Adolescents' participation in organized activities and developmental success 2 and 8 years after high school: do sponsorship, duration, and intensity matter?

Full Abstract

Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study, the authors examined relations between educational, civic, and occupational success in young adulthood and the duration and intensity of participation in organized activities during high school. They also examined these relations as a function of sponsorship (i.e., school- vs. community-sponsored organized activities). They found that youths who participated in organized activities for 2 years demonstrated more favorable educational and civic outcomes in young adulthood than those who participated for 1 year. More intensive participation was also associated with greater educational, civic, and occupational success in young adulthood--particularly among youths who participated in activities for 2 years. Educational attainment often mediated the relations between temporal measures of participation and young adult civic and occupational outcomes. With the exception of analyses examining occupational success, findings varied little as a function of sponsorship. Of note, analyses revealed that both temporal measures of participation were positively associated with young adult outcomes as many as 8 years after high school.(PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved).

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Author information

Author/s: Gardner, Margo (M); Roth, Jodie (J); Brooks-Gunn, Jeanne (J);

Affiliation: National Center for Children and Families, Teachers College, Columbia University, 325 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027, USA. gardner(-atsign-)tc.edu

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Developmental psychology (Dev Psychol), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-May; vol 44 (issue 3) : pp 814-30

Dates: Created 2008/05/13; Completed 2008/08/11;

PMID: 18473646, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Achievement
Adolescent
Adult
Female
Humans
Leisure Activities
Male
Mental Disorders - prevention & control; psychology

Mental Disorders - prevention & control; psychology
Parenting - psychology
Personality Development
Residence Characteristics
Schools
Social Environment
Social Identification
Socialization

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