Extracurricular participation and academic achievement in minority students in urban schools

Abstract

Restructured extracurricular activities are a component in many of the proposed solutions for the educational problems of minority students in urban schools. This study investigates the relationships between participation in traditional extracurricular activities and the academic achievement levels of minority male and female students in poor urban schools. Using a national data base, we found that, in almost 50 percent of the cases, male student participation in extracurricular activities was associated with lower achievement levels. For female students, the results were mixed. In 23 of the 90 different analyses run, females who participated in extracurricular activities were found to have higher achievement levels than nonparticipating females. In 6 cases, female participants had lower achievement levels. In the remaining cases, no differences were found. Reasons for and implications of the results are examined.

Structured extracurricular activities among adolescents: Findings and implications for school psychologists

“…Nevertheless, the positive relationship between SEA participation and academic progress is not incontrovertible, as other studies have reported little relationship between SEAs and schoolrelated variables (e.g., Antshel & Anderman, 2000;Lisella & Serwatka, 1996;Melnick, Sabo, & Vanfossen, 1992). Some studies reporting insignificant findings have investigated only athletic activities (Antshel & Anderman, 2000;Melnick, Sabo, & Vanfossen, 1992) and sports participation has been related to some personal/social outcomes (e.g., positive peer relationships; Broh, 2002;Holland & Andre, 1994) while being less influential for academic outcomes (but see Silliker & Quirk, 1997).…”

“…Some studies reporting insignificant findings have investigated only athletic activities (Antshel & Anderman, 2000;Melnick, Sabo, & Vanfossen, 1992) and sports participation has been related to some personal/social outcomes (e.g., positive peer relationships; Broh, 2002;Holland & Andre, 1994) while being less influential for academic outcomes (but see Silliker & Quirk, 1997). Further, other studies yielding insignificant findings have included only youths from cultural/racial minority backgrounds (e.g., Lisella & Serwatka, 1996;Melnick et al, 1992), limiting generalizability. These contradictory findings reflect the complexity of the relationship between SEA participation and school outcomes that are likely attributed to mediating variables such as type of SEA (Eccles & Barber, 1998;Eder & Kinney, 1995), school size and school climate (Marsh, 1992;McNeal, 1998) and characteristics of the student body (Burnett, 2000).…”

Parent Educational Involvement in Middle School: Longitudinal Influences on Student Outcomes

“…Specifically, extant findings suggest Hispanic parents place greater importance on academics than extracurricular activities (Scribner, Young, & Pedroza, 1999; Trumbull, Greenfield, Rothstein-Fisch, & Quiroz, 2007; Zarate, 2007). Researchers have also suggested that lower participation in extracurricular activities among Hispanic/Latino students may be partly due to the time away from home and family participating in extracurricular activities requires, which goes against cultural values of familismo (Feldman & Matjasko, 2005; Lisella & Serwatka, 1996; Steidel & Contreras, 2003; Velez & Saenz, 2001). It could also be the case that Hispanic/Latino parents are more likely to face barriers to participating in school activities (e.g., language, transportation, economic, work schedules) in ways that may be reduced across other forms of parent involvement (e.g., De Gaetano, 2007; Hussain-Gambles, Atkin, & Leese, 2004; Ladky & Peterson, 2008).…”

Do extra-curricular activities in schools improve educational outcomes? A critical review and meta-analysis of the literature

“…595 (Braddock II et al 1991;Brown and Evans 2002;Diaz 2005;Gerber 1996;Jordan 1999;Lisella and Serwatka 1996). Davalos et al (1999), for example, found that both ethnicity and gender were important moderating factors on the impact of ECA on school retention.…”