Informal Learning After School: Increasing Self-Efficacy With Enrichment Programs

• In Event: Out-of-School Contexts

Abstract

This study uses a pre-post design to assess the effectiveness of an after-school program (ASP), with or without added enrichment at a children’s museum, in improving self-efficacy. In a sample of 122 ethnically and socioeconomically diverse kindergarten through 2nd grade children, we found self-efficacy (the belief that one can perform well enough to produce a specific outcome) to improve from pre- to post-test across all conditions: ASP plus enrichment, ASP only, and control group. Furthermore, condition effects revealed that the ASP groups had higher self-efficacy than the control group at both pre- and post-test. As hypothesized, the enrichment group showed the most improvement in social efficacy relative to the other groups. Qualitative data further illuminate the benefits of enrichment programming.

Authors

• Beth A. Haines, Lawrence University

• Kathy Immel, University of Wisconsin

• Tammy J. Ladwig, University of Wisconsin

• Katherine Short-Meyerson, University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh

• Colin E. Vize, Lawrence University

• Olivia E. Hendricks, Lawrence University

• Xiao Hong Zhang, Lawrence University

• Maki Miura, Lawrence University

• Elyse R. Daly, Lawrence University