Impacts of Extracurricular Activities on Academic Performance: An Annotated Bibliography

Dang, Van. “Extracurricular Activities on Students’ Academic Performance: The Good or the Bad?.” 2021 5th International Conference on E-Society, E-Education and E-Technology. 2021.https://dl.acm.org/doi/fullHtml/10.1145/3485768.3485807

This article states that extracurricular activities have become an essential and integral part of an educational system. As highlighted by the document, some of the positive effects of extracurricular activities are that ECAs enrich the curriculum with the experience that is not gotten in a class setting, and the learning process is fortified. Negative aspects of EACs are that students waste a lot of time participating at the club level at the expense of their classwork, leading to poor grades. They also promote romantic and non-romantic relationships as students gather, and this leads to deferring of studies by some students. This article will aid me in my research since I will be well versed with some of the negative and positive effects of EACs. However, the report does not provide much information on both the positive and negative impacts of EACs.

McNeal Jr, Ralph B. “Participation in high school extracurricular activities: Investigating school effects.” Social Science Quarterly (1999): 291-309.https://www.jstor.org/stable/42863901?casa_token=Ouh95zmK-4wAAAAA:Xf2qSeATguIdCGn41gK-TcB7l_wKnalBMwZCilNxiv_ZcKHnl6vqoFfuC9VXl4fOPwVKTBhVkauglFUdxcMmUZFCnmGUse6NGOjnpFAEzsxF_lPtXP8

Professor McNeal highlights positive aspects of students engaging in extracurricular activities in this viewpoint. These positive aspects include an increase of self-esteem among the students and improved interpersonal skills. The article also states that by students engaging in ECAs, there will be a reduction in delinquency levels, and the rates of students dropping out of school will also reduce. The viewpoint also indicates increased peer isolation and the perpetuation of gender biases as some of the adverse effects of ECAs. The article will be integral in my study since it has tried to bring in the issue of gender that other authors have ignored. The gender issue is compassionate in the 21^st century, and hence it should not be overlooked. The author does not delve deeper into how EACs affect academic performance.

Yusof, Normah, and Mohammed Abdulgalil Abugohar. “Teachers’ attitudes towards the use of extracurricular activities in enhancing students’ speaking skills.” International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development 6.3 (2017): 153-163.https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mohammed-Abugohar/publication/319818174_Teachers’_Attitudes_towards_the_Use_of_Extracurricular_Activities_in_Enhancing_Students’_Speaking_Skills/links/5ce13f0ba6fdccc9ddbc8127/Teachers-Attitudes-towards-the-Use-of-Extracurricular-Activities-in-Enhancing-Students-Speaking-Skills.pdf

Researchers conducted this viewpoint to try and explain how ECAs aid in improving communication skills among students. As per the editorial, good communication skills usually lead to improvement in academic performance. The article further states that learners participating in ECAs can be more creative. Again, by engaging in ECAs, the learners can improve their communication skills and personalities. I agree with this editorial since it highlights how students can improve their communication skills by engaging in ECAs. Good communication is integral in all aspects of human interactions.

Lunenburg, Fred C. “Extracurricular activities.” Schooling 1.1 (2010): 1-4.http://www.nationalforum.com/Electronic%20Journal%20Volumes/Lunenburg,%20Fred%20C.%20Extracurricular%20Activities%20Schooling%20V1%20N1%202010.pdf

According to Lunenburg, extracurricular activities are essential in the education system of the United States of America. Extracurricular activities include debates, school publications, contests, drama, music, and athletics. They are found at all levels in the schools in America but mostly in high school. Some of the functions of extracurricular activities include reinforcing learning, integrating knowledge, democratization, and supplementing coursework. The article by Lunenburg has been beneficial to my understanding of ECAs since it explains the functions of extracurricular activities in detail and in a precise manner.

Wilson, Nikki. “Impact of extracurricular activities on students.” (2009).https://minds.wisconsin.edu/bitstream/handle/1793/43405/2009wilsonn.pdf?sequence=1

As per this viewpoint by Wilson, students who participate in extracurricular activities usually benefit a lot from the various opportunities presented to them. Possessing better grades, obtaining higher standardized test scores, having a higher self-concept, and most importantly, showing leadership and teamwork. However, according to the author, most extracurricular activities are not free, and students are required to pay to play. Students from low-income families are locked out of these activities, which is not good. From this article, I learned that extracurricular activities are not free since they require money. I will urge the government and well-wishers to move with speed to help talented and needy students in my research.

Gilman, Rich, Joel Meyers, and Laura Perez. “Structured extracurricular activities among adolescents: Findings and implications for school psychologists.” Psychology in the Schools 41.1 (2004): 31-41.https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/pits.10136?casa_token=NEt98a_dkTEAAAAA:1PAhZKqBt2_r_OuZ9WQrt6kYJqxjklSWak97RCo4m3P-mXhEoTLWOqx09tuYztXne_8uABIglMvqvUHQ

In this viewpoint, the authors agree and concur that active engagement is critical for adolescents to behave in positive mental health. Engaging in extracurricular activities will ensure that the adolescents gain positive outcomes both on their physique and academic life. The valuable lessons from this research will be essential in my work since I will be able to dedicate a lot of time to the adolescents and encourage them to engage in extracurricular activities to avoid negative peer pressure.