Self-Reported Prosocial Tendencies in Early Adolescence as Related to Out-Of-School-Time Activities

Abstract

A growing number of youth are engaging in extracurricular/out-of-schooltime activities. With a high percentage of youth being engaged in structured, supervised after-school settings (Ehrle & Moore, 1999a), it is important to research the effects these activities may have on adolescent development. Self-reported prosocial tendencies in early adolescents as related to out-ofschool- time (OST) activities was a concurrent, mixed-methods approach to study behavioral development. It involved youth ages 12-14 years at two schools in Polk County, MN, a county in Northwest Minnesota. Quantitative and qualitative questions were administered via paper survey about their OST activity involvement, social behaviors and social concerns. The results of the survey were analyzed to determine if a student's self-reported behavior and concerns can be linked to the activities in which they are involved.