Scheduled for Research Consortium Free Communication: After School Programs for Children and Youth, Thursday, March 15, 2007, 8:45 AM - 10:00 AM, Convention Center: 336


Dimensions and Achievement of Staff Development in After-School Enrichment Programs

James Jianhui Zhang1, Charles E. Byrd1, Michael Carroll1 and Eddie T. C. Lam2, (1)University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, (2)Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH

Although the nature and curriculum of after school enrichment programs are often heterogeneous, they typically include such activities as educational enrichment (e.g., sport and recreational activities), academic enhancement (e.g., homework tutorial), personal skill (e.g., problem solving), community involvement (e.g., volunteerism), and delinquency prevention (e.g., good citizenship). These activities typically focus on four program objectives: scholastic development, social behavior, caring environment, and personal inspiration. Previous research has indicated that after school programs commonly recruit staff members with a wide range of backgrounds, such as school-teachers, coaches, paraprofessionals, youth development workers, college and high school students, and volunteers. As such, staff development becomes critical to ensure staff quality and enhance achievement of program objectives. The purpose of this study was to examine the dimensions and achievement of staff development in after school enrichment programs. Achievement of staff development was measured by a self-report survey that was initially developed by Fletcher and Piha (2002) through a qualitative research process, which included 20 items in a Likert 5-point scale (5 = very much to 1 = not at all) with a rubric explanation for each item. Program directors from 276 after school programs responded to the survey form at the end of an annual program evaluation. A factor analysis with principal component extraction and oblimin rotation techniques was conducted. Adopting the criteria of an eigenvalue equal to or greater than 1.0 and an item with a factor loading equal to or greater than .50 without double loading, two factors were determined with 19 items retained: Training Process (13 items) and Staff Participation (6 items). Alpha coefficients were .96 and .89 for the two factors, respectively. The two-factor solution was consistent with the theoretical framework that guided the development of the survey. Descriptive statistics and one-sample t-test for the factor composite scores revealed that the mean score of each factor was significantly (p < .05) greater than the factor's midpoint, indicating that the after school programs carry out adequate activities toward Training Process and Staff Participation. With an adjusted alpha level, one-sample t-tests revealed that the mean score for each of Training Process and Staff Participation variables was significantly (p < .05) greater than the variable's midpoint score, suggesting that the programs adequately addressed specific areas of staff development. These findings suggest that after school programs should continue to recruit, develop, and retain qualified staff members, while also maximizing the utilization of their specialties.
Keyword(s): administration/mgmt, community-based programs, leadership development

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