ABSTRACT
School-age children in the United States and other Western nations spend almost half of their waking hours in leisure activities (Larson & Verma, 1999). How young persons can best use this discretionary time has been a source of controversy. For some, out-of-school time is perceived as inconsequential or even counterproductive to the health and well-being of young persons. Consistent with this view, the past 100 years of scientific research has tended either to ignore this time or to focus selectively on the risks present during the out-of-school hours (Kleiber & Powell, chap. 2, this volume). More recently, however, there is increased interest in viewing out-of-school time as an opportunity for young persons to learn and develop competencies that are largely neglected by schools. Researchers are beginning to recognize that along with family, peers, and school, the organized activities in which some youth participate during these hours
are important contexts of emotional, social, and civic development. At the same time, communities and the federal government in the United States are now channeling considerable resources into creating organized activities for young people’s out-of-school time (Pittman et al., chap. 17, this volume). The primary aim of this volume is to bring scientific research to bear on how this time can be used constructively.
