A preponderance of research suggests that adolescents’ participation in structured after-school activities is linked to academic benefits, yet less is known about the educational effects of different types of after-school engagement. This mixed methods, two-wave longitudinal study examined associations between school-, community-, and home-based after-school activities and academic outcomes among Latino adolescents. The quantitative sample included 416 Latino adolescents at Wave 1 ( M age = 15.5) and 335 who participated at Wave 2 one year later ( M age = 16.6), serving as the analytic sample. A subsample of 45 adolescents participated in semi-structured interviews. Overall participation in structured activities was low, with unstructured home-based activities reported most often. Longitudinal path models indicated that greater breadth of structured community-based activity participation was associated with higher educational expectations one year later. Greater breadth and intensity of unstructured community-based activities were associated with lower subsequent GPA. Home-based activities showed no main effects but exhibited gender-differentiated associations with school effort and belonging. Qualitative findings contextualized these patterns, highlighting perceived academic benefits of tutoring, sports, and mentoring, alongside time constraints and family responsibilities that shaped adolescents’ engagement. Together, findings underscore the importance of activity structure and context in understanding how after-school experiences are linked to academic outcomes.
Medrano et al. (Tue,) studied this question.
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