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

Abstract

This article reports on secondary school students' perspectives of participating in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) related extracurricular activities in six secondary schools in Scotland. The extracurricular activities aimed at supporting students in developing knowledge of STEM subjects and confidence in their preparation for high school examinations, post-secondary schooling, and the world of work. The study used a mixed-methods design. This entailed collecting data using qualitative semi-structured interviews, focus group discussion and a quantitative questionnaire. Findings indicate that students viewed extracurricular activities positively. They felt that the activities they participated in made a difference in their overall development. STEM related extracurricular activities provided students with relevant subject knowledge, wider learning opportunities and confidence in their own abilities, thereby contributing toward academic and social development. Students also reported increased knowledge of post-schooling opportunities. The activities resonated with the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence (CfE), thereby complemented formal learning.

The extracurricular activities and student development of secondary school: Learning from Indonesia

“…The characters that have been formed in routine coaching at madrasah require the development through competitions or advanced training as listed in Table 5, so students are challenged to increase their self-confidence when dealing with cross-madrasah students. This is reinforced by the findings of Mtika (2019) and opinion of Sidhu (2019) namely that there are various effective skills in extracurricular activities as generally shown in Table 5 such as: collaboration, creativity, communication, entrepreneurship, discipline, resilience, fortitude and tenacity, courage, tenacity, friendship, sportsmanship, adaptability, curiosity, teamwork, leadership, etc. These skills are predicted to be needed in the 21st century.…”

Teacher Characteristics and Children’s Educational Attainment in Ghana: Do Some Teacher Characteristics Matter More for Children Attending Disadvantaged Schools?

“…This is because children from disadvantaged backgrounds do not always have the resources within their households to enrich their educational experiences (Banerjee, 2016;Sosu and Schmidt, 2017). Additionally, children living in poverty are less likely to have someone with the educational experience to either help with learning at home or navigate the complex educational terrain and post-schooling opportunities (Mtika and Payne, 2014;Ivaniushina and Aleksandrov, 2015;Mtika, 2019).…”

“…In addition to improving students learning outcomes, teacher qualities are also important in mitigating socio-economic inequalities in children's educational attainment (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2012). Children from disadvantaged backgrounds have little access to educational resources, and are less likely to have someone with the educational experience to successfully support and mentor them at home (Mtika and Payne, 2014;Ivaniushina and Aleksandrov, 2015;Sosu and Schmidt, 2017;Mtika, 2019). Teachers are therefore arguably the most readily available significant individuals in the educational development of these children.…”