What Do Young Adolescents Do When School Let's Out? Discretionary Time Use and Its Relation to School Adjustment.

To read the full text of this article, click here: http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED503483

In the present research we examined variations in the after-school experience of young adolescents as a function of family background characteristics and the extent to which after-school activities were associated with behavioral adjustment at school. After-school time use was assessed through telephone interviews with 438 young adolescents (sixth-graders, 221 female) who reported their locations, activities, and companions during a three-hour block of time following school on two consecutive days. Teacher ratings and school records provided school adjustment outcome data. The amount of time involved in unproductive and productive activities after school varied as a function of sex and SES. Only modest correlations were found between school adjustment and after-school locations and activities. Unproductive activities and travel were associated with externalizing behavior problems and poorer academic performance only for those children in self care. These results underscore the importance of considering the social context within which young adolescents' after-school experiences take place. (Contains 4 tables and 2 figures.)