Send an Annotation from the Connection Collection by E-mail

This page opened in a new window. Use the form below to send this citation by e-mail or close this window if you wish to return to the Connections Collection.

Send Citation and Annotation by E-mail Enter the e-mail address to which you would like to send this citation/annotation, and click the "send e-mail" button.

Citation:

Duffett, A., & Johnson, J. (2004). All work and no play? Listening to what kids and parents really want from out-of-school time. New York: Public Agenda & the Wallace Foundation. http://www.wallacefoundation.org/WF/KnowledgeCenter/KnowledgeTopics/Out-of-SchoolLearning/AllWorkAndNoPlay.htm

Annotation:
The purpose of this report is to provide data on what parents and kids want out of kid's out-of-school time and their previous experience with it. This research illustrates the views of both students and parents on what they want from out-of-school time activities and how young people spend time when the are not in school. Results indicated that the majority of middle and high school students said that they participated in an organized activity outside of school and made an explicit connection between being bored and getting into trouble. Most of the students surveyed indicated that these organized activities were valuable, fun, and a good place to make friends. However, one in five students said that their schedules were too hectic. Several differences were found between low-income and minority families and their respective counterparts. Low-income and minority family members were more likely to say that they had problems finding quality, affordable, and available activities in which their children could participate. While most parents emphasized the importance of out-of-school activities that allow their children time to relax and be children, low-income and minority parents indicated that they wanted activities that contributed to academic learning. Results showed several important differences between what parents thought kids were doing and what kids said they did. While most parents said their kids didn't use the mall for hanging out with their friends, the majority of kids said that they did. Some parents indicated that cell phones provided a way for them to know where their kids were, but a large proportion of kids admitted to telling their parents they were somewhere that they were not and ignoring incoming calls from their parents. Two national random sample telephone surveys were conducted in order to obtain these results. One study surveyed 609 students in grades 6 through 12 who were predominantly white and of diverse urbanicity. The second study surveyed 1,003 parents of children in grades K through 12 who were predominantly white and of diverse socioeconomic status and urbanicity. This study provides clear data to policymakers and educators regarding what parents and students want from out-of-school activities. Due to the discrepancies between low-income and minority families' satisfaction and preferences relating to their current options for out-of-school activities, further research needs to be conducted with this population in order to further explore their perspectives.