Abstract
Participation in extracurricular activities is purported to protect the broad spectrum of youth from a host of behavioral risks. Yet, empirical research on the extent to which this assumption holds for involvement in violence by immigrant youth is limited. Thus, using data for 13,236 (51.8% female) adolescents from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, this study explores how the relationship between extracurricular activities and youth violence varies by type of extracurricular activity profile (sports alone, non-sports alone, and a combination of sports and non-sports) and by generations of immigration (first, second, and third-plus). The sample is composed of 9.3% (n = 1,233) first-generation youth, 15.7% (n = 2,080) second generation, and 74.9% (n = 9,923) third-plus generation. The results reveal that adolescents from the third-plus generation (i.e., non-immigrant youth) who participate in non-sports alone or sports plus non-sports have lower odds of involvement in violence than adolescents from the same generation who do not participate in extracurricular activities. However, for first- and second-generation adolescents, participation in extracurricular activities is associated with higher rather than lower odds of violence compared to their non-participating counterparts. These findings challenge the viewpoint that participation in mainstream extracurricular activities as afforded by US schools is equally beneficial for all youth. They also call for additional research that explores why immigrant youth are less likely than non-immigrant youth to gain violence-reducing benefits when they participate in extracurricular activities.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Agnew, R., & Petersen, D. (1989). Leisure and delinquency. Social Problems, 36, 332–350.
Alba, R., & Nee, V. (2003). Remaking the American mainstream: Assimilation and contemporary immigration. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Barber, B., Eccles, J. S., & Stone, M. (2001). Whatever happened to the jock, the brain, and the princes? Young adult pathways linked to adolescent activity involvement and social identity. Journal of Adolescent Research, 16, 429–455.
Bartko, T. W., & Eccles, J. S. (2003). Adolescent participation in structured and unstructured activities: A person-oriented analysis. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 32, 233–241.
Billiteri, T. J. (2010). Youth violence: Are ‘get tough’ polices the best approach? CQ Researcher, 20, 193–216.
Blomfield, C. J., & Barber, B. L. (2009). Brief report: Performing on the stage, the field, or both? Australian adolescent extracurricular activity participation and self-concept. Journal of Adolescence, 32, 733–739.
Bohnert, A., Fredricks, J., & Randall, E. (2010). Capturing unique dimensions of youth’s organized activity involvement: Theoretical and methodological considerations. Review of Educational Research, 80, 576–610.
Bohnert, A. M., & Garber, J. (2007). Prospective relations between organized activity participation and psychopathology during adolescence. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 35, 1021–1033.
Bohnert, A. M., Richards, M. H., Kohl, K., & Randall, E. (2009). Relationships between discretionary time activities, emotional experiences, delinquency and depressive symptoms among urban African American adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 38, 587–601.
Broh, B. A. (2002). Linking extracurricular programming to academic achievement: Who benefits and why? Sociology of Education, 75, 69–91.
Bui, H. (2009). Parent-child conflicts, school troubles, and differences in delinquency across immigration generations. Crime and Delinquency, 55, 412–441.
Busseri, M. A., Rose-Krasnor, L., Willoughby, T., & Chalmers, H. (2006). A longitudinal examination of breadth and intensity of youth activity involvement and successful development. Developmental Psychology, 42, 1313–1326.
Centers for Disease Control. (2010). Youth violence: Facts at a glance. Accessed October 26, 2011 from http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/yv-datasheet-a.pdf.
Centers for Disease Control. (2011a). Youth violence: Facts at a glance. Accessed October 26, 2011 from http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/pdf/ACE_One_Pager-a.pdf.
Centers for Disease Control. (2011b). Youth Violence: National Statistics. Accessed October 26, 2011 from http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/youthviolence/stats_at-a_glance/national_stats.html.
Chantala, K., & Tabor, J. (1999). Strategies to perform a design-based analysis using the add health data. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Population Center. Retrieved January 12, 2007 from http://www.cpc.unc.edu/projects/addhealth/files/weight1.pdf.
Darling, N. (2005). Participation in extracurricular activities and adolescent adjustment: Cross-sectional and longitudinal findings. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 34, 493–505.
Darling, N., Caldwell, L., & Smith, R. (2005). Participation in school-based extracurricular activities and adolescent adjustment. Journal of Leisure Research, 37, 51–76.
Demuth, S., & Brown, S. L. (2004). Family structure, family processes, and adolescent delinquency: The significance of parental absence versus parental gender. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 41, 58–81.
Dotterer, A. M., McHale, S. M., & Crouter, A. C. (2007). Implications of out-of-school activities for school engagement in African American adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 36, 391–401.
Eccles, J., & Barber, B. L. (1999). Student council, volunteering, basketball, or marching band: What kind of extracurricular participation matters? Journal of Adolescent Research, 14(1), 10–43.
Eccles, J. S., Barber, B. L., Stone, M., & Hunt, J. (2003). Extracurricular activities and adolescent development. Journal of Social Issues, 59(4), 865–889.
Evenson, K., Sarmiento, O., & Ayala, G. (2004). Acculturation and physical activity among North Carolina Latina immigrants. Social Science and Medicine, 59, 2509–2522.
Fass, P. (2007). Children of a new world: Society, culture, and globalization. New York: New York University Press.
Feldman, A. F., & Matjasko, J. L. (2005). The role of school-based extracurricular activities in adolescent development: A comprehensive review and future directions. Review of Educational Research, 75, 159–210.
Feldman, A. F., & Matjasko, J. L. (2007). Profiles and portfolios of adolescent school-based extracurricular activity participation. Journal of Adolescence, 30, 313–332.
Felson, R. B. (1996). Big people hit little people: Sex differences in physical power and interpersonal violence. Criminology, 34, 433–452.
Fredricks, J. A., & Eccles, J. S. (2005). Developmental benefits of extracurricular involvement: Do peer characteristics mediate the link between activities and youth outcomes? Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 6, 507–520.
Fredricks, J. A., & Eccles, J. S. (2006). Is extracurricular participation associated with beneficial outcomes: Concurrent and longitudinal relations? Developmental Psychology, 42, 698–713.
Fredricks, J. A., & Eccles, J. S. (2008). Participation in extracurricular activities in the middle school years: Are there developmental benefits for African American and European American youth? Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 37, 1029–1043.
Gardner, M., Roth, J., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (2009). Sports participation and juvenile delinquency: The role of the peer context among adolescent boys and girls with varied histories of problem behavior. Developmental Psychology, 45, 341–353.
Grey, M. A. (1992). Sports and immigrant, minority and Anglo relations in Garden City (Kansas) high school. Sociology of Sport Journal, 9, 255–270.
Guest, A. M., & McRee, N. (2009). A school-level analysis of adolescent extracurricular activity, delinquency, and depression: The importance of situational context. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 38, 51–62.
Harker, K. (2001). Immigrant generation, assimilation, and adolescent psychological well-being. Social Forces, 79, 969–1004.
Harrison, P., & Narayan, G. (2003). Differences in behavior, psychological factors, and environmental factors associated with participation in school sports and other activities in adolescence. Journal of School Health, 73, 113–120.
Haynie, D. L. (2001). Delinquent peers revisited: Does network structure matter? American Journal of Sociology, 106(4), 1013–1057.
Haynie, D. L., & Payne, D. (2006). Race, friendship networks, and violent delinquency. Criminology, 4, 775–806.
Heights, R., & Jenkins, J. E. (1996). The influence of peer affiliation and student activities on adolescent drug involvement. Adolescence, 122, 297–309.
Hirschfield, P. J., & Gasper, J. (2011). The relationship between school engagement and delinquency in late childhood and early adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 40(1), 3–22.
Johnson, M. K. (2004). Further evidence on adolescent employment and substance use: Differences by race and ethnicity. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 45, 187–197.
Juniu, S. (2000). The impact of immigration: Leisure experience in the lives of south American immigrants. Journal of Leisure Research, 32, 358–381.
Kao, G. (2000). Group images and possible selves among adolescents: Linking stereotypes to expectations by race and ethnicity. Sociological Forum, 15, 407–430.
Keller, U., & Tillman, K. H. (2008). Post-secondary educational attainment of immigrant and native youth. Social Forces, 87(1), 121–152.
Kort-Butler, L. A., & Hagewen, K. J. (2011). School-based extracurricular activity involvement and adolescent self-esteem: A growth-curve analysis. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 40, 568–581.
Kreager, D. A. (2007). Unnecessary roughness? School sports, peer networks, and male adolescent violence. American Sociological Review, 72, 705–724.
Kulis, S., Marsiglia, F. F., & Nieri, T. (2009). Perceived ethnic discrimination versus acculturation stress: Influences on substance use among Latino youth in the Southwest. The Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 50, 443–459.
Lee, J. C., & Staff, J. (2007). When work matters: The varying impact of adolescent work intensity on high school dropout. Sociology of Education, 80, 158–178.
Linver, M. R., Roth, J. L., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (2009). Patterns of adolescents’ participation in organized activities: Are sports better when combined with others. Developmental Psychology, 45, 354–367.
Linville, D., & Huebner, A. (2005). The analysis of extracurricular activities and their relationship to youth violence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 34(5), 483–492.
Mahoney, J. (2000). School extracurricular activity participation as a moderator in the development of antisocial patterns. Child Development, 71, 502–516.
Mahoney, J. L., & Stattin, H. (2000). Leisure activities and adolescent antisocial behavior: The role of structure and social context. Journal of Adolescence, 23, 113–127.
Matsueda, R. L., & Anderson, K. (1998). The dynamics of delinquent peers and delinquent behavior. Criminology, 36, 269–308.
McNeal, R., Jr. (1995). Extracurricular activities and high School dropouts. Sociology of Education, 68, 62–81.
McRee, N., & Cote, R. (2002). Does college debate inherit a lack of diversity from high school debate? Contemporary Argumentation and Debate, 23, 27–43.
Melnick, M. J., Miller, K. E., Sabo, D. F., Farrell, M. P., & Barnes, G. M. (2001). Tobacco use among high school athletes and nonathletes: Results of the 1997 youth risk behavior survey. Adolescence, 36, 727–747.
Miller, H. V., Barnes, J. C., & Hartley, R. D. (2011). Reconsidering Hispanic gang membership and acculturation in a multivariate context. Crime and Delinquency, 57(3), 331–355.
Morenoff, J. D., & Astor, A. (2006). Immigrant assimilation and crime: Generational differences in youth violence in Chicago. In R. Martinez & A. Valenzuela (Eds.), Immigration and crime: Race, ethnicity and violence (pp. 36–63). New York: New York University Press.
Osgood, D. W., Anderson, A. L., & Shaffer, J. N. (2005). Unstructured Leisure in the after-school hours. In J. L. Mahoney, R. W. Larson, & J. S. Eccles (Eds.), Organized activities as contexts of development: Extracurricular activities, after-school and community programs (pp. 45–64). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Parker, J., & Benson, M. J. (2004). Parent-adolescent relations and adolescent functioning: Self-esteem, substance abuse, and delinquency. Adolescence, 39, 519–530.
Peguero, A. (2009). Opportunity, involvement, and student exposure to school violence. Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, 7(4), 299–312.
Pong, S., Hao, L., & Gardner, E. (2005). The roles of parenting styles and social capital in the school performance of immigrant Asian and Hispanic adolescents. Social Science Quarterly, 86(4), 928–950.
Portes, A. (1995). Children of immigrants: Segmented assimilation and its determinants. In A. Portes (Ed.), The economic sociology of immigration (pp. 248–280). New York: Russell Sage.
Reardon-Anderson, J., Capps, R., & Fix, M. (2002). The health and well-being of children in immigrant families. Series B, No. B-52. Washington, DC: Urban Institute.
Resnick, M. D., Ireland, M., & Borowsky, I. (2004). Youth violence perpetration: What protects? What predicts? Findings from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Journal of Adolescent Health, 35, 424.e1–424.e10.
Rong, X. L., & Brown, F. (2001). The effects of immigrant generation and ethnicity on educational attainment among young African and Caribbean blacks in the United States. Harvard Educational Review, 71, 536–565.
Rose-Krasnor, L., Busseri, M. A., Willoughby, T., & Chalmers, H. (2006). Breadth and intensity of youth activity involvement as contexts for positive development. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 35, 385–499.
Rumbaut, R. G. (2005). Children of immigrants and their achievement: The roles of family, acculturation, social class, ethnicity, and school contexts. In R. D. Taylor (Ed.), Addressing the achievement gap: Theory informing practice (pp. 23–59). Greenwich, CT: Information Age.
Sampson, R., & Bean, L. (2005). Cultural mechanisms and killing fields. In R. D. Peterson, L. J. Krivo, & J. Hagan (Eds.), The many colors of crime: Inequalities of race, ethnicity, and crime in America (pp. 16–36). New York: New York University Press.
Schafer, J. L., & Graham, J. W. (2002). Missing data: Our view of the state of the art. Psychological Methods, 7, 147–177.
Schmidt, J. A. (2003). Correlates of reduced misconduct among adolescents facing adversity. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 32, 439–452.
Simpkins, S. D., Eccles, J. S., & Becnel, J. N. (2008). The meditational role of adolescents’ friends in relations between activity breadth and adjustment. Developmental Psychology, 44, 1081–1094.
Spreitzer, E. (1994). Does participation in interscholastic athletics affect adult development? A longitudinal analysis of an 18–24 cohort. Youth & Society, 25, 368–388.
Staff, J., Osgood, D. W., Schulenberg, J. E., Bachman, J. G., & Messersmith, E. E. (2010). Explaining the relationship between employment and juvenile delinquency. Criminology, 48, 1101–1131.
Staff, J., & Uggen, C. (2003). The fruits of good work: Early work experiences and adolescent deviance. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 40, 263–290.
Stein, B., Kataoka, S., Jaycox, L., Wong, M., Fink, A., Escudero, P., et al. (2002). Theoretical basis and program design of a school-based mental health intervention for traumatized immigrant children: A collaborative research partnership. Journal of Behavioral Health Services and Research, 29, 318–326.
Stodolska, M., & Yi, J. (2003). Impacts of immigration on ethnic identity and leisure behavior of adolescent immigrants from Korea, Mexico and Poland. Journal of Leisure Research, 35, 49–79.
Sutherland, E. H. (1947). Principles of criminology (4th ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott.
Waters, M. C., & Jiménez, T. R. (2005). Assessing immigrant assimilation: New empirical and theoretical challenges. Annual Review of Sociology, 31, 105–125.
Zhou, M. (1997). Segmented assimilation: Issues, controversies, and recent research on the new second generation. The International Migration Review, 31, 975–1008.
Acknowledgments
We wish to thank Dana Haynie and Zhenchao Qian for their comments on an earlier version of this article. We also wish to thank the three anonymous reviewers and the editor of JOYA for their useful comments.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Jiang, X., Peterson, R.D. Beyond Participation: The Association Between School Extracurricular Activities and Involvement in Violence Across Generations of Immigration. J Youth Adolescence 41, 362–378 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-011-9736-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-011-9736-5