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Long-Term Outcomes of After-School Programs for Children Living in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods
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Children spend a large proportion of their waking hours out of school. Especially for children living in disadvantaged neighborhoods, the way they spend this time puts them at a greater risk in terms of lower academic achievement and attainment, poor cognitive, social, and emotional development, and risky choices such as delinquency and drug use. Review studies indicate that children participating in after-school programs achieve higher academic and developmental gains compared to children who do not participate in the programs, but mostly focus on short-term effects. The goal of this study was to assess the long-term (that is 10-12 years after program entry) benefits of structured after-school programs implemented by the largest education NGO in Turkey. Using purposive sampling and a matched comparison group evaluation design, we have assessed whether educational and psycho-social outcomes differed between individuals who received the structured after-school programs during their childhood and similar individuals who did not.
Matched sample data collected from participants and non-participants from 13 cities in Turkey suggested that structured after-school programs had a statistically significant effect on academic outcomes and interpersonal and intrapersonal competencies in the long-term. Program participants had higher years of schooling, life satisfaction, self-concept, interpersonal skills, frequency of reading books, and more positive attitudes toward education, compared to non-participants. Results also indicate that the program had especially a boosting effect on female participants’ outcomes, compared to males. This evaluation study offers empirical support for the impact of after school programs on academic and psychological development of young adults. We hope our findings will stimulate more interest in after-school practices in Turkey. |