social adjustment.† [3]     Hofferth and Jankuniene identified several factors that they feel should concern educators. One interesting fact uncovered was the fact that 73% of the children surveyed went directly home once school was dismissed and that the dominant activity these particular students performed was watching television. Two other common activities were reported from children who returned home after school were playing and reading, the statistics were divided equally between the two. Approximately 15% of the students studied reported participating in afterschool sports activities and 10% revealed that they engaged in â€Å"passive leisure,†which consisted of listening to music or sitting around without activity. [2] The students reported that they spent their time in an after-school program was revealed to be approximately 8% of the group studied. These students reported that they spent their time after school participating in sports, art activities, socializing with others and playing. Only 1% of students participating in after school programs reported that they watched television, as it was not easily accessed in this environment.  [3]     Once data was gathered and organized it revealed that the activities students reported varied, however some findings were consistent. Every student that took part in the study reported that a large percentage of time was spent at home,. Because of the extended time spent in their home environment, the majority of time he or she spent studying after school took place in the student’s home. In modern society this produces various implications, one of which is that both parents are most likely to work outside of the home and as a result the number of children spending their time at home after school is decreasing. As students’ time at home decreases, so does their time spent reading, which is â€Å"the activity most strongly and consistently associated with student achievement.† [3] Yet another implication identified was the fact that even if the focus on reading and studying took place in the presence of a parent, low income families where parents have less education are less likely to provide accurate attention to the student’s progress. Children from low income families were also found to be less likely to participate in organized activities, such as sports, that were not affiliated with the school. These children were found more likely to participate in structured activities if they were presented and organized by the public school system.  [3]     Researchers found that school-based programs provided a safe and supervised environment where students stand to benefit from organized activities that stimulate participation and attention to academic activities. One significant factor that educators face is the fact that as students grow older and mature they prefer the unsupervised environment as they are able to freely â€Å"relax, read and watch television.† [3] For educators to attract the attention of these students, after school programs need to take into account â€Å"the need for independence and self-determination as well as the need for supervision and help with homework.† [3] Preadolescents are a particular challenge to educators; however the statistics showed that the time spent after school is imperative to a student’s performance. [3]      Not all studies have reported results that are overwhelmingly positive, as a national evaluation of 21st Century Community Learning Center after school programs revealed that â€Å"programs affected the type of care and supervision students received after school†but their â€Å"academic outcomes were not affected and they had more incidents of negative behavior.† [3] This particular study analyzed the behavior of 2,308 elementary students that showed an interest in attending a center and to accurately obtain data for this particular study these students were assigned randomly to a treatment or control group. The findings that feelings of safety significantly increased did not have a clear basis on which researchers could identify, as the programs shifted students from parental care to unfamiliar adults. Some speculation was placed on the fact that these programs decreased the amount of time students spent caring for themselves, however this particular study did not address this issue. [1]     The study identified a number of key factors that might offer an explanation to the lack of improvement in academic outcomes.   One key factor being the fact that there was no coordination between the regular school day curriculum and the afterschool programming, which staff concluded that they came to understand this as a necessity during the study.  Researchers reported that â€Å"coordination was weak or nonexistent†when outside staff made an attempt to coordinate with teachers, â€Å"using burdensome processes such as having teachers send homework assignments to programs or share lesson plans with them.† [1] The coordination of curriculums was far more successful and consistent if both the school educator and staff responsible for after school activities took place in the same location. [1]     Yet another aspect uncovered imperative to the after-school program’s success was attendance. Researchers revealed that a student’s attendance â€Å"may need to pass some minimum threshold before gains are realized.† [1] Students who attended the program regularly and more consistent than others showed positive outcomes, however the study reported â€Å"we cannot draw causal inference from that analysis.† [1] Also shown to have an effect on students’ focus was the amount of time spent focusing on academic activities, as the program’s structure was far more fragmented into various activities such as â€Å"snacks, cultural enrichment, recreation, arts and music.†   [1] Researchers admitted the fact that it is quite possible that if the amount of time focusing on academics was increased it is quite possible these findings would have revealed different results. [1]     The results of this particular study, unlike studies completed by other researchers, were inconsistent and did show that some students benefitted from the structured afterschool environment. They reported that â€Å"By design, the centers included in the study were those that could support random assignment, and those estimates from the study do not represent average impacts of all 21st Century centers serving elementary students.† [1] In order for solid and consistent findings to be revealed, another study would have to take place.     In 2001 Cosden, Morrison, Albanese and Macias provided a summary of the outcome of a number of studies that had been conducted on the level of influence students receive from their after school activities. Their summary began by focusing on the fact that when unsupervised, some students have a tendency to act in a negative fashion by committing various crimes. They revealed that the US Department of Justice reported that the peak time for juvenile crime takes place between the hours of 3pm and 7pm on school days, â€Å"the period after school until parents typically return from work.† [4] The Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 National Report also suggested that this study found that â€Å"after-school programs have greater potential for reducing juvenile crime than imposition of a juvenile curfew.† [4] The students most likely to commit these acts were those students that have been identified as at-risk students, many from families that have limited incomes. [4] The government stressed the importance of creating a structured environment for students after school has dismissed offers them the opportunity to focus their mind on positive activities, which will ultimately lessen the number of juvenile crimes committed. [4]     Out of the various studies summarized by Cosden, Morrison, Albanese and Macias each study focused on â€Å"structured after-school programs that offered students assistance with homework and other academic needs.† [4] In addition most of the studies â€Å"focused on children considered at risk for school failure as a result of low income, limited familial resources, and/or poor grades.† [4] Though each program had variances as to the actual curriculum each study provided the students with a structured environment where the students experienced contact with an adult. The impact of the student’s academic performance appeared to be â€Å"mediated by other child and teacher factors, such as increases in the child’s self-esteem and school bonding and changes in teacher perceptions regarding the effort and capabilities of the student.† [4]     In a 1992 study conducted by Halpern and then a similar study in 1999 by Beck, research was gathered pertaining to programs where students were provided a structured location and time where they could receive â€Å"homework and instructional support.† [4]  Beck’s research focused on student ranging from Kindergarten to 12th grade and suggested that this program was integral in shaping the students’ level of confidence as well as the teacher’s perception of their level of effort. Similar data was reported by Halpern in his study of children between five and twelve years old, in that he felt the â€Å"participation gave students greater confidence in their abilities and provided an opportunity to develop positive, school-related, adult attachments.† [4] Though neither study revealed that these structured after-school programs offered a positive impact in the amount of homework completed by students, it suggested that the structured environment provided an opportunity to increase the level of self-confidence in each student that participated as well as improve the teacher’s perception of the student’s overall effort. [4]     In 1992, Ross, Saavedra, Shur, Winters and Felner conducted a study of 400 school aged children that took part in a variety of after-school programs, each offering a structured environment but possessing various cirriculum. The researchers delivered results that showed each of these programs as integral in building self-esteem in those who took part in the structured activities at the end of the school day. The group also found that self-esteem was a major factor in determining academic performance in students, as it had â€Å"positive effects on standardized test scores in math and reading.† [4] This research did, however, report that there were some concerns surrounding after school activities that placed focus specifically on academics. [4]     There is a concern if activities after school specifically focus on academic activities and homework assistance this might promote a negative environment for students, as these programs â€Å"do not replace other non-academic extracurricular activities.† [4] The concern surrounding this topic is that many after-school activities provided through the school system do not provide students opportunities that take focus away from the regular school day curriculum. Researchers suggest that many students require some type of incentive to build their self-esteem and if this isn’t provided it may â€Å"increase the student’s risk for school failure.† [4] Cosden, Morrison, Gutierrez, and Brown suggest that programs should offer activities that â€Å"enhance student engagement to the school while allowing time for homework to occur.† [4] Students must be given the opportunity to disengage their minds from the regular school day and place a focus on an alternate structured activity.     All studies revealed the importance of parental involvement, as the time spent in the care of others is less time spent in the care of the parents. Parental involvement is important because not only does it provide students with immediate assistance, but it â€Å"models positive attitudes and study skills needed to succeed in school.† [4] Parents who stress the importance of learning have a large impact on their children, as they see their parents as â€Å"both competent and similar to them.† [4]     Though not all research studies conducted have shown conclusive results that prove the overall effectiveness of afterschool programs, each concluded the level of influence students receive from their after school activities. The majority of these studies have revealed that the various structured programs available to students provide youth with an opportunity to have afterschool supervision in a structured environment that promotes positive behavior. For the most part it is agreed that â€Å"involvement in extracurricular activities is associated with school engagement and achievement†and that the fact these students become engaged in a school affiliated program means that students are less likely to commit juvenile crimes, â€Å"are less likely to drop out and more likely to have higher academic achievement.† [4] References [1] James, S., Dynarski, M. & Deke, J. (2007). When Elementary Schools Stay Open Late: Results From the National Evaluation of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program. . [2] Parsley, D. & LaBounty, S. (2007). Joining Forces. Principal Leadership, 8 (4), 28-31. [3] Hofferth, S. L. & Jankuniene, Z. (2001). Life After School. Educational Leadership, 58 (7), 19, 5p, 3c. [4] Cosden, M., Morrison, G., Gutierrez, L. & Brown, M. (2004). The Effects of Homework Programs and After-School Activities on School Success. Theory Into Practice, 43 (3), 220-228.
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