Extracurricular participation and the development of school attachment and learning goal orientation: The impact of school quality.

Abstract

School motivation and attachment typically decline after the transition to middle school. According to the stage-environment fit approach, extracurricular activities are supposed to promote motivation. However, research has shown that the effects depend on the quality of the activities, which usually is measured by assessing students' individual perceptions. This article adds to previous studies in examining effects of school-based extracurricular participation on the development of individual motivation (learning goal orientation) and school attachment depending on the quality of the activities (i.e., amounts of challenge and social support) at the school level. We focused on the motivation development of 3,230 students at 98 schools who filled in questionnaires in Grades 5 (2005), 7 (2007), and 9 (2009). The quality of extracurricular activities was assessed on the basis of responses from 4,270 students in Grades 5, 7, and 9 at the same schools at the first measurement point (2005). Thus, individual development of the longitudinal sample was predicted by aggregated quality measures at the school level. Three-level hierarchical linear growth-curve models including school level, student level, and time were calculated. Cross-level interactions were analyzed to examine the influence of extracurricular participation on individual development as a function of school quality. Results show that the effects of extracurricular participation on the development of learning goal orientation are dependent on both features of school quality, whereas the development of school attachment in particular is influenced by activities offering social support. Thus, the effects of extracurricular activities are based not only on individual perceptions of activity features but also on school quality.

Person‐Environment Fit and Positive Youth Development in the Context of High School Gay–Straight Alliances

“…Second, we expect another group to emerge on the opposite spectrum, in which they report low desire for information and resources, socializing and support, and advocacy opportunities from the GSA, as well as report receiving low levels of these from the GSA. We suspect that this category of youth may be present because other studies suggests that some youth join programs for self‐serving reasons, some youth are more externally motivated to attend programs, and because some youth may utilize GSAs as one of multiple settings in which they access opportunities and services (e.g., joining a club to spend time with friends or a favorite teacher, or to bolster a resume in preparation for college admissions; Fischer & Theis, ; McLellan & Youniss, ; Perkins et al., ). Third, we anticipate a group of youth who may report high levels of desire for information and resources, socializing and support, and advocacy opportunities, but who perceive that they do not receive these provisions at a comparable level (i.e., a mismatch between what they desire and what they receive).…”

High School Students' Perspectives of Participating in a STEM-Related Extracurricular Programme

“…ECAs are a means of ensuring that all students, irrespective of individual circumstances such as socio-economic background, have the opportunity to succeed in school (Cazden, 2012). ECAs can support young people by providing them with necessary opportunities for academic and interpersonal development in preparation for post-secondary schooling and the world of work (Roulin and Bangerter, 2013;Fischer and Theis, 2014;Mtika and Payne, 2014;Brooks et al, 2015;Greenbank, 2015). Within the Scottish policy context, widely accessible academically focused ECAs have the potential to help reduce the attainment gap caused by poor socio-economic backgrounds of learners (Sosu and Ellis, 2014).…”

Participation in Sports-Related Extracurricular Activities: A Strategy That Enhances School Engagement

“…Also, schools that run activities that encourage positive interactions of students with one another foster greater school engagement (Beauregard & Ouellet, 1995;Fisher & Theis, 2014). Low in cost and involving educators, such participation can reach both girls and boys of all social and economic statuses (Marques, Martins, Santos, Sarmento, & Carreiro da Costa, 2014).…”

“…For instance, many educational researchers have suggested that participation in extracurricular activities can be an effective means to develop students' interpersonal competence (Mahoney, Cairns, & Farmer, 2003) and school engagement (Beauregard & Ouellet, 1995;Fisher & Theis, 2014). Mahoney et al (2003) noted that extracurricular activity participation is associated with increased interpersonal competence over time and, ultimately, to school success: "Extracurricular activity participation provides opportunities for advancing adolescent interpersonal competence, inspiring challenging life goals, and promoting educational success.…”