This project measured the effectiveness of after school physical activity programs which emphasized moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and motor skill improvement. Children (n=41) from sport-based program and low-organized games-based programs were recruited. MVPA was measured using accelerometry and motor skill proficiency via the Test of Gross Motor Proficiency 2. Although, children in both programs participated in significant MVPA (more than 50% of program time engaged in MVPA), sport-based program participants obtained significantly (p<0.05) more MVPA. Children in the games-based program experienced a greater increase in gross motor quotient scores, though not significant (p>0.05), but with a moderate effect size (?=0.06). Overall after school physical activity programs provide positive contributions to daily MVPA. Participants in low-organized games based programs may experience a greater increase in motor skill proficiency. Further research is needed to determine the effects of program type on MVPA and motor skill development.

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With prevalence rates of obesity among children and adolescents steadily rising, childhood obesity and overweight has become a public health concern. Publically funded elementary schools are in a unique position to provide children with opportunities regarding the promotion of physical activity and healthy nutritional behaviors. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to conduct exploratory research to investigate the dietary habits of elementary school students enrolled in four Hillsborough County Out-of-School Time (HOST) care programs. Methods: The study utilized a quantitative, non-experimental study design. The instruments that were used in this research included a new questionnaire that was titled “All about You Yesterday”. This paper questionnaire was a combination of questions from the Physical Questionnaire for Older Children, Youth Risk Behavior Survey, and Day in The Life Of Questionnaire. The questionnaire gathered information about what the students had eaten the day before. It also allowed for collection of students’ gender, age, and grade level, physical activity levels, and the amount of time they spent being sedentary. Dietary data collected from the questionnaire was inputted into the ASA-24-Kids program for calculating Healthy Eating Index scores. Scores were examined to categorize the children’s diets as: poor, needs improvement, and good. This data was plotted into SAS to determine if there were patterns. The relationships between dietary and demographic factors were analyzed. A logistic regression model was used to test the association between dietary scores and amount of physical activity. Results: A total of 91 students participated in this study. The average score was categorized as needs improvement, as were the majority of the students’ diets. The findings showed a pattern that diets improved from third to fourth grade and declined in fifth grade. More males had diets that were categorized as needs improvement rather than poor, and site C had the most students with diet in the needs improvement category. However, none of the covariates were significant. The models used to test the association between the HEI scores and the amount of physical activity produced large p- values (> 0.05), which indicates weak evidence against the null hypothesis that states that there is no association. The same was true for the association between sedentary levels and the HEI categories. Conclusions: The study showed that, regardless of having the opportunity to eat nutritious meals, a great number of after-school children had diets that were categorized as poor. Findings also showed that there was no association between diet and the amount of physical activity that the after-school children participated in; nor did the diets have an association with the sedentary levels reported. Recommendations: In an effort to improve the diets of elementary school children, schools should encourage their students to try fruits and vegetables that are being offered through taste tests. If the meals that are offered during the taste tests are enjoyed then they should be offered as part of the school’s lunch or snack. After school programs should also offer these taste tests and include short nutritional lessons into their programs where children are also given the opportunity to cook and eat healthy snacks.

This study launches a program of research that targets the unmet mental health needs of children living in urban poverty by infusing evidence-based practices and mental health promotion into peer-mediated recreational activities delivered in community-based after-school programs (ASP). We examined the feasibility and promise of a Peer-Assisted Social Learning (PASL) model to promote social competence among low-income, minority youth. In collaboration with our community partner, we developed and implemented a series of 21 recreational activities designed to generate natural opportunities for peer-facilitated problem solving. Socially skilled children were identified by ASP staff and paired with less-skilled peers to maximize opportunities for social learning and minimize the demands placed on staff. Thirty children at an Experimental site participated in PASL activities, while 31 children at a Comparison ASP participated in recreation-as-usual activities. Five Experimental staff received training and participated in 10 weekly supervision meetings to support PASL implementation. Feasibility was assessed using measures of child and staff attendance, participation, and engagement in PASL, as well as staff adherence to and competence with implementation. Promise was assessed pre- and post-PASL, using measures including staff-reported social skills, children’s problem-solving strategies, and peer reported social standing (i.e., likability ratings, peer nominations, and social network mapping). Strong evidence emerged for fidelity of implementation (adherence, competence) and broader feasibility (attendance, participation, enthusiasm). Promise effects were mixed; children who participated in PASL demonstrated improvements in problem behavior and social skills, but also exhibited increased reliance on aggressive strategies to solve problems and some declines in peer-reported social standing. Implications related to the capacity of ASPs to incorporate evidence-based practices for mental health promotion into natural routines are discussed.

This essay is about how I explore and above all reflect on my future assignment as a teacher. The purpose of the text is to examine what is in the governing document for the after-school center and thus the assignment for an after-school center teacher. The primary questions that are asked is what type of conditions are important for an after-school center teacher, in order for the after-school center teacher to be able to comply with the National Agency for Education's intention with chapter 4 in the curriculum. As a research method, I look at previous research in the subject and take in perspectives from professional role, profession and leadership. I will link to theory about the pedagogical leadership and who is responsible for quality assurance of the leisure center. The results of the survey will show the complexand difficult task that an after-school teacher has with collaboration in school and the leisure pedagogical task in the after-school center. An assignment that currently is hard to navigate and may be interpreted differently by an after-school teacher or principal in which the conditions are paramount.

<p>Despite generous funding, the current data shows slow-moving demographical changes in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields, and little to no slowing in the decline of STEM-associated career interests in underserved communities (Leeker, Maxey, Cardella & Hynes, 2019). While a considerable amount has been written about the evaluation of formal pre-college STEM programs, little research has been carried out regarding the success of informal programs to encourage interest in STEM-related careers and develop skills needed to succeed in such environments. </p> <p>A common method of education for elementary school students is to use informal programs, usually with the help of professional mentors. To better understand such programs, the qualitative research that formulates this dissertation is a collective case study of after-school elementary robotics programs in Indiana, the United States, which successfully implemented the State Robotics Initiative (SRI) to provide hands-on STEM learning opportunities. This program relies on mentor expertise for after-school program instruction.<a> The purpose of this study is to investigate mentor involvement in informal STEM programs, including to answer the following research question: How do mentors impact student participants’ advancement of specific engineering skills, including problem-solving, critical thinking, teamwork, and communication?</a></p> <p>In this case study, the researcher collected documents, observed activities involving mentors and students, and interviewed mentors and students to determine how mentor involvement impacts students who participate in informal STEM programs. The researcher then conducted a holistic analysis of the data. To understand how knowledge of STEM skills gained from mentors impacts students, the researcher focused on a coding scheme to correspond with a framework developed by the Partnership for 21st Century Learning (P21). </p> <p><a>Themes, the outcome of coding, were developed by “layering the analysis” (Creswell & Poth, 2017), first by showing unique situations of each participant, followed by grouping by the program of these unique situations into comprehensive groupings. This resulted in three separate cases covering multiple participants that serve as examples of mentor impact of specific STEM skills learned by students in three robotics programs. </a></p> <p>While the results were not analyzed across cases, all programs sought to increase knowledge with students even though each program had a different background and reason for starting the robotics program. In addition, each program had very different demographics and cultural styles, but all showed the integration of STEM and robotics in an afterschool program, with emphasis on problem-solving. This dissertation includes an introduction, literature review, methodology, findings, and a discussion. Recommendations for educators and future researchers are also presented in a final chapter. </p>

The erasure of Latino/a adolescents' multiliteracies in school settings affects both their views of education and their entry into the community outside of school. Framed by literacy-as-social-practices perspectives and communities of practice theory, this case study explored what happened when a group of 13 Latino/a adolescents and their Latina teacher engaged in a six-week play production in an after-school program and performed the play for parents. It examined the relationship between the participants' discourse practices and their performance, and determined how they validated their performances. Data collected included observations, interviews, students' written reflective responses, a fieldwork journal, and a DVD of the performance. Data were analyzed using Discourse Analysis (Gee, 2005), three characteristics of multimodal literacy adapted from three features Cowan (2003) used to analyze Latino visual discourse, and Grounded Theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967; Strauss & Corbin, 1990). The findings revealed a complex performance community mediated by a set of discourse practices and tools, including a script and a video. The video's history, traced to a former 7th grade after-school group, and the participants' social practices framed their interactions. The findings revealed the discourse practice of playing around was constructed in relationship with the teacher's expectations and became an intractable binary. After one actor assessed the situation as hopeless because of the teacher's involvement in the construction of the discourses, she "left" the play and constructed herself through a new critical discourse, and imagined an easier and more equitable discourse. Another discourse juxtaposed Discourses of immigration, recognizing them as speaking to one another across history. Although the methodology was adequate for answering the research questions, it was inadequate for reaching findings on how the performances created effects for both the actors and audience. Both pedagogical and methodological errors were the result of how the visual world of print shaped our thought, extending the visual into the social world, separating it from the other senses. The actors drew from elements of the six modes of meaning to create a system of multimodal design in their performance text, and although they validated their final performance in reflective responses, they invalidated their rehearsal performances. Elements of their Discourse model serve as a blueprint for a Design for Performance Learning. The Design proposes that Latino/a adolescents take responsibility for their learning by producing sharable digital artifacts in after-school performance communities, which might prove to be contexts in which Latino/a adolescents' multiliteracies are validated rather than erased.

Many school districts are using research-based strategies to increase student achievement. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 was created and implemented to assist all students becoming proficient in reading and mathematics by 2014. One strategy many school districts implemented includes an after-school program. One school district in Mississippi operated an after-school program to help increase the academic achievement of 7th and 8th grade students scoring minimal and basic on the MCT2. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of regular participation in an after-school program on indicators of student academic achievement. The dependent variables for this study consisted of (a) math grade point averages, (b) reading grade point averages, (c) language arts grade point averages, (d) MCT2 math scores, (e) MCT2 language arts scores, (f) number of absences, and (g) number of discipline referrals. The independent variable for this study was program participation, which had two levels. One level was program attendance for at least 40 days and the other level was program attendance for less than 40 days. In this study, 7 hypotheses were tested by comparing the measures of the dependent variables for the two levels of the dependent variables. Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the 7 hypotheses. The results of the ANCOVAs failed to detect any statistically significant differences in the dependent variables between the students who attended the after-school program for at least 40 days and students who did not attend the after-school program for 40 days. However, there were differences in the measures between the two groups. Not only did the regular attendees have lower averages in absenteeism and discipline referrals, they also had higher averages in mathematics (both GPA and MCT2), reading GPA, and language arts GPA. The only measure where the non-regular attendees demonstrated better performance was on the language arts MCT2. The recommendations for future research are as follows: implementation of adequate professional development for after-school program teachers, a research based reading program to assess student achievement, and a longitudinal study on after-school programs.

Pink and Dude Chefs: A nutrition and culinary intervention for middle school students Tianna Sheehan The prevalence of obesity in US adolescents has more than tripled in the past 35 years, and the greatest impact has been among low-income and minority racial/ethnic populations. Adolescents report inadequate fruit and vegetable intake, an overconsumption of sweetened beverages, and a high reliance on fast food locations for meals or snacks; increasing the risk of adolescent obesity. Building knowledge and skills through culinary interventions may empower middle school students to create and also choose healthful foods. Pink and Dude Chefs, a six-week nutrition and culinary intervention, aims to improve healthy eating behaviors by increasing nutrition knowledge and culinary ability. Trained research assistants from California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) led middle school boys and girls in lessons ranging on topics including macronutrients, real-world application of USDA MyPlate guidelines, and meal planning and budgeting. Cal Poly research assistants supported middle school participants in cooking recipes that were specifically chosen to highlight themes covered in the nutrition lesson and to progress in difficulty throughout the program. The program consisted of 12 lessons that were each divided into 1 hour of classroom nutrition instruction and 1 hour of hands-on cooking practicum. The program took place in two locations, at Mesa Middle School in Arroyo Grande, California and Carpinteria Middle School in Carpinteria, California with 15-20 middle school volunteer participants who enrolled in each program. Questionnaires were used to measure fruit and vegetable preferences, dietary behavior, and barriers to healthy eating, culinary skill, culinary confidence, and basic nutrition knowledge pre- and post-intervention. Participants’ responses indicated an improved dietary profile as indicated by fruit and vegetable preferences, and fruit and vegetable intake. Responses also indicated increased culinary confidence and improved nutrition knowledge. More research is needed to test the long-term impact of participation in nutrition and culinary interventions.

The epidemic of adolescent obesity has become one of the greatest public health concerns in the United States. Approximately 20.5% of adolescents of both sexes aged 12-19 years are considered obese. Higher rates of obesity are evident in ethnic minority and lower income status children with the highest prevalence among Hispanic/Latino and Black populations. The causes for obesity are multifactorial in nature and highlight disparities nationwide. These factors include socioeconomic status, education, environment, availability and access to fresh fruits and vegetables, and behavior patterns. Successful intervention methods that have reduced the impact of adolescent obesity have incorporated nutrition knowledge and culinary skill building into afterschool programs. Pink and Dude Chefs, a 12-lesson nutrition education and culinary skills afterschool program targeted toward middle school students, aims to improve nutrition knowledge and dietary behavior in low income and minority populations. Based off of evidence-based curriculum, the program focuses on culinary fundamentals while incorporating nutrition lessons about macronutrients, micronutrients, label reading, kitchen safety, and USDA guidelines. Research assistants from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, were trained to implement each lesson. The program took place at Mesa Middle School in Arroyo Grande, CA; Shandon, CA; and two sites in Nashville, TN from Spring 2014 to Fall 2014. Thirty-two middle school students participated in the study aged 11-14 years. Questionnaires were used to measure fruit and vegetables preferences, nutrition knowledge, and fruit and vegetable intake. Results indicate that participants’ fruit and vegetable preferences, nutrition knowledge and fruit and vegetable intake all increased. However, statistical significance was only achieved with nutrition knowledge, likely due to small sample size. If programs such as Pink and Dude Chefs show promise for decreasing risk for obesity, the public health impact could improve long-term health outcomes for adolescents and mitigate obesity related consequences.