EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

RESEARCH FINDING:

High  school students who complement their academic studies  with 
extracurricular  activities gain experience that  contributes  to 
their success in college.

COMMENT:

High school class rank and test scores are the best predictors of 
academic success in college,  but involvement sustained over time 
in  one or two extracurricular activities contributes to  overall 
achievement in college.  On the other hand, when these activities 
become ends in themselves, academic performance may suffer.

Students  who participate in extracurricular activities gain some 
significant advantages.  Among them are:

   .	Opportunities  for  recognition,  personal  success,  and 
     broader experience to complement their academic achievement;

   .	the chance to develop intellectual, social, cultural, and 
     physical talents to round out their academic education; and

   .	the opportunity to extend the boundaries of the classroom 
     by  acquiring  direct experience with the content and worth of  a 
     subject;  for example,  when drama club members study and present 
     the  plays  of Shakespeare,  or when debaters  gain  practice  in 
     applied logic, research, and public presentations.

Although such activities as athletics are less clearly related to 
academic goals, they do provide opportunities for physical growth 
and self-discipline.  Indeed, all these activities can extend the 
range of experience that schools can offer.

But when extracurricular activities get out of balance,  problems 
can arise, as when high school athletes treat sports as an alter-
native to learning rather than an addition to it.   Distracted by 
the  prestige they earn in sports,  student athletes may fail  to 
prepare  adequately for the academic requirements of  college  or 
the workplace.   This situation has worsened in recent years, and 
many abuses have come to light,  such as lowering (or winking at) 
the  academic  requirements for sports eligibility.   There  have 
been  recent  attempts to rectify this situation  by  reinstating 
academic criteria as a condition for participation in all  extra-
curricular activities.


Braddock, J. H., II (1981). "Race, Athletics, and Educational
Attainment."  Youth and Society, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp. 335-350.

Purdy, D., Eitzen, D. S., and Hufnagel, R. (l982).  "Are Athletes 
Students?   The Educational Attainment of College Athletes."  So-
cial Problems,  Vol. 29, No. 4, pp. 439-448.

Spady,  W.  (l970).   "Lament for the Letterman:  Effects of Peer 
Status  and Extracurricular Activities on Goals and Achievement."  
American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 75, No. 4, pp. 680-702. 

Spady, W. (1971).   "Status,  Achievement,  and Motivation in the
American High School."  School Review, Vol. 79, No. 31, pp. 379-
403.

Willingham,  W.  W.  (l985).   Success in College:   The Role  of 
Personal  Qualities  and Academic Ability.   New  York:   College 
Board Publications.