Promoting Physical Activity and Social Emotional Learning Within After-School Programs: Influences of Social-Motivational Climate and Staff-Youth Relations

• In Event: Friday Roundtable Session 4:55 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Social and Emotional Learning in Out-of-School-Time Settings (Table 18)

Abstract

This study was conducted to examine the sustainability of Connect through PLAY, a social-motivational climate physical activity (PA) intervention grounded in Self-Determination Theory and Achievement Goal Theory that focuses on facilitating key social mechanisms for promoting youth PA and social emotional learning (SEL) in pre-existing afterschool programs (ASPs) within underserved communities. A subsample of 25 youth and two afterschool program staff provided full data. A mixed-methods design was employed. The results indicated significantly higher youth/staff device-measured daily moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) at the 2-month post-intervention follow-up as compared to baseline MVPA. Systematic Observations of ASPs indicated improvements in youth-peer interactions, staff-youth interactions, and ASP motivational climate. Interview results indicated the Connect intervention supports youth SEL and increased daily PA.

Authors

• Anqi Deng, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville

• Nicole Zarrett, University of South Carolina