Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Extracurricular education'

Extracurricular activities have been an important part of adolescents’ lives for generations (Kremer-Sadlik, Izquierdo, & Fatigante, 2010). Extracurricular activities take place outside of the classroom and result in several benefits to students (National Federation of State High School Associations [NFHS], 2010). With the recent recession in the United States, many school districts are having to find ways to cut budgets and are looking at eliminating extracurricular activities to save money (Lamb, 2011). Data from graduating seniors were reviewed in the largest accredited public school district in a Midwestern state. Graduates are required to take a post-follow up survey upon graduating from high school (DESE, 2015). This study involved examination of what those graduates who participated in extracurricular activities while in high school did after graduating. Five high schools were examined within the school district. Each of the five high schools creates an eligibility roster of students who participate in extracurricular activities. The data were collected from the 2011, 2012, and 2013 graduating classes. Graduates who did and did not participate in extracurricular activities were compared, noting whether they went on to college or the military or the workforce. The data revealed more students who participated in extracurricular activities while in high school went on to college than did those students who did not participate.

This research study examined the academic impact of extracurricular activities on middle school students. This study investigated a possible relationship between the amount of hours that students spent participating in extracurricular activities and their academic achievement, as well as the amount of hours that students spent participating in in-school extracurricular activities and their academic achievement. This study used a combination of quantitative and qualitative data to reach its results. The quantitative data ultimately did not show a statistically significant correlation between the hours that students spent in extracurricular activities in general or in in-school activities and academic achievement. However, there was an upward trend in the data for hours that students spent in extracurricular activities in general and their academic achievement. The qualitative component drew upon the prior research on traits that contribute to the success of middle school students academically, and found a pattern consistent with the evidence of these traits through the results of a survey and interviews. Therefore, the qualitative component showed that through connecting these answers to and relying on the prior research, middle school students most likely benefitted academically from being involved in extracurricular activities, especially in-school activities that met these needs. The researcher also reflected on the study and made several recommendations for future research on the topic, ranging from survey and sampling augmentations to suggestions of sub-topics worthy of further exploration.

Historically, after-school extracurricular programs can be linked to success in student achievement as well as increased school attendance and giving students “safe after-school environments” (National Center for Education Statistics, 1995). This causal comparative study investigated student achievement as measured by students’ grade point average, the number of extracurricular activities the student is involved in, the income status of the student, attendance, as well as gender and grit that the student possesses. The sample included 110 high school seniors, 47% males and 53% females, from the graduating class of 2017 from four rural communities in the Midwest. Participants completed the Grit Scale by Duckworth et al. (2007), which measures an individual’s perseverance and passion to continue on to complete one’s goals. Analysis of the data centered on the significant interaction effect between grade point average and extracurricular activities as moderated by gender, income, attendance, and perception of grit. The researcher also ran an analysis to see if there was a correlation between grade point average and grit. Results indicated a significant interaction effect between grade point average and extracurricular activities as moderated by income. Results also uncovered a significant interaction effect between grade point average and extracurricular activities as moderated by attendance. Results also showed a significant interaction effect between grade point average and extracurricular activities as moderated by perception of grit. Although there was no significant interaction effect between grade point average and extracurricular activities as moderated by gender, the researcher wanted to validate the research due to the fact this study was happening in a rural community with fewer students involved. There also was a positive correlation when examining grade point average and the score of grit. Future researchers should focus on whether or not the student feels supported. Another focus would be to investigate if students work during the school year and the number of hours that they work during the school week. Co-curricular versus extracurricular activities also need to be explored further within the context of whether they make a difference in a student’s grade point average.

Research studies of extracurricular activities have illustrated specific relationships between participation and certain student characteristics, such as higher grades, higher standardized test scores, higher attendance, fewer discipline issues, and increased positive school perception. Since so much of the previous research on extracurricular activities has focused on the secondary education level, the researcher questioned whether or not these same relationships would be present in elementary school students who participated in extracurricular activities. This research study was conducted at one elementary school in a large metropolitan area to determine what, if any, relationships among variables including length of time participating in the activity were evident amongst extracurricular activity participants. This study compared the MAP (Missouri Assessment Program) scores in math and communication arts, office discipline referral rates, and attendance rates of elementary school students who had participated in extracurricular activities to those students who did not participate in extracurricular activities. The researcher used both a mixed-methods approach to determine if there was a difference between those students who took part in extracurricular activities and those who did not. The quantitative part of the study demonstrated a relationship between participation in extracurricular activities and higher communication arts and math standardized test scores. A relationship was also evident between participation in extracurricular activities and higher communication arts standardized test scores for those who participated in extracurricular activities for a longer amount of time; however there was not a statistical difference in attendance or office discipline referrals for length of participation or participation in extracurricular activities in general. The study also examined relationships between extracurricular participation and students' school perception. The qualitative analysis, which consisted of data gathered by student ( n=65) and parent (n=29) questionnaires, revealed more similarities between extracurricular activity participants and non-participants than differences. The researcher was able to conclude that certain relationships existed amongst extracurricular activity participants and standardized test scores. The study concluded with implications and recommendations for future implementation of elementary extracurricular activity programs.

American politicians, policy makers, and educators continue to grapple with ways to improve the academic achievement for all student groups. In spite of recent reform efforts such as the No Child Left Behind Act, evidence suggests that America has yet to adopt changes that not only improve achievement for all student groups but also reduce the high school dropout rate for its highest-risk students. Empirical research suggests that when students participate in the particular extra-curricular offerings of athletics and (on a more individual basis) fine arts, they have greater chances of staying in school and not dropping out. Yet this area of the school curriculum is often elusive for students who have background characteristics that put them at greater risk for school failure. The phenomenon under study is the experience of at-risk student participants in athletics and fine arts, and this inquiry sought to discover what it is about these offerings that may contribute to decreases in school failure. Data collection took place through one-on-one interviews and focus groups with 12 high-risk students who met predetermined selection criteria of being at-risk, participating in athletics and/or fine arts, being on a trajectory toward success in conventional terms, and being willing to talk about these experiences in an interview and focus group. Participants indicated that supportive social connections played a critical role in their initial and/or their ongoing participation. Findings revealed that students’ participation in both athletics and fine arts cultivated and nourished the affective domain of learning by appealing to their interests, passions, and hopes. For participants, both athletics and fine arts appeared to play a significant role in their lives, to the point of being life changing. There were many attributions associated with participation, and included such things as improvement in academic achievement, staying in school and not dropping out, as a result of their participation in both athletics and fine arts. These and other findings identified in this study should provide guidance to politicians, policy makers, educational reformers, educators, communities, families, and students themselves about the value of participation in these specific school offerings. Thus, findings implied that schools should encourage greater pupil participation in the full curriculum and not decrease support to these specific offerings, which could be increasingly vulnerable to cuts during fiscal challenges because athletics and fine arts may often be thought of as a privilege for a select few or an unnecessary part of the school curriculum.

The role pharmacists play on the healthcare team is important to the health of the nation and society. Pharmacists are the medication experts whose role is to optimize their patient's health. Today's student pharmacists are prepared through pharmacy education to play this role on the healthcare team. This requires pharmacy schools to identify the appropriate students to enroll in professional Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) programs. The purpose of this research is to examine healthcare related experience as a factor used to predict admission as well as success (academic and clinical performance) in the first and second professional year of the Pharm.D. curriculum.

The study sample consisted of the Pharm.D. applicant pool for the 2010-2011 application cycle, which included 12,288 complete applications. A subset of this sample was combined with success markers (cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) in the first and second year, and Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPE) GPA for the first and second year (P1 and P2 years)) for a second sample that included 389 applicants. The methodology used for this research was binary logistic and multiple regression analysis.

Statistically significant study findings showed that healthcare related extracurricular experience is a predictor of admission, but not of academic or clinical performance in the first or second year of the Pharm.D. curriculum. The study findings held practical significance for prospective applicants through explanation of the variables as predictors of admission, in order for prospective applicants to properly prepare for the pharmacy school admissions process. The findings are also relevant for admissions officers and will inform their admission processes. Limitations include confounding variables that impact cumulative and IPPE P1 and P2 GPAs, generalizability to all pharmacy schools, as well as a lack of variance in the outcomes measures. Future studies should be conducted at the institutional level and in other health professions to evaluate these admission characteristics in terms of student performance and success at the institution level and in other health professions programs. Future studies should also explore other holistic admission factors (e.g. leadership, community service, etc.) to see if they contribute to appropriate success markers in the pharmacy curriculum.

Commuter students, or students who do not live in institutionally owned or operated housing, have consistently struggled to persist to graduation. Since commuter students make up the collegiate majority, identifying ways to support this student population's academic success is imperative. Because of the positive association between social integration and student persistence, this study examined the relationship between student involvement in extracurricular activities and sense of belonging among commuter students at 4-year institutions set in urban areas. Student involvement and sense of belonging were measured using scales from the fourth edition of the College Student Experiences Questionnaire (CSEQ). A random sample of 712 was drawn from the 2012 administration of the CSEQ. Structural equation modeling, including latent means and multiple group analyses, was used to answer the study's research questions. The findings suggest that commuter student involvement mirrors Astin's theory of student involvement; sense of belonging is heavily influenced by meaningful relationships with faculty and administrators; there is a positive relationship between student involvement and sense of belonging; parental education, race, transfer status, and employment patterns are background characteristics that account for student subgroup differences; and employment patterns impact student involvement, sense of belonging, and the relationship between these variables. These findings can inform institutional practice and direct future research efforts in order to further support the commuter student population.

Educational inequities and disparities continue in modern day education for African-American high school students and more specifically those of low socioeconomic status (Chavous, Smalls, Rivas-Drake, Griffin, & Cogburn, 2008). Of this group, African-American males have greater challenges with a gender gap when compared to females, in addition to existing academic gaps among their peer groups. This study sought to investigate predictors of success by analyzing the HSLS: 2009 longitudinal dataset. This research took a comprehensive approach to examine the protective factors that are responsible for the academic achievement of African-American high school students of low socioeconomic status. The role of self-efficacy levels on the learner were also examined and were compared with gender as well as a learner’s participation in extracurricular physical activity and its relationship with academic achievement. The literature review includes the links between physical activity and the neurogenesis process, and emotional control that lead to increased academic achievement. These findings are supported not only in the literature review but also through several linear regressions. The researcher found positive academic relationships with increased GPA among extracurricular physical activity as well as students’ self-efficacy levels. Differences between males, females, and later respective peer groups were evident. Results supported all hypotheses and findings should encourage those in education to seek recommended early interventions. Those interventions should include opportunities for extracurricular physical activity and increased opportunities for self-efficacy growth for African-American students.