The past 20 to 30 years has seen an increase in the time children and adolescents spend in structured activities outside of the regular school day. This has resulted in a significant reduction in the amount of free time children and youth have for leisure time activities. While much discussion has been given to this topic in the popular press,…

Mexican American adolescents are now the largest linguistically and culturally diverse ethnic group in our schools today. Acculturation difficulties of adapting to a new culture may effect adolescent achievement in school. Mexican American adolescents may be torn between their ethnic heritage and the culture of the U.S. They must master a new…

Basic quality-of-life indicators including employment, access to health care, and involvement with the criminal justice system paint a grim picture for the lives of urban Black males; thus, it is increasingly important to identify prevention and intervention strategies that can improve outcomes for this group. After-school programs have been…

Because of segregation in neighborhoods and schools, college may provide the first opportunity for many young adults to interact closely with members of different racial and ethnic groups. Little research has examined how interracial friendships form during this period. This article investigates changes in the racial composition of friendship…

Peer relations during middle childhood and adolescence are an important part of children's social and emotional development. Children and adolescents pick up essential social and communication skills from their peers as they move into late adolescence and early adulthood. Peer conflict is not necessarily a bad thing; disagreement and conflict are…

In 2002, the United States Supreme Court confirmed that in the school's role of in loco parentis, drug testing of students who were involved in athletics and extracurricular activities was constitutional. In a state of the union address, George W. Bush stated that drug testing in schools had been effective and was part of "our aggressive…

A psychosocial conception of ego strengths is presented in relation to adolescent involvement in adult-sponsored structured youth activities. Five-hundred and seventeen high school students completed measures on their involvement in structured activities and on 8 ego strengths. Gender, age, and SES were controlled in a MANCOVA procedure and it was…

First- and second-born adolescent siblings from 21 families completed a daily diary on each of 7 days. The frequency and content of siblings' conversations are described and the relationship between the content of siblings' discussion and their perceived academic, athletic, and peer competency is explored. Siblings most often talked about…

The current study presented a new description of adolescent school-based activity participation, in the form of mutually exclusive activity portfolios, and described the kinds of youth that participate in each portfolio. These portfolios included (1) Sports Only, (2) Academics Only, (3) School Only, (4) Performance Only, (5) Multiple Activities,…

A Montana survey of 2,500 students' use of out-of-school time found that only 17% reported no involvement in out-of-school activities. 4-H participants were less likely to shoplift, steal, smoke cigarettes, ride with a drunk driver, or damage property. They were more likely to develop self-confidence and social competence, demonstrate leadership,…

This report discusses the friendships and extracurricular activities of youths with disabilities. Although extracurricular activities and relationships may be crucial to the healthy development of all youth, some kinds of disabilities can present challenges to participation. The National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2)1, sponsored by the…

Conducted 10 focus groups in which adolescents discussed their "growth experiences" in extracurricular and community-based activities. The 55 participants reported personal and interpersonal processes and generally described themselves as agents of their own development and change. (SLD)

Investigates consistent participation in extracurricular activities as a contributor to long-term educational success. Consistent extracurricular activity participation was associated with high educational status at young adulthood including college attendance. Educational status was, in turn, linked to reciprocal positive changes between…

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…

This paper examines the levels and forms of participation in extracurricular physical education (PE) of a cohort of 1010 15-16 year olds attending seven state schools in north-west England and north-east Wales. The data reveal that extracurricular PE provision in all schools retained a particular focus on competitive team sports alongside a number…