Download High School Extracurricular Activities Impact on Student Achievement

High School Extracurricular
Activities Impact on Student
Achievement
by Kristen Samuelson
Need for Study
 Studies show that students who participate in
extracurricular activities such as athletics, fine
arts, and school-sponsored clubs are higher
achieving students.
 Due to caps in revenue, school districts are
forced to divert resources towards getting
students to pass standardized tests, thereby
cutting athletic funding because of their
increasing costs.
(Hurley, 2004)
Purpose of Study
To demonstrate the impact of participation
in extracurricular activities on student
achievement.
Research Questions
Does involvement in high school
extracurricular activities positively or
negatively impact student achievement,
such as state test scores (TAKS) and
course grades (GPA)?
Does it impact student behaviors such as
behavior in the classroom?
Hypothesis
Students who participate in high school
extracurricular activities have higher state
test (TAKS) scores.
Students who participate in high school
extracurricular activities get better grades.
Classroom behavior is better amongst
students who participate in extracurricular
activities.
Operational Definitions
 Extracurricular Activities – an educational
activity not falling within the regular scope of the
curriculum. Ex. Athletic team, fine art, or club.
 Professional Learning Communities –
extending classroom practice into the community
or bringing the community into the classroom
with the purpose of enhancing the curriculum or
learning experience.
 TAKS – standardized tests; Texas Assessment
of Knowledge and Skills. Ten different tests
given throughout high school.
Operational Definitions, cont’d.
 No Child Left Behind – educational reform act
signed by President George W. Bush in 2002. It
stresses greater accountability, more freedom
from states and communities, more choices for
parents, and encouragement for proven
educational methods.
 Classroom Behavior – behaviors demonstrated
in the classroom by students. Conduct grades
given by teachers can affect participation in
extracurricular activities and membership into
organizations such as the National Honor
Society and Student Council.
Literature Review
When students were asked what they
most wanted to be remembered for, forty
percent of boys responded that they
wanted to be remembered as a star
athlete.
(Coleman, 2006)
For over a century, scholars have debated
the type of education that students should
receive.
Today, we question whether all high school
students should receive college
preparation or whether they should be
able to experience a little bit of everything.
What has resulted is the idea that high
schools offer equal opportunity for a
rigorous academic program with the ability
to take electives.
The Bush Administration, as well as the
Clinton Administration made education
reform a top priority.
The Center on Education Policy reports
that student achievement has continued to
improve during the implementation of No
Child Left Behind, and in many places, the
achievement gaps are narrowing.
(Schwartzbeck, 2005)
 Richard Rothstein, an education researcher
and writer, states that the quality of schools
has been and continues to be tied very tightly
to the level of wealth or poverty of the
children the school serves.
 His research shows that the greatest variable
to increasing SAT scores has been family
income.
(Houston, 2001)
How are educators supposed to create
that connection for students between the
classroom and their culture?
Situated learning theorists argue that
through social interaction and practice,
students will be better able to apply
knowledge from the classroom to outside
school settings.
(White, 2003)
Situated learning relies on human
interaction.
Gaining skills and knowledge require
practice in the “real world” rather than
classrooms or other artificial settings.
(White, 2003)
Current school reform is putting an
emphasis on “small learning communities.”
Schools that have implemented a small
learning community also support
mentorship, tutoring, homework
assistance, college planning and
extracurricular activities.
(2006)
 In addition to the small learning communities,
there are collaborative initiatives that are
geared towards improving child outcomes.
 These programs recognize the importance of
establishing partnerships between the child’s
home, school and service providers with the
intent of monitoring their needs and services.
(Brown et al., 2002)
A recent Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll
identified the top reason for the success of
some schools as the support and
involvement of parents in the school and
their child’s education.
(Nellen, 2005)
A University of Michigan study shows that
the single strongest predictor of student
test scores and behavioral problems is the
amount of time that children spend dining
with their families.
(Mattox Jr, 2005)
 Contributions from the community comes in
other ways besides mentoring, including
monetary:
 The telementoring has shown positive results
and confirms the idea that “we can whenever,
and wherever we choose, successfully teach all
children whose schooling is of interest to us”
(Nellen, 2005).
 There is a positive relationship between per
student expenditures at all levels of education
and the gross domestic product per capita (Wirt
et al., 2002).
Almost every high school in America offers
extracurricular activities such as athletics,
fine arts and clubs. It can be argued that
these activities fall into areas discussed
previously, collaborative learning, small
learning communities, as well as situated
learning.
 There are many benefits to participating in
extracurricular activities including but not limited
to learning the values of teamwork,
responsibility, competition, diversity, culture,
community, and physical strength and
endurance. These activities provide an
opportunity for reinforcing lessons learned in the
classroom, applying academic skills in a “realworld” context.
(O'Brien & Rollefson, 1995)
In a study by the National Center for
Education Statistics, there appeared to be
no important differences in the availability
of activities between affluent and less
affluent schools, large or small schools,
rural, urban or suburban schools, and
those with great or few minority students.
(O'Brien & Rollefson, 1995)
A 1992 survey showed that one of every
four seniors participated in at least one
extracurricular activity. A 1997 study
showed that 83% of students between the
ages of 6-17 participated in at least one
extracurricular activity.
(Ebie, 2005)
Jerome Bruner says that “we get
interested in what we get good at.”
With extracurricular activities, students are
taking the initiative to be there because
they want to be there.
Kids will get more out of an activity that
they are interested in because they have a
stake in it.
(Welsh, 2004)
Participation in extracurricular activities is
considered to be part of a well-rounded
education and increases students’
commitment and sense of school pride.
Some benefits listed by O’Brien and
Rollefson include consistent attendance,
academic achievement and academic
aspirations.
Research has shown positive relationships
between extracurricular activities and
increased self-esteem, lower dropout
rates, better attendance, reduction of atrisk behaviors, physical fitness, and as a
predictor of success in college and later in
life.
(Ebie, 2005)
A 2003 report by the National Federation
of State High School Associations
surveyed American high schools regarding
athletic participation, and states that
55.4% of high school students participated
in some form of athletic program during
the 2003 school year.
(Carlson et al., 2005)
The National Center for Education
Statistics began an eight year study in
1990 that examines the future of high
school athletes, after high school. This
study proved that there is a positive
relationship between high school athletic
participation and success.
Marsh and Kleitman found that
participation in high school athletics had a
stronger positive impact on postsecondary
outcomes than participation in any other
type of extracurricular activity.
(Carlson et al., 2005)
Experts feel that involvement in
extracurricular activities provides students
the opportunity for a more well-rounded
education.
A 2005 Gallup Poll suggests that parents
and the public feel that a child with a more
well-rounded education is more valuable
than a student who makes straight A’s.
(Ebie, 2005)
 The study showed that students who excelled in
music were also high achievers in academics,
honors, student government, leadership,
athletics, service and extracurricular activities.
 The study does suggest that the focused study
of music, of value in itself, may enhance
confidence and encourage students to be
successful in other areas.
(Tobin, 2005)
 Schools are forced to focus on test results and in
doing so, have forgotten that what they offer
outside the classroom can be as important as
what is taught within. As schools rush to improve
the test scores, more money is pushed into the
classrooms of science, math and social studies,
usually at the expense of other programs such
as music, drama, athletics, and journalism,
sometimes to the point of elimination.
(Welsh, 2004)
The National Association of State Boards
of Education kicked off a national research
project in December 2005. Their goal is to
complete a three year comprehensive and
national examination of student
participation, the relationship between
academic performance and athletic
involvement, and the role of coaches in
interscholastic competitions (2005).
The research will focus on student
participation data, coaching, and sports in
school. Once enough data has been
collected, Dr. Michael Hill intends to argue
the value of interscholastic athletics and its
role in the development of the community,
school, and individual student (2005).
Sample
Suburban Houston area high school
Test 1: 3 groups of 100 students each
No participation in extracurricular activity
Participates in 1 extracurricular activity
Participates in 2 or more extracurricular
activities
Stratified random sampling
Sample
Test 2: 1 group of 100 students
Previously participated in athletics or fine
arts program
Subsequently been cut, kicked off or quit.
Simplified random sampling
Research Design
Correlational Research Method
Test 1: Gauge the relationship between
academic achievement and participation in
extracurricular activities
Test 2: Determine if elimination from an
athletic or fine arts extracurricular program
results in reduced academic achievement
and conduct
Research Procedures
The questionnaire in test one asks
students to check each of the
extracurricular activities that they are
currently a member of.
Based on these questionnaires, students
will be assigned a number so that the
researcher may use stratified random
sampling to form three groups of one
hundred students each.
The first group is comprised of students
who do not participate in any school-based
extracurricular activities.
The second group of students participates
in only one school-based extracurricular
activity.
Finally, the third group of students
participates in two or more school-based
extracurricular activities.
Grade point averages and TAKS scores
will be collected for each student in each
of the three groups.
Each group will have a mean GPA and
TAKS score calculated for comparison
between the three groups.
 The questionnaire in test two (Appendix B) is
given to faculty members who are coaches or
sponsors of athletic or fine arts programs.
 They are asked to list the names of students
who have participated at least one full year in
their program, but have been cut (performance
based), kicked off (discipline), or quit on their
own (diminished interest).
The purpose of the second test is to
determine if elimination from an athletic or
fine arts program results in lower
academic achievement and conduct
grades.
Instrumentation
 The researcher will use a questionnaire in test
one, to be given to students during the
announcement period following second period.
 The questionnaire provides a place for the
student’s given name. It lists all extracurricular
activities that are currently offered at the high
school, grouped into the categories: Athletics;
Fine Arts; Clubs. A space is provided next to
each activity for students to check if they are
currently a member of that activity.
 In test two, the researcher will give a
questionnaire to coaches and sponsors of
athletic and fine arts programs.
 The questionnaire asks these faculty members
to search their records from the previous two
years and list the names of students who have
completed one full year in their program but
have subsequently been cut (performance
based), kicked off (discipline), or quit (diminished
interest) themselves.
Data Collection
 The researcher will utilize the school’s registrar
to access the records of the students selected
for these two studies.
 The researcher will input GPA’s and TAKS
scores into an Excel spreadsheet (Appendix C)
using pre-defined formulas to determine the
mean TAKS percentile rank for each student as
well as the mean GPA and TAKS percentile rank
for each of the three groups.
The registrar will provide the GPA’s and
conduct grades of each of the students, for
the year(s) while they were participating as
well as for the subsequent year after
elimination from the program.
The researcher will enter the data into an
Excel spreadsheet using pre-defined
formulas to determine the mean conduct
grade for each student.
Data Analysis
 In test one, GPA’s and TAKS scores were
collected for all three groups. GPA’s are based
on a 5.0 scale. Each student’s GPA is current
and based on the average of all grades earned
while in high school.
 TAKS scores are a percentile rank, on a scale of
0 – 100. Students take ten different TAKS tests
throughout high school. Each test has a
different percentile rank. To compare TAKS
scores, each student was given a percentile rank
based on the average score of all TAKS tests
taken up to this time.
In test one, scatterplots will be developed
to compare the individual grade point
averages in each of the three groups.
Using the mean GPA and mean TAKS
percentile rank calculated for each group,
bar charts will be created in Excel to
compare the differences between the
three groups.
A scatterplot will allow the researcher to
compare the two sets of GPA’s of each
student as well as the mean conduct
grades of each student.
In addition, a t-test will be conducted to
view the difference in the mean GPA and
mean conduct grades of the before and
after group.
Ethical Issues
Parent and student consent forms must be
signed and returned before questionnaires
are given out.
Published findings will not reveal student
names.
Complete student confidentiality.
Questionnaire should pose no harm to
students – will not interfere with
instructional time.
Students may view themselves as a failure
since the study is introduced with the idea
that participation in extracurricular
activities increases student achievement.
Limitations
Not diverse population.
Gender, race, age, SES not taken into
account.
Non-school related activities not
considered.
Family and work responsibilities not
considered.
Reason for leaving program not taken into
consideration.
Elite or novice level before leaving
program not considered.
Student participation in different program
following elimination not considered.
Possible Implications
Currently, school districts across Texas are
cutting funding to extracurricular activities.
If the test in this study supports the
hypothesis that student participation in
extracurricular activities leads to greater
academic achievement, then hopefully
administrators will rethink funding policies.
Some schools have established a “no-cut”
policy in order to build a strong foundation
for athletic programs.
If the second test supports the hypothesis,
then possibly more schools will follow suit
and find a spot for all kids to participate.