jennifer a. fredricks and sandra d. simpkins (eds): organized out-of-school activities: settings for...
TRANSCRIPT
BOOK REVIEW
Jennifer A. Fredricks and Sandra D. Simpkins (eds): OrganizedOut-of-School Activities: Settings for Peer Relationships
New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, No. 140, Jossey-Bass,San Francisco, CA, 2013, 101 pp, ISBN: 978-111873575-6
Kaitlyn Focken
Received: 5 October 2013 / Accepted: 7 October 2013 / Published online: 15 October 2013
� Springer Science+Business Media New York 2013
In Organized Out-of-School Activities: Settings for Peer
Relationships, editors Jennifer A. Fredricks and Sandra D.
Simpkins analyze research on how peers in organized out-
of-school activities shape the development of adolescents.
Fredricks and Simpkins explore a variety of research that is
focused particularly on youth 10–18 years of age. To
develop a deeper understanding of peer influence and the
impact of participation in out-of-school activities, Fre-
dricks and Simpkins begin by examining the reasons
organized activities are ideal settings to analyze peer
relations. Then, they include reviews from different authors
of theoretical and empirical research on peer relationships
in a variety of out-of-school activities and settings, and
how those peer relationships relate to variations in devel-
opmental outcomes across different types of activities.
Their review contains a helpful synopsis of the current
research available on peer influence and out-of-school
activities, while also noting areas where research is lacking
and how future studies could be better tailored to address
still unanswered questions.
In Chapter 1, Fredricks and Simpkins introduce theo-
retical perspectives and previous research in the area of
peer relations and the impact on participation in out-of-
school activities. In addition, they explore empirical evi-
dence on how participation in out-of-school activities
relates to indicators of positive development, such as aca-
demic achievement, educational attainment, occupational
status, self-esteem, and resilience. Fredricks and Simpkins
point out that there have only been a few studies on the link
between organized activities and peer relationships, but
that even so there are many similarities in the research
conducted for each literature independently. They also
mention that recent national studies indicate that over 70 %
of youth in the United States report participating in at least
one organized activity, indicating that many adolescents
may be affected by peer relations related to such activities.
This introductory chapter also addresses particular ques-
tions, such as why organized activities are an ideal setting
to study peers, how peer relations shape adolescents’ par-
ticipation in organized activities, and how organized
activities shape peer relations in positive ways. This
chapter helps the reader understand the context that the
future chapters are in and provides a great starting point of
analysis of peer relationships in organized out-of-school
activities.
In Chapter 2, which is written by Francois Poulin and
Anne-Sophie Denault, the authors assess research on how
participation in out-of-school activities with friends affects
those friendships. In particular, the authors explore the
quality of characteristics of friendships in out-of-school
activities, as well as the associations between involvement
in such activities and the education and behavioral
adjustments of adolescents. The study resulted in a finding
that friendships do exist within organized activities, but
that the features of the friendships vary across the different
types of organized activities that youth are involved in. For
example, studies show that group members are more likely
to have cohesion and stronger ties in team sport settings
than in individual settings, because team spirit is needed in
order for the team to work. As a result, the team sport
environment is more likely to encourage support among
friends than the individual sport setting. But, the research
also showed that youth involved in individual sports
reported that friends who co-participated with them were
more academically oriented that their friends who did not
participate with them in individual sports. The authors
K. Focken (&)
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]
123
J Youth Adolescence (2014) 43:161–163
DOI 10.1007/s10964-013-0033-3
hypothesize that one explanation for this result may be that
youth who are involved in individual sports are, by defi-
nition, more focused on individual performance and com-
petition, and that this focus carries over into the academic
setting.
In addition to differences between individual and team
sport environments, the study also compared and analyzed
whether any differences were found between school-based
and community-based activities. The study found that youth
who participated in community-based activities and repor-
ted at least one friend who co-participated with them in
those activities had better grades and more positive self-
perceptions of academic ability than youth who did not
participate. However, the study found no differences for
school-based activities, which was somewhat surprising
since previous research had reported that school-based
friendships were more closely associated with adolescents’
academic achievement than out-of-school friendships
(Witkow and Fuligni 2010). The authors speculate that one
reason for this finding may be the positive quality of
friendships formed in the community-based context,
because their findings show that friends in the community-
based context tend to be more supportive and that these
friends tend to be more academically oriented, which may
then have a positive impact on the adolescent’s own func-
tioning. Or, another explanation presented by the authors is
that adolescents find having a friend in a community-based
activity to be more crucial than in school-based activities,
since in school-based activities adolescents typically will at
least have acquaintances participating with them, so having
peers they are familiar with might make not having friends
participating with them in that context as critical as in
community-based activities, where they may not know
anyone. Although the authors note that the research in this
section is subject to many limitations, they still provide an
informative discussion on friendships with co-participants
in organized out-of-school activities.
In Chapter 3, authors Andrea E. Vest and Sandra D.
Simpkins address the issue of sport participation and why
peer interactions in sports settings may lead to relationships
that are more prone to risky behavior. This chapter also
explores the specific area of teammate behavior, which is a
less-developed aspect of peer relations. This chapter is
appropriately titled: ‘‘When Is Sport Participation Risky or
Protective for Alcohol Use? The Role of Teammates,
Friendships, and Popularity.’’ The authors ultimately found
that while sport participation did not have a high correla-
tion to alcohol use when peer alcohol use was low, athletes
were likely to use alcohol if their sport friends and team-
mates had high alcohol use. The authors also made an
interesting point by noting that while athletes use more
alcohol than participants of other activities, they also tend
to have high academic achievement, high self-esteem, and
good emotional and physical health. Vest and Simpkins
also use Bandura (1989) social learning theory to help
explain peer influence on alcohol use. Bandura’s theory
suggests that adolescents’ behavior is ‘‘learned’’ through
social interactions. In other words, their behavior is shaped
by the behaviors of those around them. One of the main
findings of the study was that sport participation was
related to increased alcohol use, regardless of athletes’
popularity. The study also found that alcohol use depended
on friends’ and teammates’ alcohol use. Although the study
provided useful and interesting results, the authors noted
potential limitations and ideas for how future research
could be conducted differently. One such limitation noted
was that gathering information in this context can be dif-
ficult because one way for gaining the information is
through adolescents’ nomination of friends and examining
friend and teammate alcohol use, which may lead to biased
estimates. To try and combat this bias, the authors also
used social network data. Even so, as Vest and Simpkins
explain, many unanswered questions for future research
remain.
In Chapter 4, Amy M. Bohnert, Julie Wargo Aikens, and
Nicole T. Arola evaluate how involvement in out-of-school
activities impacts adolescent social adjustment as they
make the transition to high school. A major analysis in this
chapter considers whether continuity of participation in
five different types of organized activities (religious, aca-
demic, performance/arts, sports and community/service)
facilities social adjustment during the transition to high
school. The authors point out that transitions can be
stressful time periods for adolescents, and that organized
activities may provide environments that help adolescents
navigate this large, new setting. In addition, the authors
also caution that it would be improper to ignore parental
influence during this time as well as peer influence.
Although peer relationships become increasingly more
important during adolescence, parents still make up an
important part of adolescents’ lives, and influence of con-
tinuous participation in out-of-school activities may par-
tially be explained by parental involvement. Parents taking
an active role during earlier school years in getting their
children involved in out-of-school activities may foster an
interest in those activities that the student continues into
high school. This view supports the ‘‘social architect’’
theory, that parents can shape the kinds of peers their
children form friendships with and the experiences they are
likely to have by influencing the out-of-school activities
their children participate in.
In Chapter 5, author B. Bradford Brown examines three
features of out-of school organized activity settings that
may shape peer relations: (1) caricatures, (2) channels, and
(3) context for peer interactions. In addition, Bradford
provides a conceptual framework to aid in future research
162 J Youth Adolescence (2014) 43:161–163
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on how organized out-of-school activity characteristics
influence peer processes, and how these processes influ-
ence developmental outcomes for adolescents. When
examining organized activities as caricatures, Brown con-
siders the implications of image and reputation on identity
development and social adjustment in early adolescence.
Brown considers the idea that a given activity may carry
with it an expectation that participants behave a certain
way. This reputation helps establish an adolescent’s image
among peers, or caricature, even if the participant does not
completely conform to the activity’s stereotype. Brown
says that the studies in this volume should provide a lesson
that an activity’s caricature, and its impact on participants’
reputations, cannot be considered ‘‘generic.’’ Activities
vary across school settings, age, and status; it simply
depends on the particular setting of a specific activity.
Brown also indicates that an idea for future research would
be to study ‘‘desisters’’, or individuals who drop out of an
activity either voluntarily or through force by a competitive
entry process, and what kind of impact that has on ado-
lescents or peer relations.
In addition to caricatures, Brown also considers the chan-
neling function of organized activity, or the role that organized
activities can play in ‘‘channeling’’ a young person toward
certain peer relationships and away form others. Brown points
out that proximity remains a key factor in selecting and
maintaining close friendships during adolescence. In addition,
an organized activity that meets on a regular basis can provide
the adolescent with regular contact with a set of peers who
share a similar interest. This is another factor that can channel
friendship in an organized activity environment. On the flip
side, activities short in duration may make maintaining a peer
relationship more difficult. Brown argues that channeling
effects may be even more crucial at fragile junctures, such as
the transition to a new school. Finally, Brown considers how
organized activities can be contexts for peer interactions.
Organized activities, according to Brown, serve as an
‘‘ongoing locale’’ for peer relationships to function and grow.
Among other findings, Brown mentions that one interpretation
of the findings is that adolescents’ conformity to the peer
norms of an activity are contingent on the amount of time
spent in that context, or the length of involvement.
Overall, Organized Out-of-School Activities: Settings
for Peer Relationships examines many interesting studies
in the area of peer relationships in out-of-school activities.
The research conducted will be useful to anyone studying
adolescence or just interested in learning more about peer
relations and the impact these relationships have on orga-
nized out-of-school activities, and vice versa. The book
successfully accomplishes its goal of explaining why
organized activities provide an ideal setting to study peer
relationships, and the empirical research presented is both
informative and sometimes surprising. The authors do not
simply assume that previous findings are correct, and
occasionally even rebut previous research by approaching
topics from slighting different angles. By organizing the
research around key themes of peer groups, peer relation-
ships, and peer interactions, Fredricks and Simpkins have
created an enlightening educational piece that will hope-
fully help future research on the connection between
organized out-of-school activities and peer relationships
continue to improve.
References
Bandura, A. (1989). Human agency in social cognitive theory.
American Psychologist, 44, 1175–1184. doi:10.1037//0003-
066X.44.9.1175.
Witkow, M. R., & Fuligni, A. J. (2010). In-school versus out-of-school
friendships and academic achievement among an ethnically
diverse sample of adolescents. Journal of Research on Adoles-
cence, 20, 631–950. doi:10.1111/j.1532-7795.2010.00653.x.
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