The Effects of School-Sponsored Extracurricular Activities on the Academic Achievement, Attendance, and Resiliency Level of Low-Income Students

This research study sought to determine whether statistically significant differences existed in cumulative academic averages, average daily attendance, and resiliency levels between low-income, tenth grade students who participated in extracurricular activities and low-income, tenth grade students who did not participate in extracurricular activities. The setting for the study was an urban school district in a southeastern state. The participants were 81 tenth grade students from two high schools, 58 participants in extracurricular activities, and 23 students who did not participate in extracurricular activities. Archived data regarding cumulative academic averages and attendance was collected and analyzed. All students were administered the Wagnild and Young Resilience Scale to determine their resiliency levels. Three hypotheses guided the study and were tested at the .05 alpha level. Independent samples t-tests were used to analyze the means of the participants and non-participants concerning cumulative academic averages, average daily attendance, and resiliency levels. The findings revealed that there were statistically significant differences between the students who participated in the extracurricular activities and the students who did not participate. The students who participated in the extracurricular activities had significantly higher cumulative academic averages, average daily attendance, and resiliency levels. The findings suggest that participation in extracurricular activities is associated with positive outcomes. Offering school-sponsored extracurricular activities could help low-income students who are at risk of dropping out of school by providing support systems outside of the family, fostering identification and connectedness to school, and promoting engagement in school programs