Adolescents' participation in organized activities and developmental success 2 and 8 years after high school: Do sponsorship, duration, and intensity matter?

Abstract

Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study, the authors examined relations between educational, civic, and occupational success in young adulthood and the duration and intensity of participation in organized activities during high school. They also examined these relations as a function of sponsorship (i.e., school- vs. community-sponsored organized activities). They found that youths who participated in organized activities for 2 years demonstrated more favorable educational and civic outcomes in young adulthood than those who participated for 1 year. More intensive participation was also associated with greater educational, civic, and occupational success in young adulthood--particularly among youths who participated in activities for 2 years. Educational attainment often mediated the relations between temporal measures of participation and young adult civic and occupational outcomes. With the exception of analyses examining occupational success, findings varied little as a function of sponsorship. Of note, analyses revealed that both temporal measures of participation were positively associated with young adult outcomes as many as 8 years after high school.

Intensity and Breadth of Participation in Organized Activities During the Adolescent Years: Multiple Associations with Youth Outcomes

“…As for intensity, the more time youth spend in activities, the greater the opportunities will be to strengthen their skills and knowledge, and to engage in interpersonal transactions with activity peers and leaders Larson & Verma, 1999). In other words, youth who spend a lot of time in activities are provided with greater exposure to factors that are likely to promote positive development (Gardner et al, 2008). In addition, the more time youth spend in organized activities, the less 7 time they will have to get involved in risky behaviors during after-school hours (Fredricks & Eccles, 2006a;Mahoney & Stattin, 2000;Osgood, Wilson, O'Malley, Bachman, & Johnston, 1996).…”

“…Moreover, consistency is an important dimension of youth activity participation (Darling, 2005;Fredricks & Eccles, 2006a;Gardner et al, 2008;Mahoney et al, 2003;Zaff et al, 2003). Youth with high levels of participation in early-to-mid-adolescence may also remain more involved over time, although perhaps to a lesser degree.…”

“…As revealed by other studies, consistency might be the key. Youth who participate consistently over time show better outcomes than those who do not (Darling, 2005;Fredricks & Eccles, 2006a;Gardner et al, 2008;Mahoney et al, 2003;Zaff et al, 2003). Yet, individual variations are likely to exist in adolescents' participation practices over the years.…”

“…These activities, taking place both at school (extracurricular activities) and in the community, are characterized by the presence of an adult leader, rule-guided engagement, regular participation schedules, and an emphasis on skill-building (Larson, 2000;Mahoney & Stattin, 2000). Several studies have shown that participating in these activities is associated with positive educational trajectories (Darling, 2005;Eccles & Barber, 1999;Mahoney, Cairns, & Farmer, 2003), lower rates of both risky behaviors (Eccles & Barber, 1999;Mahoney, 2000) and internalizing problems (Barber, Eccles, & Stone, 2001;Fredricks & Eccles, 2006b), and higher rates of civic engagement (Fredricks & Eccles, 2006b;Gardner, Roth, & Brooks-Gunn, 2008;Zaff, Moore, Papillo, & Williams, 2003). To explain these benefits, researchers have suggested that organized activities are likely to promote positive developmental experiences, such as identity formation, initiative development, skill building, and relations with activity peers and leaders (Denault & Poulin, 2008;Larson, Hansen, & Moneta, 2006;Lerner, Almegiri, Theokas, & Lerner, 2005;Mahoney, Larson, & Eccles, 2005).…”

Versión reducida del cuestionario CMA de Metas para Adolescentes (CMA-R)

“…De tal forma, el proceso de desarrollo en la adolescencia ha sido asociado en la literatura científica hacia patrones conductuales estereotipados como rebeldía, la inestabilidad o conflictividad (Casco & Oliva, 2005;Liau, 2007), búsqueda de autonomía (Cid et al, 2013;Mayseless & Scharf, 2007, Zacarés et al, 2009), egoísmo (Baker & Palmer, 2006;Gardner, Roth, & Brooks-Gunn, 2008), o comportamientos de riesgo (Freitas-Rosa, Gonçalves, & Antunes, 2015;Ratcliff, Jenkins, Reiter-Purtill, Noll, & Zeller, 2011). Las metas facilitan, además, la presencia de unas conductas u otras según la predominancia que el adolescente de a las diferentes metas existentes, provocando que su vida diaria se oriente de igual modo hacia actividades encaminadas a satisfacer o cumplir las metas planteadas, así como el tipo de metas que construirá vitalmente más adelante.…”