Quality at the Point of Service: Profiles of Practice in After-School Settings

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Journal Article and Legacy Resource

Quality at the Point of Service: Profiles of Practice in After-School Settings

Author(s):Charles Smith, Stephen Peck, Anne-Sophie Denault, Juliane Blazevski, and Tom Akiva
Publication Date: April 1, 2010
Publisher: American Journal of Community Psychology
Area: All

Abstract

A unique observational data set was used to explore quality at the point of service in after-school programs. Staff practices in after-school settings were represented on a series of unidimensional scales closely indexed to staff behavior. In order to account for heterogeneity of staff performances, pattern-centered methods were used to construct profiles of common staff practices. Results revealed six pedagogy profiles that were classified in terms of three broad types of performances delivered by after-school staff: (1) positive youth development, (2) staff-centered, and (3) low-quality. Staff membership in these profiles was not related to youth-staff ratio. However, results revealed significant differences between the profiles on the content of the offering and the age of youth in the setting.

Citation:

Smith, C., Peck, S.C., Denault, A., Blazevski, J. and Akiva, T. (2010), Quality at the Point of Service: Profiles of Practice in After-School Settings. American Journal of Community Psychology, 45: 358-369.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-010-9315-z

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