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Young Urban African American Adolescents' Experience of Discretionary Time Activities
Author(s) -
Bohnert Amy M.,
Richards Maryse H.,
Kolmodin Karen E.,
Lakin Brittany L.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of research on adolescence
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.342
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1532-7795
pISSN - 1050-8392
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-7795.2008.00569.x
Subject(s) - alienation , psychology , affect (linguistics) , experience sampling method , developmental psychology , african american , clinical psychology , social psychology , sociology , ethnology , communication , political science , law
This cross‐sectional study examined the daily discretionary time experiences of 246 (107 boys, 139 girls) fifth through eighth grade urban African American adolescents using the Experience Sampling Method. Relations between the types of activities (i.e., active structured, active unstructured, passive unstructured) engaged in during discretionary time and self‐reported levels of motivated engagement, positive affect, confidence, and perceived alienation were explored. Results indicated that active structured activities occupied a small but important amount of young adolescents' discretionary time. Adolescents experienced the highest mean levels of motivated engagement and confidence, and the lowest mean levels of alienation when involved in these types of activities. Higher levels of positive affect were associated with participation in active as opposed to passive activities. Findings suggest that urban African American young adolescents experience more positive emotional states when they are involved in active, structured activities.