Extracurricular

Extracurricular Activities

Academics

A study of college-aged students who were involved in extracurricular activities in high school was used to discover if there was in fact a correlation between involvement in activities and academic achievement. The conclusion after questioning two hundred ninety-two college students that "participation in extracurricular activities enhances both the intellectual and social development of students."  It was discovered that athletes attain higher grade point averages than those students not in athletics. In addition, it was found that a national survey showed that participants in extracurricular activities in high school received better grades when they were participating in activities than when they were not participating in activities.

Character Building

A myriad of components contribute to the reasons why extracurricular activities benefit students academically. One of these reasons is that students learn character-building lessons that they can apply to their study habits and to their lives. Activities such as athletics, music, theater, and organizations teach students how to discipline themselves through drills, practices, or rehearsals. The students have a responsibility to the activity and must perform the tasks assigned to them whether it is to run, sing, act, or organize an event. By participating and persevering in any of these activities, the students gain a sense of self-respect, self-esteem, and self-confidence. Extracurricular activities give them pride in their accomplishments, and they learn that if an activity is worth doing, it is worth doing well.

Skills

Through extracurricular activities, students learn life skills that benefit their studies. Being involved teaches students organization and time management skills. Because activities take time out of the students’ schedules, the involved students must plan their time wisely and efficiently to complete the assigned tasks. In addition to organizational skills, extracurricular activities in the arts teach students analytical skills and creative problem solving skills since they have to think creatively to successfully perform music, act in a play, or produce a work of art.

Students at Risk

Not only do extracurricular activities help students that are already successful in school to further excel, they also help students that are at risk of dropping or flunking out to remain in school. Therefore, the borderline students who thoroughly enjoy their activity work hard to pass their classes in order that they may continue to participate. Another benefit of extracurricular activities for at risk students is that it lessens the number of discipline problems. Extracurricular activities give students positive activities in which to be involved, and they spend their time in a productive manner.

Social

Although social aspects of a student’s life do not directly affect his or her grade point average, they do affect the overall wellbeing of the student. Education is not solely learned by reading the textbook for students can learn an incredible amount from their peers through extracurricular activities. Students learn how to compromise and work in a group. Extracurricular activities also allow students to meet and interact with peers that may not be within their close group of friends. In addition, extracurricular activities help to enhance these social skills and teach lessons not learned in a classroom.

Conclusion

Students are encouraged to participate in extracurricular activities since they benefit the students in so many ways. Activities are not solely about what the score is, how many wins or losses are attained during a season, or what place is won at a competition. They provide and instruct students with lessons that will last them a lifetime.

 Edited from a work of educational researcher Rachel Hollrah.