Work & Leisure

• Adolescent's Free Time


  Prior to compulsory schooling, adolescents did not have much free time. They were working!<|>With school, they had more time on their hands: Led to the establishment of youth organizations like Boy Scouts, Organized sports. Organized leisure was now institutionalized and supplemental school for a replacement for the workforce.<|>Increased affluence of the American Teenager following WWII. Consumers with discretionary income.
• Adolescent Time


  Adolescents spend their free time in very different ways now then they had in the past.<|>Adolescent's free time is spent largely engaged in passive activities like watching TV, spending time on phones.<|>Research typically suggestions three main groups: Well rounded youth who are engaged in a host of activities, Youth who focus on one type of activity (usually a sport), Youth who don't engage in many extracurricular outside of school.<|>Busier youth are often more adjusted, but the cause or a consequence is unclear.
• Youth in the United States spend much more time in leisure activities then youth in other countries.
• Use of free time for school-related activities is especially low in the US compared to other countries.
• Average American spends less than 5 hours per week on homework compared to 4 to 5 hours per day in India, Taiwan and Japan.
• American youth spend more time playing sports, socializing, caring about their appearance and working afterschool jobs.
• Adolescent Work


  Most high schoolers will have held some sort of after school job before graduating.<|>In 1940, only about 3% of HS students worked during the school year.<|>During the 1980's half of highschoolers and 2/3 of seniors held a part time job.<|>Currently, high school part time employment is at its lowest.
• Rise of the Student Worker


  The growth of retail and service sectors of the economy led to an increased need for part time and low wage employees.<|>1970s- baby boomers- adolescents were plentiful! Perfect group to fill these roles.
• Fall of the Student Worker

  About 20 years ago we began to see a fall in rates of student employment.<|>Tough standards in high schools (more rigorous requirements for graduation).<|>Decline in the economy (recession)<|>Expansion of computer technology<|>Kids prefer spending time online than working.<|>1980's and 1990's many student workers were middle class workers who chose to work (not because they had to). Economic benefits of working declined.
• Teenage Employment in Other Nations

  • Developing Nations: Adolescents leave work early (around 15), Begin working jobs (many times within the family) and these jobs resemble jobs as adults.
  • Industrialized Nations (outside US): Canada and Australia - About 50% work, Japan and Korea - Unheard of (school work is more demanding).
  • Western Europe - Falls somewhere in between these two extremes but varies considerably.
• Adolescent Workplace Today


  Majority of teenagers are employed in retail or service industries<|>Older youth are more likely to have formal jobs (in retail or service) - >50% of jobs<|>Younger youth are more likely to hold informal jobs (babysitting or yardwork) - 60% of jobs<|>Most jobs are repetitive, monotonous and intellectually unchallenging.<|>Very small proportion have jobs that promote skill building.<|>Despite this, most teens report their jobs to be favorable/comparatively satisfying compared to school.
• How has employment impacted adolescent development

  • Does working help develop a sense of responsibility?
  • Does working interfere with other activities, such as school?
  • Does working promote the development of undesirable behaviors, such as drinking/drug use?
• Responsibility


  Little evidence to support the notion that having a job promotes responsibility.<|>Most student workers spend all of their earnings on material items.<|>Only about 10% report saving their money on future education or to help with family related expenses.<|>Premature Affluence - Having income before having any serious financial responsibilities.
• Impact on Schooling


  Working more than 20 hours per week can impact student engagement and school performance.<|>More likely to be absent from school, Less likely to participate in extracurriculars, Enjoy school less, spend less time on homework, Earn slightly lower grades.<|>Although students develop strategies to compensate when working long hours, so this is actually minimal.<|>Students less interested in school choose to work longer hours and working longer hours leads to more disengagement.<|>No evidence that summer employment impacts schooling and working less than 20 hours a week can have benefits (e.g., time management).
• Problem Behavior


  Employment during adolescence does not decrease likelihood of problematic behavior.<|>Working long hours is associated with: Aggression, School misconduct, Minor delinquency, Precocious sexual activity.<|>Likely a bidirectional relationship - Adolescents with jobs may have more discretionary income to spend on cigarettes, alcohol or drugs, may have greater stress, or more strained relationships with parents.<|>Working long hours as teens is linked with more alcohol and drug use in the late 20s compared to those who did not work.
• Benefits for Disadvantaged Youth

  Students from low SES backgrounds, inner city students, single parent households, poor school performance and histories of delinquency benefit from working, but only when starting later in school (high school).<|>Starting work too early may increases the changes of HS dropout.<|>Working should complement, rather than replace, school.<|>Study with juvenile delinquents found that working was only beneficial to psychosocial development if the adolescent was attending school regularly.
• Only about 2% of students are not in school and actively looking for a job.
• Unemployment rate of high school graduates that did not go to college is not much different from high school dropouts.
• Unemployment for both graduates of HS and dropouts is problematic.
• Leisure


  Adolescents spend about half of their waking hours in leisure activities.<|>Adolescents choose leisure activities.<|>Leisure activities that are structured and voluntary provide psychological benefits.
• Free Time and Mood

  Moods during leisure activities are difficult to measure because mood and emotions fluctuate.<|>Moods are most positive when with peers and least positive when alone.<|>Moods with peers increases from 5 to 9 grade.<|>Mood with family dips from 5 to 7 and rises between MS and HS.
• Concentration, Interest and Engagement

  At school: Moderate concentration, Low interest and motivation.<|>With Friends: Moderate motivation and interest, Low concentration.<|>Structured leisure activities: High concentration, interest and motivation.<|>Unstructured leisure activities: Moderate motivation and interest, Low concentration.
• Structured Leisure Activities


  School sponsored activities provide a large context for extracurriculars - 2/3 of Americans are involved in one or more.<|>Athletics (50% of adolescents), Music (1/5th), Academic/occupational clubs (1/5th).<|>More prevalent among affluent families, students who earn better grades and in communities where school activities play a large role in the community (rural communities).<|>Involvement in extracurriculars is stable over time.
• Impact of Participation in Structured Extracurriculars on Development

  Involvement in extracurriculars: Improves performance in school, Reduces the likelihood of dropping out, Deters delinquency, risk taking and substance use, Enhances psychological well-being and social status, Protects students from disadvantaged communities from exposure to violence.<|>One exception: involvement in some teen sports - Boys with a strong "jock" identity in male dominated sports engage in more alcohol use and delinquency.<|>Involvement in extracurriculars in HS is correlated with involvement in college and community involvement in adulthood.<|>Benefits of involvement are lasting - Some studies reporting benefits up to 8 years later.<|>School sponsored activities can be especially helpful: Strength attachment to school, Contribute to school success, Connect students with positive peer role models, For some (particularly low achieving students) extracurricular activities is what keeps them coming to school each day.<|>Supportive coaches and advisors is important.
• Unstructured Leisure Time


  Time spent in unstructured leisure activities is associated with more negative outcomes like depression, delinquency, drug use, alcohol use, violence, precocious sexual activity.<|>Routine activity theory - Less structured activities lead to increased likelihood of problem behavior due to time not occupied by something else. Combination of lack of supervision, structure and time with peers encourages delinquency and problem behavior.
• Time After School


  Students spend the most time unsupervised right after school hours.<|>Delinquency is more common on weekday afternoons then at any other time during the week.<|>Self care afterschool is not linked with more responsibility or self-reliance.<|>Delinquency and negative outcomes linked with after school self care vary on the type of arrangement.<|>Authoritarian parents that monitor their children from a distance.
• Positive Youth Development Programs


  Research suggests extracurriculars are beneficial.<|>Advocate for the development of well-designed positive youth development programs - Programs designed to facilitate healthy psychosocial development, rather then focus on reducing problem behavior (skill building).<|>Five C's (Competence, Confidence, Connection, Character, and Caring/Compassion), EPOCH (Engagement, Perseverance, Optimism, Connectedness, and Happiness).<|>Volunteers is such programs: Commit to the program, Placed in demanding roles, Encouraged to meet high expectations, Take responsibility for their behavior, Understand the consequences of not meeting their obligations.
• Media Use


  Media has become a huge part of adolescent lifestyle.<|>Has taken on qualities of addiction.<|>Research has focused on tv, movies and music up until the last 20 years, when new media like computers, smart phones, other internet based devices become popular.
• Delinquency is more common on weekday afternoons then at any other time during the week
• Self care afterschool is not linked with more responsibility or self-reliance
• Delinquency and negative outcomes linked with after school self care vary on the type of arrangement
• Authoritarian parents


  Monitor their children from a distance
• Positive Youth Development Programs


  Research suggests extracurriculars are beneficial<|>Designed to facilitate healthy psychosocial development, rather then focus on reducing problem behavior (skill building)<|>Five C's (Competence, Confidence, Connection, Character, and Caring/Compassion)<|>EPOCH (Engagement, Perseverance, Optimism, Connectedness, and Happiness)
• Volunteers in positive youth development programs

  • Commit to the program
  • Placed in demanding roles
  • Encouraged to meet high expectations
  • Take responsibility for their behavior
  • Understand the consequences of not meeting their obligations
• Media has become a huge part of adolescent lifestyle
• Media has taken on qualities of addiction
• Media research has focused on

  • tv
  • movies
  • music
  • new media (computers, smart phones, other internet based devices)
• The amount of internet media that is distributed today is incredibly vast
• Virtually all American homes have a television
• About half of americans have a TV in their car