Does the Amount of Participation in Afterschool Programs Relate to Developmental Outcomes? A Review of the Literature
Abstract
Contrary to the findings from previous reviews we found little support for the general notion that greater amounts of participation in afterschool programs was related to academic, behavioral, or socio‐emotional outcomes. However, some relationships did emerge depending on how participation was conceptualized and measured, and the methodology used to assess the relationship between participation and outcomes. For example, some benefits occurred when participants with high levels of participation were compared to non‐participants, not when they were compared to other program participants. Several suggestions are offered to improve future research on the relationship between aspects of participation and developmental outcomes.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Roth et al. (2010) found little support that increased participation improved academic and behavior outcomes, but found participation levels decrease with age and more frequent attendees have improved attendance.
“The review found little support that increased participation resulted in improved academic and behavior outcomes, but it did find after-school participation levels to decrease with age and more frequent attendees to have improved school attendance outcomes.”
From Effects of after-school programs with at-risk youth on attendance and externalizing behaviors: A systematic review and meta-analysis (2015) · cites this paper as Roth et al. 2010
Some studies have found no support for moderating variables.
“while others have found no support for moderating variables (Roth et al. 2010).”
From Effects of after-school programs with at-risk youth on attendance and externalizing behaviors: A systematic review and meta-analysis (2015) · cites this paper as Roth et al. 2010
Since 2007, more after-school program studies have used randomization.
“However, since 2007, when prior reviews concluded their search (Durlak et al. 2010; Roth et al. 2010), more after-school program studies have used randomization.”
From Effects of after-school programs with at-risk youth on attendance and externalizing behaviors: A systematic review and meta-analysis (2015) · cites this paper as Roth et al. 2010
Cites
(2002) · Cited by 13,211 · see citing works
Community Programs to Promote Youth Development
National Research Council and Institute of Medicine (2002) · National Academies Press eBooks · doi:10.17226/10022 · Cited by 2,076 · see citing works
Meta-Analysis: Recent Developments in Quantitative Methods for Literature Reviews
Rosenthal, R., & DiMatteo, M. R. (2001) · Annual Review of Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.59 · Cited by 1,780 · see citing works
Mahoney, J. L., Larson, R. W., & Eccles, J. S. (2005) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 959 · see citing works
What Exactly Is a Youth Development Program? Answers From Research and Practice
Roth, J. L., & Jeanne Brooks-gunn, B. (2003) · Applied Developmental Science · doi:10.1207/s1532480xads0702_6 · Cited by 742 · see citing works
Self-citationOut-of-School-Time Programs: A Meta-Analysis of Effects for At-Risk Students
Lauer, P. A., Akiba, M., Wilkerson, S. B., Apthorp, H. S., Snow, D., & Martin-Glenn, M. L. (2006) · Review of Educational Research · doi:10.3102/00346543076002275 · Cited by 579 · see citing works
Organized Activities As Contexts of Development
(2005) · Psychology Press eBooks · doi:10.4324/9781410612748 · Cited by 569 · see citing works
Extracurricular School Activities: The Good, the Bad, and the Nonlinear
Marsh, H. W., & Kleitman, S. (2002) · Harvard Educational Review · doi:10.17763/haer.72.4.051388703v7v7736 · Cited by 509 · see citing works
The Impact of After-School Programs that Promote Personal and Social Skills.
Durlak, J. A., & Weissberg, R. P. (2007) · Issue Lab (Candid) · Cited by 415 · see citing works
Evidence of Student Attendance as an Independent Variable in Education Production Functions
Lamdin, D. J. (1996) · The Journal of Educational Research · doi:10.1080/00220671.1996.9941321 · Cited by 261 · see citing works
Mahoney, J. L., Lord, H., & Carryl, E. (2005) · Child Development · doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2005.00879.x · Cited by 260 · see citing works
Halpern, R. (2002) · Teachers College Record The Voice of Scholarship in Education · doi:10.1111/1467-9620.00160 · Cited by 201 · see citing works
The impact of after-school programs: Interpreting the results of four recent evaluations
Kane, T. J. (2004) · PsycEXTRA Dataset · doi:10.1037/e680712012-001 · Cited by 146 · see citing works
Patterns of After-School Care in Middle Childhood: Risk Factors and Developmental Outcomes.
Pettit, G. S., Laird, R. D., Dodge, K. A., et al. (1997) · Merrill-palmer Quarterly · Cited by 130 · see citing works
Vandell, D. L., Reisner, E. R., & Pierce, K. M. (2007) · Cited by 128 · see citing works
Activities, engagement, and emotion in after‐school programs (and elsewhere)
Vandell, D. L., Shernoff, D. J., Pierce, K. M., Bolt, D. M., Dadisman, K. A., & Brown, B. B. (2005) · New Directions for Youth Development · doi:10.1002/yd.111 · Cited by 118 · see citing works
More than just being there: Balancing the participation equation
Weiss, H. B., Little, P. M. D., & Bouffard, S. M. (2005) · New Directions for Youth Development · doi:10.1002/yd.105 · Cited by 111 · see citing works
Making Out-of-School-Time Matter: Evidence for an Action Agenda
Bodilly, S. J., & Beckett, M. K. (2005) · RAND Corporation eBooks · doi:10.7249/mg242 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
Safe Havens: The Contributions of Youth Organizations to Healthy Adolescent Development.
Gambone, M. A., & Arbreton, A. J. A. (1997) · Cited by 89 · see citing works
After‐School Program Engagement: Links to Child Competence and Program Quality and Content
Mahoney, J. L., Parente, M. E., & Lord, H. (2007) · The Elementary School Journal · doi:10.1086/516670 · Cited by 68 · see citing works
After-School Programs and Academics: Implications for Policy, Practice, and Research
Granger, R. C. (2008) · Child Policy Nexus · doi:10.1002/j.2379-3988.2008.tb00055.x · Cited by 66 · see citing works
To participate or not to participate: That is the question
Borden, L. M., Perkins, D. F., Villarruel, F. A., et al. (2005) · New Directions for Youth Development · doi:10.1002/yd.106 · Cited by 65 · see citing works
Afterschool Program Participation and the Development of Child Obesity and Peer Acceptance
Mahoney, J. L., Lord, H., & Carryl, E. (2005) · Applied Developmental Science · doi:10.1207/s1532480xads0904_3 · Cited by 63 · see citing works
The ABCs of engagement in out‐of‐school‐time programs
Bartko, W. T. (2005) · New Directions for Youth Development · doi:10.1002/yd.110 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
Morrison, G. M., Storino, M., Robertson, L., Weissglass, T., & Dondero, A. (2000) · Evaluation and Program Planning · doi:10.1016/s0149-7189(00)00025-2 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
James‐Burdumy, S., Dynarski, M., Moore, M. T., et al. (2014) · RePEc: Research Papers in Economics · Cited by 53 · see citing works
Jenner, E., & Jenner, L. W. (2007) · Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk (JESPAR) · doi:10.1080/10824660701261144 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
After-School Pursuits: An Examination of Outcomes in the San Francisco Beacon Initiative
Arbreton, A. J. A., & Walker, K. E. W. (2004) · doi:10.15868/socialsector.1982 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
The Study of Promising After-School Programs: Examination of Intermediate Outcomes in Year 2
Vandell, D. L., Reisner, E. R., Brown, B. B., Dadisman, K. A., Pierce, K. M., Lee, D., & Pechman, E. M. (2005) · Cited by 40 · see citing works
After-School Programs and Academic Impact: A Study of Chicago's After School Matters.
Goerge, R. M., Cusick, G. R., Wasserman, M., & Gladden, M. (2007) · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Riggs, N. R. (2005) · Journal of Community Psychology · doi:10.1002/jcop.20084 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Evaluation of the Impact of Two After-School Programs
Baker, D. A., & Witt, P. A. (1996) · Journal of Park and Recreation Administration · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Vandell, D. L., Reisner, E. R., Pierce, K. M., et al. (2006) · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Reisner, E. R., White, R. N., Russell, C. A., et al. (2004) · Cited by 35 · see citing works
Academic Achievement Programs and Youth Development: A Synthesis
Redd, Z., Cochran, S., & Hair, E. C. (2002) · PsycEXTRA Dataset · doi:10.1037/e315372004-001 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Moderators in the academic development of migrant Latino children attending after-school programs
Riggs, N. R., & Greenberg, M. T. (2004) · Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.appdev.2004.04.005 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Dynarski, M., Moore, M. T., James‐Burdumy, S., Rosenberg, L., Deke, J., & Mansfield, W. (2004) · US Department of Education · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Targeted Outreach: Boys & Girls Clubs of America's Approach to Gang Prevention and Intervention.
Arbreton, A. J. A., & McClanahan, W. S. (2002) · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Understanding and measuring attendance in out-of-school programs
Simpkins, S. D., Little, P. M. D., Weiss, H. B., et al. (2004) · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Gauvain, M., & Perez, S. M. (2005) · Child Development · doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2005.00851_a.x · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Carver, P. R., & Iruka, I. U. (2006) · National Center for Education Statistics · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Herrera, C., & Arbreton, A. J. A. (2003) · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Advancing Achievement: Findings from an Independent Evaluation of a Major After-School Initiative
Arbreton, A. J. A., Bradshaw, M. B., Goldsmith, J., et al. (2008) · doi:10.15868/socialsector.813 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Putting It All Together: Guiding Principles for Quality After-School Programs Serving Preteens.
Metz, R. A., Goldsmith, J., & Arbreton, A. J. A. (2008) · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Launching Literacy in After-School Programs: Early Lessons from the CORAL Initiative.
Arbreton, A. J. A., Goldsmith, J., & Sheldon, J. (2005) · Issue Lab (Candid) · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Huang, D., Kim, K. S., Cho, J., et al. (2011) · Journal of Contemporary Issues in Education · doi:10.20355/c58c77 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Arbreton, A. J. A., Bradshaw, M. B., Metz, R. M., et al. (2008) · doi:10.15868/socialsector.1041 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Moellmer, A., Rapaport, A., Adachi, E., et al. (2007) · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., & Pachan, M. (2010) · American Journal of Community Psychology · doi:10.1007/s10464-010-9300-6 · Cited by 1,216 · see citing works
Bohnert, A., Fredricks, J., & Randall, E. (2010) · Review of Educational Research · doi:10.3102/0034654310364533 · Cited by 302 · see citing works
Kremer, K. P., Maynard, B. R., Polanin, J. R., Vaughn, M. G., & Sarteschi, C. M. (2015) · Journal of Youth and Adolescence · doi:10.1007/s10964-014-0226-4 · Cited by 132 · see citing works
Lester, A. M., Chow, J. C., & Melton, T. N. (2020) · Journal of Youth and Adolescence · doi:10.1007/s10964-019-01188-8 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Fidelity in After-School Program Intervention Research: A Systematic Review
Maynard, B. R., Peters, K. E., Vaughn, M. G., & Sarteschi, C. M. (2013) · Research on Social Work Practice · doi:10.1177/1049731513491150 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
- Authors
- Roth, J. L., Malone, L. M., & Brooks-Gunn, J.
- Affiliations
- Columbia University (US)
- National Center for Children and Families, Teachers College Columbia University Box 39, 525 West 120th Street 10027 New York NY USA
- Corresponding author
- Roth, Jodie L.
- Venue
- American Journal of Community Psychology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2010-04-14
- Volume
- 45
- Issue
- 3-4
- Pages
- 310-324
- ISSN
- 0091-0562 (ISSN-L)
- 1573-2770
- OpenAlex
- W2063482125
- Cited by
- 131
- References
- 48
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 13 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 11
- FWCI
- 4.02
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- American Journal of Community Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- William T. Grant Foundation
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Youth Development and Social Support
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Crime Patterns and Interventions
- Social Sciences › Education › Education and Vocational Training
- Keywords
- after-school programs, program participation, developmental outcomes, educational outcomes, behavioral effects, social-emotional outcomes, youth development
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Age Factors, Child, Child Development, Humans, Schools, Time Factors, Adolescent Development
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
