In response to concerns expressed by high school counselors, the researchers developed a quantitative Likert-scale survey to examine the relationships between academic performance (defined as school attendance and final grades) and recreational video gaming and texting. Questions about video gaming and texting were included with other questions…

School connectedness has been shown to be an important protective factor in adolescent development, which is associated with reduced risk-taking behavior. Interventions to increase students' connectedness to school commonly incorporate aspects of teacher training. To date, however, research on connectedness has largely been based on student survey…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a career, academic, personal, and social high school transition program option on 9th-grade students' achievement, behavior, and engagement. Students in the career, academic, personal, and social group (n = 30) and the comparison academic/elective course option programs group (n = 30)…

Educators around the nation are considering pushing high school starting times back until later in the morning, based on evidence suggesting that amount of sleep and circadian rhythms play a part in adolescents' academic performance. While research confirms that adolescents do not get enough sleep and that insufficient sleep can negatively…

Annual survey data on 776 students from sixth through ninth grade were used to examine the relationships among after-school activities, misbehavior in school, and delinquency. The social development model hypothesizes that antisocial behavior in one developmental time period leads to less involvement in activities and interactions that have…

Studied the relationship between life satisfaction, social interest, and participation in extracurricular activities in 321 high school students. Higher social interest was significantly related to higher levels of overall satisfaction, and adolescents who participated in more structured extracurricular activities reported higher school…

High school students (n=210) surveyed about their out-of-school activities reported low use of learning strategies in their activities, although those who pursued a subject out-of-school because of interest did use learning strategies. Findings suggest encouraging transfer of learning strategies to the out-of-school domain. (SLD)

While recent research has examined the positive benefits students receive from participating in extracurricular activities, very few studies have concentrated on female adolescents and their participation in such activities. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of participation in extracurricular activities on the level of…

Compared weekly activities among four groups of high risk and typical high school students: potential dropouts at suicide risk; typical youth at suicide risk; potential dropouts not at suicide risk; and typical youth not at suicide risk. Of the 1,286 participants, 39.4% of high risk and 30.1% of typical high school students screened in at suicide…

Explored effects of psychoeducational intervention on adolescents' involvement in extracurricular activities, self-esteem, and locus of control. Randomly assigned 52 ninth graders to either empowerment or control group. Students in empowerment program maintained their level of involvement during transition to high school, time when participation…

The impact of four influences--family, peers, part-time employment, and school-sponsored extracurricular activities--on the achievement patterns of high school students is examined in this research study. The main purpose of the study was to identify the specific processes in each of the four areas by which students' academic engagement and school…

The primary purpose of the Constitutional Rights Foundation's Youth Community Service (YCS) program is to give disadvantaged high school students the opportunity to develop leadership, communication, and other skills to design, organize, and implement community service. This evaluation of the Los Angeles (California) YCS program examines: (1) who…

A study of six talented males in an urban high school found they had a strong belief in self that was influenced by the following factors: relationships with supportive adults; involvement in extracurricular activities, sports, special programs, and summer school experiences; and family support. (Contains extensive references.) (Author/CR)

In an Ottawa high school, a committee of staff and student representatives explored drug use in the school. A questionnaire was developed to assess student perception of academic performance and extracurricular involvement; students' frequency of drug use during the previous two months for nine categories of drugs; time and place of use and source…

American adolescents spend a significant portion of their time in leisure activities, but little research has been done on adolescent extrafamilial leisure activities, either alone or with peers. This paper examines adolescents' own accounts of such activities. As part of a longitudinal study of rural youth development, semistructured interviews…