Teachers might see extracurricullar activities as an unnecessary distraction that takes time away from core subjects. However, research shows that students' participation in meaningful extracurricular activities has a positive impact on their academic success, retention, and academic performance. Studies have also demonstrate positive outcomes such as an increased sense of belonging and students' interpersonal and intrapersonal competence.


EVIDENCE:

Astin, A. (1993). What matters in college? Four critical years revisited. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Bakoban, R. A., & Aljarallah, S. A. (2015). Extracurricular Activities and Their Effect on the Student's Grade Point Average: Statistical Study. Educational Research and Reviews, 10(20), 2737-2744.

Cress, C. M., Astin, H. S., Zimmerman-Oster, K., & Burkhardt, J. C. (2001). Developmental outcomes of college students' involvement in leadership activities. Journal of College Student Development, 42(1), 15–27.

Griffiths, T. L., Dickinson, J., & Day, C. J. (2021). Exploring the relationship between extracurricular activities and student self-efficacy within university. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 45(9), 1294-1309.

Ivanova, G. P., & Logvinova, O. K. (2017). Extracurricular activities at modern Russian university: Student and faculty views. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 13(11), 7431-7439.

Kuh, G. (1995). The other curriculum: Out-of-class experiences associated with student learning and personal development. The Journal of Higher Education, 66(2), 123–155.

Kuh, G. (2003). High-impact educational practices:What they are, who has access to them, and why they matter. Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges and Universities.

Kuh, G. (2011). What educators and administrators need to know about college student engagement. In Harper, S. R. & Jackson, F. L. (Eds.), Introduction to American higher education (pp. 189–212). New York: Routledge.

Nuijten, M. P., Poell, R. F., & Alfes, K. (2017). Extracurricular activities of Dutch University students and their effect on employment opportunities as perceived by both students and organizations. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 25(4), 360-370.

Shamsudin, S., Ismail, S. F., Al-Mamun, A., & Nordin, S. K. B. S. (2014). Examining the effect of extracurricular activities on academic achievements among the public university students in Malaysia. Asian Social Science, 10 (9), 171.

Shea, H. (2018). Tracking co-curricular contributions to student success at MSU. Michigan State University Hub for Innovation in Learning and Technology.

Shernoff, D. J., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2009). Cultivating engaged learners and optimal learning environments. In Furlong, M. J., Gilman, R., & Huebner, E. S. (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology in schools (pp. 131–145). New York, NY: Routledge.

Wolf-Wendel, L., Ward, K., & Kinzie, J. (2009). A tangled web of terms: The overlap and unique contribution of involvement, engagement, and integration to understanding college student success. Journal of College Student Development, 50(4), 407–428.