Using the experience sampling method, this study examined two questions related to outcomes associated with after-school programming. First, does the quality of experience in after-school programs mediate the effect of program participation on social competence and academic performance? Second, among program participants, is the difference in quality of experience when in programs versus other ...

BACKGROUND Organized leisure-time activities (OLTA) have been identified as a context suitable for improvement of school performance. This study aimed to assess the associations between participation in OLTA and school engagement, school-related stress, academic achievement and whether these associations differ by specific pattern of OLTA participation, gender and age. Furthermore, it assessed ...

Previous studies have highlighted the impacts of environmental factors (teacher's autonomy support) and individual factors (self-efficacy, intrinsic value, and boredom) on academic engagement. This study aimed to investigate these variables and examine the relations among them. Three structural equation models tested the multiple mediational roles of self-efficacy, intrinsic value, and boredom ...

Middle School Engagement with Mathematics Software and Later Interest and Self-Efficacy for STEM Careers Jaclyn Ocumpaugh, Maria O. San Pedro, Huei-yi Lai, Ryan S. Baker, Fred H. Borgen Abstract: Research suggests that trajectories towards careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) emerge early and are influenced by multiple factors. This paper presents a longitudinal st...

Engagement is a core component of effective educational programs for children with autism. Analysis of 711 naturalistic goal-directed classroom behaviors of four school-age children with autism and four comparable children with Down syndrome (DS) was conducted. The definition of engagement was expanded to include child compliance and congruence. A main finding was both child and environmental f...

Patient engagement has become a primary care research and practice priority. Little guidance exists, however, on how best to engage patients in primary care practice improvement, or how to measure the impact of their engagement. We present an overview of group concept mapping as a method for engaging patients in primary care practice improvement. We detail the group concept mapping process as a...

A key promise of narrative-centered learning environments is the ability to make learning engaging. However, there is concern that learning and engagement may be at odds in these game-based learning environments and traditional learning systems. This view suggests that, on the one hand, students interacting with a game-based learning environment may be engaged but unlikely to learn, while on th...

BACKGROUND Rates of suicide and poor mental health are high in environments (neighbourhoods and institutions) where individuals have only weak social ties, feel socially disconnected and experience anomie - a mismatch between individual and community norms and values. Young people spend much of their time within the school environment, but the influence of school context (school connectedness, ...

There is increasing concern that American children are not achieving at their full potential. A particular point of risk is early adolescence when American children often view school as less valuable, becoming less engaged as well. Initial research in China does not find such a trend. The goal of the current research was to elucidate why the movement away from school evident in the United State...