Extracurricular Activities vs. Academic Performance

Overview

Objectives/Goals Several studies demonstrate a positive association between school performance and participation in sports. In fact human and animal studies demonstrate that physical fitness and activity have positive effects of cognition. However, several lessons associated with sports participation, such as work ethic, time management, organizational skills, and goal achievement, may also be taught during non-sport extracurricular activities. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine if there is a positive correlation between time spent on extracurricular activities and academic performance, and to determine if this correlation is dependent upon the type of activity. Methods/Materials A 3 page survey was distributed to non-freshman students of 3 Marin County public high schools. The survey determined the types of extracurricular activities performed, hours per week spent on these activities, seasonal variation of these time commitments, and academic performance as determined by weighted GPA. A password protected database was developed (MS Access) that includes all the variables in the survey. The independent variable was the amount of hours each student did extracurricular activities, and the dependent variable was their grades. Statistical analysis included the unpaired t-test, uni-variant and multi-variant analysis. Results Over 900 surveys were distributed and 200 were completed and analyzed. I found that participation in extracurricular activities was associated with better academic performance, independent as to whether the activity was physical or non-physical. In fact, a linear regression model demonstrated a significant correlation between GPA and average hours of activities per week, with a coefficient of 0.034 per hour of activity per week. Conclusions/Discussion Participation in extracurricular activities is associated with better academic performance, independent as to whether the activity is physical or non-physical. In fact, there is a strong association between increasing hours spent on extracurricular activities and increasing GPA. Limitations of this study include reporter bias and self-reporting with no validation method.

Competition history

• CSEF 2010 Behavioral & Social Sciences · Entry S0306

Resources

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