A project of the Afterschool Alliance.

An Ecological Analysis of After-School Program Participation and the Development of Academic Performance and Motivational Attributes for Disadvantaged Children

Year Published: 2005

A longitudinal study evaluating the impact of afterschool program participation on the academic performance and motivation of elementary school students. Participants were 599 boys and girls from an unnamed urban, economically disadvantaged community in the U.S. Data collected from student academic records and surveys of teachers, afterschool providers, and parents indicated that students participating in afterschool programs had significantly higher reading achievement compared to students who were in other after school care arrangements (parent care, a mix of parent care and no adult supervision, and a mix of non-parental supervision and no adult supervision) and had a higher expectancy of success than students who had non-parental supervision and no adult supervision.  Students who were in the highest category of afterschool program attendance saw even greater gains, with significantly higher reading achievement, motivation, and expectancy of success than children in all other care arrangements.

Scope of the Evaluation: Local

Program Type: Afterschool

Location: An unnamed, urban community in the Northeastern United States.

Community Type: Urban

Grade level: Elementary School

Program Demographics: Students participating in the study were first, second, and third grade students. Forty-nine percent of participants were female, and participants were ethnically diverse: 50 percent were Hispanic, 36 percent were African-American, 10 percent were white, 2 percent were Asian, and 2 percent were “other.” More than 95 percent of students at the schools served were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch during the 2002-03 school year.

Evaluator: Mahoney, J. L. (1), Lord, H. (1), & Carryl, E. (2). (1) Yale University and (2) New York University.

Evaluation Methods: Three urban schools serving low-income, ethnically-diverse youth were selected to participate in the study, and all students in first through third grade were invited to participate in the program. Students were split into four after school care groups for the purposes of this study: (1) afterschool program care, (2) parent care, (3) parent/non-adult care (student received a mix of parent care and no adult supervision throughout the week), and (4) other adult/non-adult care (students received care from non-parent adults or no adult supervision throughout the week). Data was collected on students in all four groups at two points during the 2002-03 school year using student academic records—including reading, math, writing, social studies, and science grades and Developmental Reading Assessments—and surveys of classroom teachers, afterschool providers, and parents. The amount of time students spent in afterschool programs was considered when quantifying outcomes of programs. All afterschool programs included in the study received some funding from a 21st Century Community Learning Center grant.

Evaluation Type: Quasi-experimental

Summary of Outcomes: The study found that students participating in afterschool programs had significantly higher reading achievement compared to students who were in the other after school care arrangements (parent care, a mix of parent care and no adult supervision, and a mix of non-parental supervision and no adult supervision). Teachers surveyed also reported that students in afterschool programs had a higher expectancy of success—students’ belief that they will do well on a new task—than students who had non-parental supervision and no adult supervision.

Even greater gains in reading achievement were seen among students who had high levels of engagement in the afterschool programs. Students with high levels of engagement in programs performed better in reading than the students in the other care arrangements, while students with low levels of engagement performed better than students in the group that received a mix of non-parental supervision and no adult supervision.

Teachers surveyed also reported that students with high levels of engagement in the afterschool programs had higher levels of motivation (which includes the enjoyment of solving difficult problems and working hard even if there is no associated award) and expectancy of success than students with lower levels of engagement in programs and students who had non-parental supervision and no adult supervision.