Extra-curricular activities, such as playing sport and participating in mentoring programmes, have physical and mental health benefits for individuals. For adolescents particularly, nurturing these interests has the potential for positive outcomes in academic attainment and personal development, an increase to self-esteem, and positive development…

Participation in extracurricular activities and community involvement during secondary school is important for the healthy social, emotional, mental, and physical development of adolescents, especially those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The current study utilized three waves of data (2016, 2017, and 2018) from the National Survey of…

Although extracurricular activities are valuable for school communities, they present specific contextual challenges including (a) scheduling outside of school hours/locations, (b) attendees who may not be directly connected to the school community, (c) large groups together in unstructured spaces, (d) potential opportunities for increased access…

The purpose of this qualitative case study aimed to explore parents' perceptions of the post-secondary transition experiences of individuals with intellectual disabilities at one postsecondary community program. Schlossberg's (1984) Transition Theory and the 4 S system consisting of situation, self, supports, and strategies was used as a lens for…

Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) workers need both motivation and interpersonal skills in STEM disciplines. The aims of the study were to identify clusters of adolescents who vary in math and science motivation and interpersonal skills and to explore what factors are related to membership in a high math and science motivation and…

Purpose: The goals were to investigate whether extracurricular school-based sports reach students not engaging in community sports and whether extracurricular school-based sports participants are more physically active and/or autonomously motivated toward sports than nonparticipants. Method: 1526 students (48.0% boys; 85.9% Belgian natives; age =…

Leadership talent development has been identified as a priority in national and state standards for gifted education. However, leadership programs in schools are not always supported by mandates or funding in individual states and implementation is not always feasible within the constraints of local gifted service models. Although some research…

Although organized activities promote positive youth development, Latina/os are least likely to participate among ethnic minority youth. This study tested whether an indicator of social stratification, namely mothers' documentation status (i.e., nativity, citizenship, and legal status), explained low activity participation rates among Mexican and…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to identify motives that lead students and teachers of sports science to participate voluntarily in the organization of sport events at a community level. Design/methodology/approach: A questionnaire composed of five dimensions, expression of values, concern for the community, interpersonal contacts,…

This article explores the social stratification of the Swedish Community School of Music and Arts, which offers voluntary extra-curricular arts education to children in Sweden, and children's experiences of attending the school. A survey was executed where sixth-graders in Sweden were asked about their experiences of the school and about…

An important part of quality of life for people with moderate and severe disabilities (MSDs) is being involved in extracurricular and community activities. However, volunteers, who may not have experience with including people with MSDs, lead most community activities. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the effectiveness of teacher…

This article explores the interaction between popular culture, community-based education, and the establishment of a critically literate debate community, using the case of City Debate as one example of how critical literacy is embedded and taught through curriculum. Debate has historically been conceptualized as a structurally rigid space for…

This chapter describes the cocurricular activities offered through The Democracy Commitment at Allegany College of Maryland and the impact of these civic experiences on its students.

These "Stories From the Field" describe five Wallace-funded programs working to expand learning and enrichment for disadvantaged children, so they can benefit from the types of opportunities their wealthier counterparts have access to, from homework help to swimming classes. The report details each program's approach, successes and…

Community schools represent a school reform approach that purports to address the multifaceted and intertwined challenges faced by poor urban communities and schools. The community school approach includes partnering with community organizations, making the school a community hub where services are provided during and outside of the school day,…