Out-of-School Time as a Vehicle for Young People's Development

• In Event: The State and Future of the Out-of-School Time Field

Abstract

Objectives
In 2002, the National Research Council published a seminal report, Community Programs to Promote Youth Development. In this paper, we will focus our attention on how OST programs have changed since the NRC report, in particular, pertaining to urban youth, adolescent boys of color, and LBGTQ youth.
Perspectives
Empirical research has supported theoretical and anecdotal conclusions about the impact of OST on youth development. Research suggests that participating in high quality OST programs has a positive impact on young people’s development (e.g., Durlak, Weissberg, & Pachan, 2010). Durlak and colleagues suggested that SAFE programs that are Sequenced, Active, Focused, and Explicit predicted more positive self-perceptions, higher school belonging, and fewer problem behaviors; whereas youth in the programs that did not meet the SAFE criteria did not experience such positive changes. Though more work is needed on all aspects of youth development, the existing evidence suggests that high-quality OST activities can have a positive impact on youth development. The promise of OST programs to impact the developmental needs of youth with multiple intersecting identities makes it one of the most important, yet understudied contexts in which many young people spend significant amounts of their time.
Methods/Data/Results
The field faces the challenge of addressing multiple interrelated factors that can influence access to OST programs and consequently opportunities for supporting the positive development of some of our most vulnerable young people. For underserved youth, OST programs can be powerful settings that advance academic growth as well as character development. Access to OST programs holds the promise for offering youth opportunities to try new skills and to learn from wins and losses in a low-stake setting. Projects and activities in OST are not graded and there typically an absence of punitive feedback. These opportunities are invaluable for helping youth develop self-efficacy and confidence in their ability to succeed in their academic and non-academic pursuits.
Another area of impact involves emerging work on how positive youth development can be advanced via the impact of OST activities on young people’s families and family life. Family members provide necessary resources, support youth in their search for and selection of activities. Activities provide a pastime for family members to share and talk about, which is beneficial to family relationships. Recent work suggests that activities not only influence youth but also shape family relationships.
Scholarly Significance
NRC publication marked a major juncture in history of research on positive youth development. It elevated the focus on the varied ways that OST programs can serve a vehicle for positive youth develop. Along with a focus on the themes presented above, we will present a discussion on the challenges for future research and policy.

Author

• Nickki Pearce Dawes, University of Massachusetts