Abstract

Engagement in afterschool programs is a growing area of interest for both researchers and practitioners. Though there is an emerging body of research investigating this construct, we lack an understanding of how specific dimensions of engagement are endorsed in different ways among subgroups of students. Little is known about the sources and barriers of engagement in afterschool contexts. This mixed methods investigation used latent profile analysis and semi-structured student focus groups to explore individual differences in engagement and sources and barriers of engagement for a sample of underrepresented minority students who regularly participate in an afterschool program. Latent profile analyses revealed three engagement profiles: moderately engaged, affectively engaged, and disengaged. Reported sources (e.g., program content, friends) and barriers (e.g., interpersonal tension, repetitive content) differed by profile. The results provide a comprehensive understanding of student engagement in afterschool programs and are relevant to practitioners who desire to promote engagement.

摘要

参与课外活动是研究人员和从业人员越来越感兴趣的领域。尽管有一个新兴的研究机构正在调查这一结构，但我们对参与的具体维度如何在学生亚群中以不同方式得到认可缺乏了解。人们对课外活动的来源和障碍知之甚少。这项混合方法调查使用潜在的档案分析和半结构化的学生焦点小组来探索参与度的个体差异以及参与的来源和障碍，以定期参加课外活动的少数族裔学生样本。潜在概况分析揭示了三种参与概况：适度参与、情感参与和不参与. 报告的来源（例如，节目内容、朋友）和障碍（例如，人际关系紧张、重复内容）因个人资料而异。结果提供了对学生参与课外活动的全面了解，并且与希望促进参与的从业者相关。