School districts constantly struggle to find solutions to address the high school dropout problem. Literature supports the need to identify and intervene with these students earlier and in more systemic ways. The purpose of this study was to conduct a longitudinal examination of the relationship between sustained afterschool participation and the host district’s early warning index (EWI) associated with school dropout. Data included 65,341 students participating in an urban school district’s after school program from school years 2000-2001 through 2011-2012. The district serves more than 80,000 students annually. Data represented students in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12, and length of participation ranged from 1 through 12 years. Results indicated that student risk increased over time and that persistent participation in afterschool programming had a significant relationship with student individual growth trajectories. Slower growth rates, as evidenced through successive models, supported students being positively impacted by program participation. Additionally, participation was more meaningful if students persisted, as noted in the lower EWI rates, as compared to students who attended less consistently.

The purpose of this study was to test whether the influence of after school activities upon school commitment and academic achievement among a sample of 146 African American adolescents was mediated by affiliation with prosocial peers. The study also examined whether risky peer affiliation mediated the effects of negative school experiences upon school commitment and academic achievement. Participants were recruited from middle schools within the greater metropolitan area of a mid-sized Mid-Atlantic city and a surrounding rural community. Participants completed a questionnaire with several measures. Academic achievement was measured by a one-item self report school of grades. School commitment was measured by the Commitment to School Measure. Prosocial peers was measured by the Teacher Checklist of Social Behavior. Risky peers was measured by the Peer Problem Behavior Scale. Participation in after school activities was measured by the Neighborhood Involvement Scale. Negative school experiences was measured by an item from the School Transition Stress Scale. An abbreviated version of Silverberg’s Parental Monitoring Scale was used to measure parental monitoring, a covariate. Hierarchical linear regression was used to test for direct and mediation relationships. Participation in after school activities predicted prosocial peer affiliation and was positively correlated with academic achievement and commitment to school. Prosocial peer affiliation predicted both academic achievement and school commitment. However, there was not a direct effect of after school activities upon academic achievement or school commitment. Negative school experiences predicted risky peer affiliation and was negatively correlated with academic achievement. However, there were no direct effects of negative school experiences upon academic achievement. Secondary analyses found that high levels of parental monitoring was predictive of low levels of risky peers, but did not predict prosocial peers. Findings showed some support for peer cluster theory although mediation hypotheses were not supported. One program implication is for program developers to consider cultivation of prosocial peer affiliations as a strategy to increase a possible wide range of positive individual youth outcomes, including attitudes toward school, positive student-teacher relationships and reduced problem behaviors. Further research is needed to identify factors that help explain how participation in after school activities can increase the likelihood of positive and prosocial peer affiliations.

This study seeks to examine low income, minority parents' perceptions of after school programs. The independent variables in the study were parental perceptions of supervision, communication, resources, transportation, program content and student academic engagement. The dependent variable was parental satisfaction with after school programs. A quantitative survey was distributed to all parents of students participating in the after school programs of four Title 1 schools in a large metropolitan Atlanta school system with over 70% student eligibility for free or reduced lunch and 85% minority student enrollment. One hundred eighty after school program parents responded to the survey through their child's daily communication planner. The results of the study indicated that there is a statistically significant relationship between parental satisfaction and each of the independent variables of supervision, communication, resources, transportation, program content and student academic engagement. A regression analysis found that the most impacting variables on parental satisfaction were program content, communication and transportation. Based on the results of the study, it is recommended that after school programs that serve low income, minority families should ensure that transportation, effective student monitoring and structured activities are components of their program. After school programs that serve low income, minority families should provide safe methods of transportation from the after school site to the home of program participants. Finally, after school programs that serve low income, minority families should establish and maintain structured learning opportunities for program participants that include scheduled activities, active instruction and assistance by the after school teacher and an orderly classroom environment that allows participants to complete their assignments without distractions or interruptions from other participants.

Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur arbetet med musik ser ut i fritidshem utifrån ett lärarperspektiv. Utgångspunkten i studien har arbetats fram genom fyra centrala forskningsfrågor som berör hur lärare i fritidshem uppfattar att musik kan användas som ett pedagogiskt verktyg, vilka faktorer som påverkar hur lärare använder musik i fritidshem, vad lärare har för insikt i elevers musikintresse samt vilka problem eller svårigheter som lärare ser i arbetet med musik i fritidshem.För att analysera resultatet på det insamlade datamaterialet har studien använt sig av tidigare forskning, litteratur samt ett vetenskapsteoretiskt perspektiv. Studiens teori utgår från det sociokulturella perspektivet (Hwang och Nilsson, 2011) för att upprätta en analys, inom det sociokulturella perspektivet har appropriering (Säljö, 2000) varit ett viktigt inslag för att analysera resultatet, vilket kortfattat innebär innebär att ta till sig och bli förtrogen med sociokulturella redskap i olika sociala praktiker. De sociokulturella redskap som visar sig i föreliggande studie är exempelvis: instrument, digitala verktyg och lokaler.Studien kan visa att lärarna i fritidshem har olika arbetssätt och tankegångar kring arbetet med musik i fritidshem, men samtliga tillfrågade har någon form av agenda de utgår från i sitt personliga arbete med musik i verksamheten. Lärarna i fritidshem visar att de aktivt arbetar med att ta tillvara på elevers intresse när de spontant uttrycker en vilja att arbeta med musik i fritidshemmet. Studien visar även att arbetet med musik skiljer sig mycket i svårighetsgrad och hur pass väl utrustade lärarna är i form av kunskap och tillgång till material för att framhäva musik som ämne i fritidshemmet.Studien har som avsikt att belysa hur musik kan användas i fritidshem och varför det är viktigt att musik får ta plats i verksamheterna på samma sätt som andra ämnen i grundskolan.

The purpose of this study was to understand after-school care stuffs experience supporting special needs children in the classroom and during after school activities. What kind of help do children with special needs need in the classroom and after school? And what role do after-school stuff have in meeting these needs? I attempted to answer these questions using a qualitative study. I conducted several interviews with five participants from an after-school care center in Stockholm. My research focused on how staff support the inclusion of children with special needs, from a theoretical and practical perspective. Staff discuss their role both in the classroom and after school, the intensive and specialized support children with special needs require, and how they attempt to provide this support. My analysis of the experiences and thoughts participants described is guided by Per-John Ödman hermeneutics theory. Themes that emerged from my research was that participants/the staff felt more specialized information and education was needed regarding the different diagnoses. Participants/staff also expressed that they provided the majority of the support to special needs children in the classroom. Because of this additional support participants felt they had less energy to meet the high needs of these children during after school care activities. Although afterschool staff/participants described a willingness to continue providing this support in the classroom, they felt access to more information and specialized training for meeting these students needs would create greater confidence about their capacity to help thing for who need a special help. Finally, staff/participants felt that the main support children with special needs required is social integration. Staff planned various games and activities that everyone could participate in to help children with special needs to feel included. / Denna uppsats handlar om fritidspersonalens erfarenheter och uppfattningar av sin yrkesroll när det kommer till elever som är i behov av särskilt stöd i skolan och på fritidshemmet. Undersökningen behandlar frågorna vilken hjälp dessa elever får av fritidspersonal både under skoltid och på fritidshemmet, och vilken roll fritidspersonal har när det kommer till elever med särskilda behov. Denna undersökning är grundad på kvalitativa intervjuer med fritidspersonal från Stockholmsområde. I studien undersöks inkludering ur ett teoretiskt och praktiskt perspektiv samt analyseras med hjälp av Per-John Ödmans hermeneutiska teori för att tolka och förstå fritidspersonalens tankar och erfarenheter om deras roll under skoltid och på fritidshemmet med elever som är i behov av särskilt stöd. Önskan till utbildning inom olika diagnoser kom fram i undersökningen där fritidspersonalen ville känna sig mer trygga i bemötande av elever med särskilda behov. Informanterna som deltog i denna undersökning fungerade även som resurs för elever med särskilda behov under skoltid, vilken gjorde att de har upplevt saknad ork och energi på grund av långa arbetstimmar när de arbetade på fritidshemmet efteråt. Intervjupersonerna var i allmänhet villiga att hjälpa och stötta elever med särskilda behov, men alla har upplevt en viss osäkerhet samt saknad kunskap för att stötta dessa elever. Personalen har även varit osäkra när det gäller bemötande av dessa elever och om vilka material som skulle hjälpa eleverna att lättare kunna klara av skolarbeten. Det kom fram att inkludering som arbetssätt har använts dagligen, speciellt på fritidshemmet där genom lekar och olika aktiviteter är det lättare att integrera eleverna med särskilda behov med andra, så att dem känner sig inkluderade.

The thesis deals with the development of the career of educators in after-school clubs. One part of the thesis is a theoretical part and the other part is my own research. Chapter one defines the concepts of the professional career and the life path. The second chapter deals with the educator in the after-school club, their job description and the qualifications related to the profession, competencies, typology of educators and the risks of the burnout syndrome for the profession. The third chapter analogously deals with the profession of a teacher. In the fourth chapter, I compare the career path of the educator with the professional career of the teacher, and the overall summary. The fifth chapter presents the findings of a qualitative research (five biographical interviews).

O presente estudo, realizado em escolas de Primeiro Grau do município de são Paulo, teve por objetivo investigar os motivos pelos quais os escolares assistem à televisão, suas preferências, tempo dispendido em assistir a seus programas, horário de maior audiência, quem costuma ligar o televisor nos programas a que o escolar assiste, liberdade e orientação dada pelos pais para assistir a estes programas e opinião do escolar sobre o caráter educativo dos programas. O trabalho compara também o tempo dispendido com a televisão e o tempo gasto em outras atividades. Os dados consideram as variáveis idade, sexo do escolar, bem como o nível sócio-econômico da família. Recomendações àqueles que pretendem utilizar a televisão como método de Educação em Saúde são apresentadas. / This paper reports a research carried out in Schools in São Paulo City with the objective to provide data on the factors motivating students to watch television programs, amount of time spent watching television, favorite programs and watching time. The study provides information on who usually turns the television on, permission and orientation given by parents to children concerning television programs and students\' opinion on their educational value. It compares time spent with television and other activities. Consideration was given to age and sex of children involved, as well as to the socioeconomic status of the family. The author makes recommendations to those who intend to utilize television as a method of Health Education.

O presente estudo, realizado em escolas de Primeiro Grau do município de são Paulo, teve por objetivo investigar os motivos pelos quais os escolares assistem à televisão, suas preferências, tempo dispendido em assistir a seus programas, horário de maior audiência, quem costuma ligar o televisor nos programas a que o escolar assiste, liberdade e orientação dada pelos pais para assistir a estes programas e opinião do escolar sobre o caráter educativo dos programas. O trabalho compara também o tempo dispendido com a televisão e o tempo gasto em outras atividades. Os dados consideram as variáveis idade, sexo do escolar, bem como o nível sócio-econômico da família. Recomendações àqueles que pretendem utilizar a televisão como método de Educação em Saúde são apresentadas. / This paper reports a research carried out in Schools in São Paulo City with the objective to provide data on the factors motivating students to watch television programs, amount of time spent watching television, favorite programs and watching time. The study provides information on who usually turns the television on, permission and orientation given by parents to children concerning television programs and students\' opinion on their educational value. It compares time spent with television and other activities. Consideration was given to age and sex of children involved, as well as to the socioeconomic status of the family. The author makes recommendations to those who intend to utilize television as a method of Health Education.

Correlational research has shown the ratio of positive to negative interactions (PN ratio) between students and teachers may have an effect on the frequency and type of student behavior displayed in the context of teaching. Based on this research, PN ratio has become a prominent feature of many school improvement and teacher evaluation measures. While a variety of correlational data show a positive relationship between high PN ratios and improved student behavior in the classroom, there is little evidence assessing the extent to which instructors will increase PN ratios following didactic workshop training (relatively passive, one-session workshops with few opportunities for skill building). Additionally, the limited amount of available data suggests that increasing these ratios may be more difficult than expected. The purpose of this research was to assess the effectiveness of two interventions used to train after-school instructors to increase PN ratios. The first intervention (workshop training) followed a didactic workshop-training model. The second intervention (coaching) included the components of the didactic workshop model with the addition of modeling, role-play, and performance feedback. In this study four instructors in an after-school program were randomly assigned to one of two groups to participate in training programs. These programs were designed to help them increase PN ratios when interacting with students during homework time in the after-school program. Group 1 received only the workshop training, and Group 2 received the workshop training as well as the coaching intervention. Instructor behaviors were recorded during 15-minute observation sessions, and PN ratios were calculated for each instructor. All observation sessions took place in the context of homework time during regularly scheduled after-school programming. The study used AB/ABC design to assess the success of the two training models. Instructors in Group 1 showed no increases in the frequency of positive interactions or PN ratios. Instructors in Group 2 showed an increased frequency of positive interactions and increased PN ratios in the coaching condition. Results are discussed in terms of increases and decreases in the daily frequency of positive and negative interactions as well as the overall increases in PN ratio.

In the United States, adolescent obesity rates continue to increase unabated, yet there is a paucity of programs to address these conditions for this population. The current study evaluated an after-school program in California high schools that uses a mentoring model with youth to promote regular exercise and healthy food choices. It is grounded in Social Cognitive Theory which focuses on both the impact of the environment on shaping behaviors and the ability of an individual to construct his or her own suitable environment. A quantitative single-group pretest-posttest design using archived participant responses was utilized in order to determine whether the program was effective in changing nutrition and fitness behaviors. Data from The Food Behavior Checklist, The Perceived Self-Descriptive Questionnaire, and the Nutrition Knowledge Checklist (N = 93) was used to obtain the answers to 5 research hypotheses. Paired sample t-tests and mediational analyses (using multiple regression) were conducted. The findings showed that participants in the program increased fruit and vegetable consumption, levels of physical activity, and the quality of their diet but had no significant effect on their perception of general fitness. It is clear that programs such as this one can be effective in altering the health behaviors of adolescents. The results of this study will positively contribute to social change by providing empirical support for the effectiveness of an intervention to improve nutrition and fitness activities in adolescents and modeling healthy behaviors to families and communities in an effort to reduce not only early-age mortality but also the increased health care costs associated with obesity.