Items Justification

Appendix E. Justification of After-School Programs and Activities Survey (ASPA) Questionnaire Items

OMB has been involved with the ongoing development of the Adult Training and Education Survey (ATES) items but has not been involved in the development of the ASPA survey items. In this section, we provide a full item justification for the ASPA in order to assist OMB with their review of the ASPA instrument.

The topics addressed in ASPA have been covered in previous NHES administrations. Many of the items were reworded to account for the change from an interviewer-administered mode to a self-administered mode. In revising the survey instruments, it was necessary to remove some past ASPA items and simplify others. The instruments went through multiple rounds of cognitive interviewing. In some cases, alternate wording or question structures were tested in the field test using a split panel. In many cases, these questions were derived from the NHES:2012 ECPP and PFI. Item missing data and response distribution for alternate and original versions of items were compared and those with less item nonresponse and/or response distributions closest to previous versions of the NHES were selected for inclusion in the NHES Feasibility Study (NHES-FS).

E.1 After-School Programs and Activities Survey

The NHES ASPA questionnaire draws items from several previous NHES administrations and is very similar to the NHES:2005 and NHES:2001 ASPA interviews. However, since NHES is now a self-administered survey, some questions and formatting has changed. For instance, some questions in section 2 are now in grid or calendar formats to accommodate the paper version of the NHES:2014 ASPA. These changes to the ASPA were based on recommendations from a Technical Review Panel (TRP), which included a diverse set of experts in the field of after-school arrangements. The following topics are included in the survey:

• School characteristics such as control (public/private) and school choice;

• Student experiences in school, academic grades, and grade repetition;

• After-school care, programs, or activities options, such as available information and satisfaction with options, and importance of different aspects of care;

• Characteristics of after-school care, programs or activities, such as location, individuals involved in care, and activities the child participates in;

• After-school program and organized activities characteristics, such as eligibility, cost, and time spent at program;

• Children’s health and disability;

• Children’s backgrounds;

• Parent characteristics; and

• Household characteristics.

School enrollment or homeschooling status and grade are collected for all children in the screener and displayed at the beginning of the self-administered topical questionnaire. Parents of children enrolled in kindergarten through eighth grade are asked about their children’s experiences in school, after-school programs and activities, characteristics of after-school programs and activities, and children’s health, disabilities, and demographic characteristics; the characteristics of parents/guardians residing in the household; and household characteristics. The ASPA survey items are discussed in more detail below.

Instructions

The first page of the questionnaire identifies the selected child using information from the screener and provides the respondent with instructions for completing the questionnaire. Contact information is provided (a toll free number) in case there is confusion about the selected child or the household has no child fitting the description given.

Section 1: Child’s Schooling (Versions A and B: questions 1 through 14)

The “Child’s Schooling” section provides detailed information on the characteristics of the school that the child attends. This covers topics such as whether the school is a private or public school, whether it is a school that has been assigned or is a school that parents have chosen for their child, whether it is a charter school, and whether it is a Catholic school or has another religious affiliation. The characteristics of schools provide important contextual variables that may be related to after-school programs and activities and children’s education experiences.

A list of schools in the family’s area will be provided on the last page of the questionnaire. Identifying the child’s school permits linking data about schools from existing data sources at NCES, notably the Common Core of Data and Private School Universe Survey. This permits the analysis of family experiences in the context of school characteristics including public/private control, religious affiliation, school size, urbanicity, standardized test performance, and school population measures. These measures can also be used to assess the accuracy of parent responses about school characteristics.

This section of the instrument also includes items that address specifics of children’s experiences at school (Versions A and B: questions 5-14). This covers topics such as children’s behavior, grades, enjoyment of school, grade repetition, and parental expectations.

A split panel test will be completed for question 4 in versions A and B. This will test different ways of asking parents whether or not their child attends his or her regularly assigned school.

Section 2: Choosing After-School Arrangements (Version A: questions 15-28; Version B: questions 15-30)

A main focus of the ASPA is to determine how parents or guardians choose after-school arrangements for their children, and what activities children take part in during their time at these arrangements. This information can be related to children, family, and household characteristics. Topics in this section cover parent’s satisfaction and availability of programs (Versions A and B: questions 15-18).

This section also covers questions about the types of programs and activities that children participate in, and who children are with, and where the child is after school. These topics are also related to children, family, and household characteristics:

• Supervision by parents or children (Versions A and B: questions 19-21);

• Importance of choosing after-school programs and activities (Version A: questions 22 -24; Version B: questions 22-26);

• Where the child spends time after school (Version A: question 25; Version B: 27);

• Who the child is with after school (Version A: question 26; Version B: question 28); and

• What activities is the child participating in each day, after school (Version A: questions 27-28; Version B: questions 29-30);

The development of the NHES-FS ASPA questionnaire relied on both the NHES:2005 ASPA and the advice of an assembled Technical Review Panel (TRP) of leading experts in the subject of after-school arrangements and programs. TRP members made several suggestions including the revision of question 15 to expand the original focus of child care arrangements, and ask about attitudes toward after-school programs and activities availability. Question 21 was also modified after TRP feedback. Originally the questions had a limited scope, but have now been expanded to ask a broad range of questions about the importance of making decisions about where the child spends time after-school hours.

Since the ASPA is now a paper questionnaire, changes were made to the formatting of questions 24 through 27 to measure where children spend time, who they are with, and what they are doing. TRP members suggested using a grid format of the week to allow parents to easily remember where children are, who they are with, and what they are doing during each day. There was also a revision to the activities portion (Questions 26 and 27) to capture math, science, reading, physical, and creative activities. Finally to ensure relevant information was obtained, TRP members suggested adding technology questions, which are now included in the questionnaire.

A split panel will also be completed in this section for Version A: questions 22-28 and Version B: questions 22-30. This will test the calendar grid format of asking these items in Version A against a format that does not utilize a grid format in Version B.

Section 3: Formal After-School Programs (Version A: questions 29-46; Version B: questions 31-48)

This section collects information about structured programs which include formal supervision, typically held at a school or a center. Topics in this section include reasons for enrollment in a formal after-school program, the number of different programs children are a part of, the number of hours a week children spend at the program, the cost of the program, and the quality of the program.

While many of the questions in this section are similar to the NHES:2012 ECPP and the NHES:2005 ASPA, TRP members recommended adding questions to better understand formal after-school programs. Questions 30 (reasons for not enrolling in any formal program), 37 (how frequently a family member talks with an adult at a child’s program), and 38 (transportation to the program) have been added based on the TRP recommendation.

Section 4: Organized After-School Activities (Version A: questions 47-59; Version B: questions 49-60)

Another area of interest is organized after school activities. These activities play an important role in childhood development and vary by the age of children. Questions in this section of the instrument cover whether the child is part of an organized activity, the cost for the organized activity, and the frequency with which children participate in organized activities after-school.

Section 4 takes questions from the NHES:2012 ECPP and the NHES:2005 ASPA. TRP members discussed additions to this section and recommended adding questions 49 (transportation and activities) and 51 (how frequently a family member talks with an adult at the child’s activity). These questions have been included to better capture organized after-school programs.

Section 5: Other Arrangements (Version A: questions 60-64; Version B: questions 62-66)

This section includes questions about relative care, non-relative care, and other care arrangements. Questions in this section include the amount of time a child spends in relative care, the self-care, and non-relative care. This information can in turn be related to children’s personal, family, and household characteristics.

Section 6: Child’s Health (Version A: questions 65-74; Version B: questions 67-76)

This section includes items to identify disabled children and to determine whether children with disabilities are receiving services. The presence of disabilities is an important risk factor for all children and is related to children’s development and education experiences in school. These items will also provide the data to analyze the accessibility of special education and other programs and plans for disabled children.

A split panel will also be conducted on Version A: question 66 and Version B: question 68.

Section 7: Child’s Background (Version A: questions 75-83; Version B: questions 77-85)

This section collects demographic information on the child’s race/ethnicity and country of origin. These characteristics can be correlated children’s participation in various types of after-school programs and activities.

Section 8: Child’s Family (Version A: questions 84-128; Version B: questions 86-126)

This section collects information on the child’s parents or guardians who reside in the household: mother and father, or other guardians if parents are not present. The topics include marital status, age at first becoming a parent or guardian, native language, country of origin, educational attainment, and employment status. These items on parental characteristics measure risk factors that could be associated with children’s development and progress through school. Other questions within both parent characteristics sections can be used to relate children’s participation in different types of after-school care and activities with parents’ characteristics including their education, choice of employment as well as the number of hours they work.

A split panel will be conducted on marital status items in Version A: questions 86 through 88 and 109 through 111, and in Version B: questions 88 and 109.

Section 9: Your Household (Version A: questions 129-140; Version B: questions 127-142)

This final series of items collects information about who lives in the household with the sampled child, household receipt of public assistance, and household income. Receipt of public assistance and household income can be used to classify families according to the economic resources available to them, identify child risk factors, and examine the relationship of the family’s economic status to children’s participation in various after-school programs and activities.

E.2 After-School Programs and Activities in Education Survey Research Questions

The items in the After-School Programs and Activities survey will obtain information useful for investigating the following research questions.

1. In what types of after-school arrangements are children in kindergarten through grade 8 participating?

a. What percentage of children participates in after-school programs, such as school-based programs and other center-based programs?

b. Who is responsible for the child after school? (e.g., parents, supervised care, adult relatives, siblings)

c. To what extent are children taking part in other activities arranged by their parents after school (e.g., music lessons and sports)?

d. How many hours a week do children spend after school in various nonparental care arrangements, center-based programs, activities, self-care, and sibling care?

e. What amount of time do children spend after school at various locations, such as the library, a college or university, a community center, or at their own home?

f. What percentage children are in different formal and/or informal arrangements after school?

g. How many arrangements do children have?

h. How is type of care arrangement or program related to child and family characteristics?

i. Is the type of arrangement related to student performance, current school status, or school characteristics?

j. Do after-school arrangements differ for children with disabilities?

2. What types of experiences do parents and children have with after-school arrangements?

1. In what kinds of activities are youth participating in school-based and other center-based programs? What activities do children do in their relative care, nonrelative care, self-care, and parental care arrangements?

2. To what extent are activities of after-school programs academically oriented?

3. How do parents’ work schedules influence choice of arrangements? How does the need for after-school arrangements impact parents’ work schedules?

4. How much do families pay for the various types of arrangements?

5. Do parents report difficulty in finding child care?

6. What characteristics are important to families in choosing after school care arrangements?

Exhibit E-1. Item-by-item descriptions of After-School Programs and Activities Survey and associated research questions

Question # Version A	Question # Version B	Item Stem	Research Question/Purpose
		Section 1: Childs Schooling (1-14)
1	1	Confirm this child’s grade	Research Question 1i.
2	2	Is child homeschooled part-time	Research Question 1i.
3	3	Type of school this child attends	Research Question 1i.
4	4	His/her regularly assigned school	Research Question 1i.
5	5	School a charter school	Research Question 1i.
6	6	Child enjoys school	Research Question 1i.
7	7	Child grades	Research Question 1i.
8	8	Number of times this child’s school contacted your household	Research Question 1i.
9	9	Number of days child has been absent	Research Question 1i.
10	10	Has child repeated any grades	Research Question 1i.
11	11	Grade or grades he/she repeated	Research Question 1i.
12	12	School suspensions	Research Question 1i.
13	13	Expectations of child’s education	Research Questions 1i., 2f.
14	14	Child’s work at school	Research Question 1i.
		Section 2: Families and School (15-27)
15	15	Good choices for after-school care, programs or activities where you live	Research Questions 2e., 2f.
16	16	School or community provide any information about after-school care, programs or activities	Research Question 2e.
17	17	Looked at any information about after-school care, programs, or activities	Research Questions 2a., 2b., 2c., 2d., 2e., 2f.
18	18	Satisfied with after-school care, programs or activities	Research Questions1b., 1d., 1e., 1f.
19	19	You or other parent home when child gets home from school	Research question 2f.
20	20	Child responsible for him/herself 30 minutes everyday	Research Questions1b., 1d., 1e., 1f
21	21	Child attends supervised activities, organized care after-school hours	Research Questions 1c., 2a., 2b
22	22	How important is each reason for making decision about where child spends time	Research Questions 2a., 2b., 2e., 2f.
N/A	23	3 most import reasons for choosing after-school care	Research Questions 2a., 2b., 2e., 2f.
23	24	How important is each reason for making decision about where child spends time	Research Question 2e.
N/A	25	3 most import reason for choosing after-school care	Research Questions 2a., 2b., 2e., 2f.
24	26	Other reasons family considered when making decision about after-school care	Research Questions 2a., 2b., 2e., 2f.
25	27	Where is child after-school and weekends	Research Questions 1a., 1d., 1e.
26	28	Who looked after child after-school and weekends	Research Questions 1b.
27	29	Which activities did child participate in after-school and weekends	Research Questions 1c., 2a., 2b.
28	30	Which activities did child participate in after-school and weekends	Research Questions 1c., 2a., 2b.
		Section 3: Formal After-School Programs
29	31	Attend an after-school program at school or center	Research Questions 1a., 1d., 1e.
30	32	Tried to enroll child in after-school program	Research Questions 2e., 2f.
31	33	Reason child is not enrolled in after-school program	Research Questions 2e., 2f.
33	35	Number of after-school programs child attends	Research Questions 1f., 1g.
34	36	Hours each week child spends at after-school program	Research Question 1d.
35	37	Charge or fee for program	Research Question 2d.
36	38	Any organization helps pay for child’s after-school program	Research Question 2d.
37	39	Amount household pays for after-school program	Research Question 2d.
38	40	Number of children amount covers, including sampled child	Research Question 2d.
39	41	Number of years/months child has been attending program	Research Question 1e.
40	42	How often you or another adult talks to staff	Research Question 2f.
41	43	Overall quality of this program	Research Questions 1e., 1h.
42	44	How child gets to after-school program	Research Question 1c.
43	45	Program run by school	Research Question 1a.
44	46	Number of programs child participates in run by school	Research Question 1a.
45	47	Child participates in any weekend school or center-based program once a week	Research Question 1a.
46	48	Last summer child participates in any center-based program once a week	Research Question 1a.
		Section 4: Organized After-School Activities
47	49	Child participating in organized clubs or activities	Research Questions 1c., 2a., 2b.
48	50	Hours each week child participates in activities or lessons after-school	Research Questions 1c., 1i.
49	51	Child participation helps cover hours when adult supervision is needed	Research Questions 1a., 2c.
52	54	Total amount household pays for organized activity	Research Question 2d.
53	55	Number of children amount covers, including sampled child	Research Question 2d.
50	52	Charge or fee for program	Research Question 2d.
51	53	Any organization helps pay for child’s after-school activity	Research Question 2d.
54	55	Number of years/months child has been attending program	Research Question 1e.
55	57	How child gets to after-school activity	Research Question 1c.
56	58	Number of activities child participates in run by school	Research Question 1c.
56	59	How often you or another adult talks to staff	Research Question 2f.
58	60	Child participates in any weekend school or center-based program once a week	Research Question 1c.
59	61	Last summer child participates in any center-based program once a week	Research Question 1c.
		Section 5: Other Arrangements
60	62	Number of hours child is looked after by relative	Research Question 1d.
61	63	Number of hours child is in self-care	Research Question 1d.
62	64	Number of hours child is look after by non-relative	Research Question 1d.
63	65	Time child’s school day ends	Research Question 1d.
64	66	Time of child’s bedtime	Research Question 1d.
		Section 6: Child’s Health
65	67	Describe child’s health	Research Question 1j.
66	68	Child’s diagnosed conditions	Research Question 1j.
67	69	Did you mark yes to any condition	Research Question 1j.
68	70	Child receiving services for his/her condition	Research Question 1j.
69	71	Services provided by an IEP	Research Question 1j.
70	72	Services provided after-school hours	Research Question 1j.
71	73	Who are those services provided by	Research Question 1j.
72	74	Where does child receive services after-school and weekends	Research Question 1j.
73	75	Overall satisfaction/dissatisfaction with services child receives after-school hours	Research Questions 1j., 2f
74	76	Child’s conditions affect his/her ability to do the following things…	Research Questions 1j., 2a.
		Section 7: Child’s Background
75	77	In what month and year was this child born?	Research Question 1h.
76	78	Where was this child born	Research Question 1h.
77	79	Age when first moved to the US/ District of Columbia	Research Question 1h.
78	80	Is this child of Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino origin	Research Question 1h.
79	81	Child’s race	Research Question 1h.
80	82	Child’s sex	Research Question 1h.
81	83	Child splits time between two households	Research Question 1h.
82	84	Language child speaks at home	Research Question 1h.
83	85	Child currently enrolled in English as a second language, bilingual education, or an English immersion program	Research Question 1i.
		Section 8: Child’s Family
Parent 1		Parent/Guardian section
84	86	Parent/guardian relationship to child	Research Question 1h.
85	87	Is this person male or female	Research Question 1h.
86	88	Marital status of this parent or guardian	Research Question 1h.
87	N/A	Parent/guardian living with boyfriend/girlfriend or partner	Research Question 1h.
88	N/A	Parent/guardian registered in domestic partnership/civil union	Research Question 1h.
89	89	First language parent or guardian learned to speak	Research Question 1h.
90	90	What language does this person speak most at home now	Research Question 1h.
91	91	Difficult for parent to be involved at school because of language barriers	Research Question 1h., 2d.
92	92	Where was this parent or guardian born	Research Question 1h.
93	93	How old was this person when he/ she first moved to the US/ District of Columbia	Research Question 1h.
94	94	Is this person of Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino origin?	Research Question 1h.
95	95	What is this person’s race	Research Question 1h.
96	96	Parent/guardian highest level of education completed	Research Question 1h.
97	97	Is he or she currently attending or enrolled in a school/job training	Research Question 1h.
98	98	Parent/ guardian employment status	Research Question 2c.
99	99	Type of work shift parent/guardian works	Research Question 2c.
100	100	Number of hours worked per week, if employed	Research Question 2c.
101	101	Looking for work in the past 4 weeks, if unemployed	Research Question 2c.
102	102	Worked for pay or income in the past 12 months	Research Question 2c.
103	103	After-school needs influenced job choice	Research Questions 2c., 2d., 2f.
104	104	Age of parent/guardian	Research Question 1h.
105	105	How old was this parent when he/she first became a parent to any child	Research Question 1h.
Parent 2
106	106	Second parent in household	Research Question 1h.
107	107	Parent/guardian relationship to child	Research Question 1h.
108	108	Is this person male or female	Research Question 1h.
109	109	Marital status of this parent or guardian	Research Question 1h.
110	N/A	Parent/guardian living with boyfriend/girlfriend or partner	Research Question 1h.
111	N/A	Parent/guardian registered in domestic partnership/civil union	Research Question 1h.
112	110	First language parent or guardian learned to speak	Research Question 1h.
113	111	What language does this person speak most at home now	Research Question 1h.
114	112	Difficult for parent to be involved at school because of language barriers	Research Question 1h., 2d.
115	113	Where was this parent or guardian born	Research Question 1h.
116	114	How old was this person when he/ she first moved to the US/ District of Columbia	Research Question 1h.
117	115	Is this person of Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino origin?	Research Question 1h.
118	116	What is this person’s race	Research Question 1h.
119	117	Parent/guardian highest level of education completed	Research Question 1h.
120	118	Is he or she currently attending or enrolled in a school/job training	Research Question 1h.
121	119	Parent/ guardian employment status	Research Question 2c.
122	120	Type of work shift parent/guardian works	Research Question 2c.
123	121	Number of hours worked per week, if employed	Research Question 2c.
124	122	Looking for work in the past 4 weeks, if unemployed	Research Question 2c.
125	123	Worked for pay or income in the past 12 months	Research Question 2c.
126	124	After-school needs influenced job choice	Research Questions 2c., 2d., 2f.
127	125	Age of parent/guardian	Research Question 1h.
128	126	How old was this parent when he/she first became a parent to any child	Research Question 1h.
		Section 9: Your Household
129	127	How many of the following people live in the household with the child	Household Demographics
130	128	Total number of people in household	Household Demographics
131	129	Respondent relationship to child	Household Demographics
132	130	Languages spoken by adults in the household	Household Demographics
133	131	Benefits received in the past 12 months	Household Demographics
134	132	Total household income	Household Demographics
135	133	Number of years at address	Household Demographics
136	134	Home Ownership	Household Demographics
137	135	Mail received at another address, including P.O. Boxes	Household Demographics
138	136	Internet access in household	Household Demographics
139	137	Presence of a landline telephone	Household Demographics
140	138	Own a working cell phone	Household Demographics
141	140	School name	Household Demographics
142	141	School name write in	Household Demographics

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