Predictors of social emotional learning in after‐school programming: The impact of relationships, belonging, and program engagement

Abstract

After‐school youth development programs support social‐emotional functioning which leads to better academic and behavioral outcomes. This article examines three common predictors of social‐emotional functioning individually and concurrently to better understand the role of these predictors in the after‐school setting. The common predictors are staff/student relationships, sense of belonging, and program engagement. That data came from 144, 3rd through 8th grade, students across 9 different elementary and middle school sites who regularly attended a large youth development program. Regression analyses were run and the results indicated that each variable was an individually significant predictor of social‐emotional functioning. Results from multiple regression analyses demonstrated that there was a better model fit when including all three variables in the same model. Interestingly, the results indicated that program engagement was a strong predictor above and beyond staff/student relationships and sense of belonging on self‐management and self‐efficacy. Sense of belonging and program engagement both predicted social awareness. Implications of these findings for after‐school program planning and development are discussed.