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Importance of Extra-Curricular Activities in Education
Dr. Radhika Kapur
Abstract
The main purpose of writing this research paper is to identify the significance of
extracurricular activities in education; how students get influenced and empowered through the
means of extracurricular activities besides their academic curriculum. The kinds of
extracurricular activities have been identified and much focus is laid upon how they prove to be
advantageous to the students of all age groups. An example of a case study enables the reader to
understand the importance of these activities and how they stimulate ones mindset to get rid of
conflicting situations as well as personal and professional development.
Keywords: Extra curricular activities, Participation, Development and Risky Behaviors
Introduction
Extracurricular activities are the sources that have been an integral part of the education
system; students participate in these kinds of activities and they do not fall into the sphere of
normal curriculum and instructional methods. Students at all levels participate in these activities,
of all age groups and standards. The areas that come under extra-curricular activities include
sports, games, art, music, drama, poetry, student newspaper, clubs and governance. Participation
in all these activities or just one of them of student’s own interest has been connected to social
and academic success; on the other hand, over-participation may be quite demanding and may
consume much of their free time and thus interrupt with their academic curriculum as well
(Annu, 2013).
There are different outlooks of what is considered an extra-curricular activity. A few
examples of activities outside the school may include activities such as dances, team sports, and
performing arts, while inside the school involvement activities may include intramurals, and
academic clubs. Different levels of activity involvement and participation may positively impact
future success for those who participate; individuals who render their wholehearted contribution
towards the performance of extracurricular activities do achieve success and sometimes even opt
for that activity as their career or profession. The main purpose behind writing this research
paper is to understand how extra-curricular activities can influence development in academics,
social skills and in imbibing a talent or a skill within oneself (Annu, 2013).
Participation in Extra Curricular Activities
Apart from educational institutions, there are certain organizations that conduct extra-
curricular activities for the students and other members of the society as well; such organizations
may include clubs, athletic opportunities, dance line or cheer teams, Scouts, drama or theater,
youth groups, student council and club sports. These organizations conduct activities such as
sports, drama, dance and music, artworks for the members. This has been an area of interest for
the parents, for the students themselves as well as for the educators; that students should get
engaged in some kind of extracurricular activity as well besides studies and academics in order
to influence their development. When some students start attending preschools at the age of
three, sometimes even at this age, their parents make them learn certain activities such as dance,
playing of certain musical instruments such as piano or guitar and so forth so that they become
professional when they grow up. Participation in extracurricular activities has been directly
associated with ones social and academic success, yet over-participation may be burdensome as
it may interfere with their academic performance; hence there are pros and cons of participation
in the activities (Wilson, 2009).
Theory and research that has been conducted by the researchers in this area reveal that
constructive youth development emphasizes the evolution of human development, and suggest
that enlightening positive, supportive relationships with people and social institutions encourages
healthy development. Participation in extracurricular activities enables people to establish social
ties and communication links. Considering this perspective, organized activities, such as extra-
curricular activities, can lead to strong development because of the support and opportunities that
are present compared to less positive after school options especially for teenagers. Students who
participate in these kinds of activities are more likely to respect diversity, become more
disciplined, and give or donate as a member of a team whether it is sports, scouting or clubs
(Wilson, 2009).
Types of Extracurricular Activities
There are different kinds of extracurricular activities that students participate in while
they are in school. These activities may be outside the school or part of the school curriculum.
These have been classified as follows: (Cadwallader, 2002).
1. Poetry
2. Dance and Music
3. Sports and Games
4. Dramatics and Theater
5. Artwork and Craft activities
6. Religion
7. Computer Skills
8. Volunteer Work
9. Foreign Language
10. Governance Activities
Benefits of Participation in Extracurricular Activities
There have been several advantages of participation in extracurricular activities which
have been stated as follows: (Brown, n.d.).
1. Students tend to perform better in their studies and score good grades, as their
mindset gets stimulated by the participation in activities; their exam results,
educational attainment gets improved.
2. Students are willing to attend school more regularly and there is a decline in the rate
of absenteeism; self-concepts of the students become more enriched and deep.
3. Through the participation in extracurricular activities, there is a reduction in school
dropout rate as these activities do attract students; a large number of students find
these activities more influencing then the academics.
4. Students become more disciplined and obedient, they tend to stay more focused and
are less likely to misbehave or get engaged in delinquent acts.
5. Through these activities students become more practiced, competent and skillful;
sometimes if they are good at making a painting, they may choose a career as an artist
or if they are good at a dance performance they may become a professional dancer.
6. Students who participate in these activities get more influenced positively; in the
sense that they learn more skills in life such as teamwork and leadership skills; they
learn how to communicate with the other people outside of their family members.
7. Through participation in these activities, factors such as anger, frustration, loneliness,
avoiding studies, laziness gets reduced and students are more likely to become
hardworking, attentive, conscientious and diligent.
8. Individuals who develop positive viewpoints regarding all kinds of extracurricular
activities that they are engaged in are more likely to enjoy them and they prove to be
fun activities rather than being dull and boring. Hence extracurricular activities can be
a source of enjoyment.
The Downside of Extracurricular Activities
Extracurricular activities have a downside mainly in case of two aspects; when they
become overwhelming and when they divert the student’s academic focus; but researchers have
found that these two aspects are infrequent. The downside factors can also occur, for example
students who participate in sports teams get engaged in drinking alcohol then those who
participate in arts, music or drama. Underage drinking leads to risky behaviors and these kinds of
behaviors always have negative consequences upon ones life (Johnston, n.d.). Students who are
more likely to give the first priority to these activities of their interest are likely to ignore their
studies as a result they achieve low grade points, they tend to complete their studies to a lower
level or simply drop out from school. Hence attainment of low academic levels tends to impose
some negative consequences upon ones life such as obtaining employment. Finally, there is
another downside of extracurricular activities that is they can be very expensive, especially low
income families cannot afford to provide any of these activities to their children if they are too
expensive. At times it happens that in schools these activities are available to a limited extent and
students would like them to be available to them at a much advanced level because they would
like to learn more and if they are available at a distance or at a much higher cost then it becomes
difficult for them to achieve and this proves to be a disadvantage.
Case Study of a Positive Influence of Extracurricular Activities
An example has been stated by a researcher of a case study that how extracurricular
activities lead to a positive influence upon the lives of students. Stephanie was a 14-year-old girl
studying in class eight. Throughout her early school years, she was a good student and her
teachers appreciated her. During fourth class, Stephanie’s parents separated and she observed a
lot of conflicting situations at home. Stephanie’s marks and grades began to decline and her
teacher stated that Stephanie was being overwhelmed with the occurrences in her home life. In
sixth class her grades continued to drop. In seventh class, her brother suggested that she should
get involved in sports. Stephanie enjoyed playing basketball, and she became the captain of the
seventh-class basketball team. When she undertook sports activities, her grades began to
improve. When she was enquired what made all the difference in her grades and performance in
academics, she stated that getting involved in playing basketball and being the captain of the
team lead to this difference (Massoni, 2011).
In this way playing basketball led to a positive influence in her life and provided her with
an opening to discharge some negative energy that she was experiencing in her home life; as a
result of her aspiration to get engaged in this sport, she made every effort to do well in her
studies and not let family life interfere in her schoolwork (Massoni, 2011).
Does Participation in Extracurricular Activities Reduce Engagement in Risky
Behaviors?
Participation in extracurricular activities significantly reduces engagement in risky
behaviors amongst the teenagers. However, the consequences vary by activity type, gender and
to some extent by socio-economic status. Participation in activities other than sports and arts
reduces both weekly drinking and marijuana use for both males as well as females. Participation
in artworks reduces weekly drinking amongst males and marijuana use amongst females,
whereas participation in non-organized sports reduces regular smoking and marijuana use
amongst males only. Even though weekly drinking is certainly associated with participation in
organized sports among males, the association is likely to reflect unobserved differences between
participants in organized sports and non-participants. There is some verification that
extracurricular activity participation lowers engagement in risky behaviors for low-socio-
economic status females more than it does for high-socio-economic status females, yet among
males the socio-economic status ascent is nearly non-accessible (Trinh Le, 2013).
Conclusion
Besides education, it is essential for all the students of all the classes and age groups to
get involved in some kind of extracurricular activities as well. Extracurricular activities can be of
various kinds such as sports, games, drama, theater, music, dance, art and craft and so forth.
These activities have proved to be beneficial to the students in many ways such as stimulating
their mindset, developing a skill within themselves, empowering them, they are able to
concentrate upon their studies in a much better way, they become more positive as persons and
factors such as anger, frustration, laziness and loneliness gets reduced. On the other hand, a few
negativities have also been identified regarding the extracurricular activities such as individuals
get accustomed to drinking alcohol, they tend to ignore their studies through the influence of
these activities, sometimes getting involved in these activities becomes unaffordable due to
financial problems and individuals may get involved in delinquent acts. Finally, it can be stated
that extracurricular activities are a must to be developed for an individual of all age groups; an
individual should get himself engaged in at least one activity if not all; the negativities that occur
as a result of these activities are quite uncommon.
Bibliography
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Brown, R. (n.d.). Extracurricular Activity: How Does Participation Encourage Positive
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Cadwallader, T.W., Wagner, M., & Garza, N. (2002). Participation in Extracurricular
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Johnston, H. (n.d.). Extracurricular Activities and Student Achievement: Everyone Gains.
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