University of California, Irvine, USA.
J Adolesc. 2021 Oct;92:152-164. doi: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2021.09.002. Epub 2021 Sep 20.
Adolescents' organized afterschool activities have been linked to their academic performance, but processes contributing to these relations are not well understood. This study tested two pathways linking activity intensity and activity quality in 6th grade to high school academic performance: adolescents' activities in 9th grade and adolescents' academic skills in 9th grade.
Data were from the Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, a longitudinal study conducted at 10 sites in the United States. Data were collected from 918 participants (51% female) who were assessed in 6th grade (Age 12; middle school), 9th grade (Age 15; beginning of high school), and 12th grade (Age 18; end of high school).
RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS: Findings from structural equation models indicated that adolescents who had higher activity intensity and activity quality in 6th grade participated in activities with higher intensity and quality in 9th grade. These 9th grade activities formed an indirect path linking 6th grade activities to high school academic performance, including grades and number of advanced classes. In addition, 6th grade activity quality promoted adolescents' work orientations in 9th grade, a key academic disposition that then predicted grades and number of advanced classes in high school. These findings suggest that organized afterschool activities in middle school may prepare adolescents for academic success in high school via their participation in activities in 9th grade as well a stronger work orientation in 9th grade.
青少年有组织的课外活 动与他们的学业成绩有关，但促成这些关系的过程尚不清楚。本研究测试了两种途径，将 6 年级的活动强度和活动质量与高中学业成绩联系起来：9 年级的活动和 9 年级的学业技能。
数据来自儿童早期保育和青年发展研究，这是一项在美国 10 个地点进行的纵向研究。数据来自 918 名参与者（51%为女性），他们在 6 年级（12 岁；初中）、9 年级（15 岁；高中开始）和 12 年级（18 岁；高中结束）进行评估。
结构方程模型的结果表明，6 年级活动强度和质量较高的青少年在 9 年级参加了强度和质量更高的活动。这些 9 年级的活动形成了一条间接路径，将 6 年级的活动与高中的学业成绩联系起来，包括成绩和高级课程的数量。此外，6 年级的活动质量促进了青少年在 9 年级的工作取向，这是一种关键的学术倾向，然后预测了高中的成绩和高级课程的数量。这些发现表明，中学有组织的课外活 动可能通过青少年在 9 年级参加活动以及在 9 年级更强的工作取向，为他们在高中取得学业成功做好准备。
