Prevention for at-risk youth target program : a longitudinal evaluation study.

Abstract

Prevention programs are becoming the trend in today's society. The After School Program examined in this paper is no exception. A longitudinal evaluation study was conducted comparing the findings from the first year to findings from the second year. The participants were analyzed through their behavior, family life and academic achievements. Fifty males and females ranging from the fourth grade through the seventh grade participated. A literature review was conducted to find out if there were similar programs to the After School Program being evaluated. Three different programs were reviewed and found to have similar objectives to the program being researched. The programs researched for the literature review addressed many of the same variables that were looked at with the After School Program: Parenting factors, social skills, value commitments, and academic factors. All of these factors are believed to play a major part in delinquent behavior. Chi-square tests were run on the variables to find out if they were statistically significant. Questionnaires were sent to the teachers seeking information on the program participants. It was difficult to determine if there was an overall improvement in academic performance. There was improvements seen in school behavior.