Involvement in Extracurricular Activities: Identifying Differences in Perceptions of School Climate

Abstract

Many youth participate in extracurricular activities, and research has linked activity participation with school engagement and academic success. Social-ecological theory suggests that the social contexts of different types of extracurricular activities may differentially affect student outcomes. Yet, there is scant research examining the relation between various extracurricular activities and student outcomes. The current study seeks to address this gap by exploring how participation in three activities (sports, clubs, and arts), and combinations of these activities are associated with perceptions of school climate, using multilevel modelling. Participants included 15,004 high school students from 28 schools across 11 states in the United States. Findings suggest that students involved in extracurricular activities have more favourable perceptions of social-emotional security, adult support, student support, and school connectedness. However, these perceptions vary by activity type and combination, and do not appear to have a stacked effect in which involvement in more activities yields more favourable outcomes. We conclude that extracurricular activity participation may serve as a mechanism to promote a positive school climate. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Assessment of Pageantries: Learning or Enjoying?

“…Study shows that in involving oneself in extracurricular activities (ECA) may somehow be important in fostering school connectedness, hence the findings show that participation in ECA is associated with greater attachment in school than not participating in these activities [4]. Extracurricular activity participants had better grades, higher selfconcept, and educational attainment.…”

“…The researchers have observed that in pageantry events, selective learning is evident among the students, they tend to be not participative most of the time and pay attention only to what catches their interest. Study shows that involving oneself in extracurricular activities (ECA) may somehow be important in fostering school connectedness, hence the findings show that participation in ECA is associated with greater attachment with the school than not participating in these activities [4]. Extracurricular activity participants had better grades, higher selfconcept, and educational attainment.…”

Smoking Among Off-Reserve First Nations, Métis, and Inuit High School Students

“…Participation in school-based extracurricular activities or afterschool programs has been shown to foster a sense of school connectedness (Anderson-Butcher, 2010;Martinez et al, 2016;Thompson et al, 2006). Past research has shown an association between smoking and frequent participation in extracurricular sport activities among off-reserve Indigenous youth (Ryan et al, 2017).…”

“…Supervised, organized extracurricular activities have been associated with positive outcomes among youth, especially if these activities are structured in a manner that supports adolescents' developmental needs (e.g., forming caring relationships with adults and peers, engaging in identity exploration) (Fredricks & Eccles, 2008). It has also been suggested that different types of extracurricular activities (i.e., sport, art, or clubs) may provide students with qualitatively different developmental opportunities (Martinez et al, 2016). To this end, more research is needed to identify the features through which school-based club activities are associated with lower smoking prevalence among Métis high school students.…”

“…School connectedness has been shown to be fostered by many factors (Allen et al, 2016;Monahan et al, 2010), including participation in extracurricular activities or afterschool programs (Anderson-Butcher, 2010;Martinez, Coker, McMahon, Cohen, & Thapa, 2016;Thompson, Iachan, Overpeck, Ross, & Gross, 2006), parental support and involvement in school (Thompson et al, 2006;Wang & Eccles, 2012), and positive peer groups (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010;Wang & Eccles, 2012).…”