Organized Out–of–School Activities: Setting for Peer Relationships: New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, Number 140

The goal of this volume is to merge the out–of–school time and the peer relationship literatures to explore the question of how peers in organized activity contexts—like sports, the arts, and community–based organizations—influence academic functioning, social development, and problem behavior. This volume shows how organized activity contexts offer an ideal context to study peer processes, and to explore both how and why peers matter for organized activity participation. The first chapter reviews the theoretical and empirical research on peers and organized activities. These chapters address several questions including: (1) Does co–participating in an organized activity with your friend improve the quality of the relationship; (2) When do peer relations amplify the benefits of participating and when do they exacerbate negative outcomes; and (3) Does participation in organized activities help adolescents manage difficult transition periods? Finally, the volume concludes with a conceptual framework to guide future research on how organized activity characteristics influence peer processes and how these processes within organized activity contexts influence outcomes for adolescents.

1. Organized Out–of–School Activities and Peer Relationships: Theoretical Perspectives and Previous Research 1 Jennifer A. Fredricks, Sandra D. Simpkins This introductory chapter describes reasons why organized activities offer an ideal setting to study peer processes and reviews theoretical perspectives and previous empirical research relevant to this topic. 2. Friendships with Co–Participants in Organized Activities: Prevalence, Quality, Friends’ Characteristics, and Associations with Adolescents’ Adjustment 19 François Poulin, Anne–Sophie Denault The authors examine the extent to which adolescents participate in activities with their friends, the quality of characteristics of these activity friendships, and the association between activity involvement and educational and behavioral adjustment. 3. When Is Sport Participation Risky or Protective for Alcohol Use? The Role of Teammates, Friendships, and Popularity 37 Andrea E. Vest, Sandra D. Simpkins The authors explore the extent to which popularity, friends’ alcohol use, and teammates’ alcohol use alter the link between sport participation and alcohol use. 4. Regrouping: Organized Activity Involvement and Social Adjustment Across the Transition to High School 57 Amy M. Bohnert, Julie Wargo Aikins, Nicole T. Arola The authors examine the relation between the continuity of participation in five different types of organized activities and social adjustment across the transition to high school. 5. Adolescents, Organized Activities, and Peers: Knowledge Gained and Knowledge Needed 77 B. Bradford Brown A conceptual framework for future research on how organized activity characteristics infl uence peer processes, and how these processes influence outcomes for adolescents is presented. INDEX 97