Sustaining Passion: Findings from an Exploratory Study of the OST Program Workforce
It has long been understood that high-quality staffing is a major contributor to achieving positive outcomes for children and youth in out-of-school time (OST) programs. Yet, information on the current OST program workforce is outdated and understudied. The purpose of this study was to explore, via...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Clemson University Press
2020-03-01
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| Series: | Journal of Youth Development |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://jyd.pitt.edu/ojs/jyd/article/view/821 |
| _version_ | 1797332250587561984 |
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| author | Georgia S. Hall Lisette DeSouza Elizabeth Starr Kathryn Wheeler Kathy Schleyer |
| author_facet | Georgia S. Hall Lisette DeSouza Elizabeth Starr Kathryn Wheeler Kathy Schleyer |
| author_sort | Georgia S. Hall |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | It has long been understood that high-quality staffing is a major contributor to achieving positive outcomes for children and youth in out-of-school time (OST) programs. Yet, information on the current OST program workforce is outdated and understudied. The purpose of this study was to explore, via a convenience sample of OST program workers, the perceived features of the OST field and the relative importance of these features to workers in the field. The researchers were particularly interested in OST worker perception of features that may typically be associated with longevity in a profession. Improving understanding of the perceptions of the OST workforce may help employers to foster the work environments, staffing structures, compensation approaches, and professional development experiences that influence high-quality workers to stay in the field. The study findings illuminate the significance that workers in the OST field attach to passion for a field of work, and the central importance to them of building relationships with and fostering positive and healthy development for children. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T07:46:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-61c32b88305d4e769c97957f3f0edfb4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2325-4017 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T07:46:46Z |
| publishDate | 2020-03-01 |
| publisher | Clemson University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Youth Development |
| spelling | doaj.art-61c32b88305d4e769c97957f3f0edfb42024-02-02T15:41:48ZengClemson University PressJournal of Youth Development2325-40172020-03-0115192310.5195/jyd.2020.821614Sustaining Passion: Findings from an Exploratory Study of the OST Program WorkforceGeorgia S. Hall0Lisette DeSouza1Elizabeth Starr2Kathryn Wheeler3Kathy Schleyer4National Institute on Out-of-School Time Wellesley CollegeNational Institute on Out-of-School Time Wellesley CollegeNational Institute on Out-of-School Time Wellesley CollegeNational Institute on Out-of-School Time Wellesley CollegeNational Institute on Out-of-School Time Wellesley CollegeIt has long been understood that high-quality staffing is a major contributor to achieving positive outcomes for children and youth in out-of-school time (OST) programs. Yet, information on the current OST program workforce is outdated and understudied. The purpose of this study was to explore, via a convenience sample of OST program workers, the perceived features of the OST field and the relative importance of these features to workers in the field. The researchers were particularly interested in OST worker perception of features that may typically be associated with longevity in a profession. Improving understanding of the perceptions of the OST workforce may help employers to foster the work environments, staffing structures, compensation approaches, and professional development experiences that influence high-quality workers to stay in the field. The study findings illuminate the significance that workers in the OST field attach to passion for a field of work, and the central importance to them of building relationships with and fostering positive and healthy development for children.http://jyd.pitt.edu/ojs/jyd/article/view/821out-of-school time programsworkforcesurveylongevitypassion |
| spellingShingle | Georgia S. Hall Lisette DeSouza Elizabeth Starr Kathryn Wheeler Kathy Schleyer Sustaining Passion: Findings from an Exploratory Study of the OST Program Workforce Journal of Youth Development out-of-school time programs workforce survey longevity passion |
| title | Sustaining Passion: Findings from an Exploratory Study of the OST Program Workforce |
| title_full | Sustaining Passion: Findings from an Exploratory Study of the OST Program Workforce |
| title_fullStr | Sustaining Passion: Findings from an Exploratory Study of the OST Program Workforce |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sustaining Passion: Findings from an Exploratory Study of the OST Program Workforce |
| title_short | Sustaining Passion: Findings from an Exploratory Study of the OST Program Workforce |
| title_sort | sustaining passion findings from an exploratory study of the ost program workforce |
| topic | out-of-school time programs workforce survey longevity passion |
| url | http://jyd.pitt.edu/ojs/jyd/article/view/821 |
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