BLACK STUDENT PARTICIPATION IN EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES IN DESEGREGATED HIGH SCHOOLS

The purpose of this research was to determine how the participation level of students in extracurricular activities in desegregated high schools was influenced by the criteria for admission into the activity, racial composition of the school, and race of the student. This was a descriptive ex post facto study using data collected from yearbooks for six high schools covering the prime period of desegregation for a large midwestern city between 1972 and 1978. Six hypotheses were developed to test the relationship between the dependent variable (participation index) and the independent variables (type of club and kind of school). ANOVA\u27s were conducted on the data to determine the significance of the hypothesis. Three major findings emerged from the study. First Black students were under represented in extracurricular activities in all the schools and clubs in this investigation. Second, the racial composition of the schools did not significantly affect the extent of Black students\u27 under representation in extracurricular activities. Third, the levels of Black and White students participating in all clubs was significantly different. This difference was related to the membership criteria for admittance to club activity. Black students participated significantly less in both open and selected membership clubs than did White students. That participation level was even less in selected membership clubs than open clubs. These findings suggest that segregation among Black and White students is a profoundly evident phenomenon in the extracurricular activities of the desegregated high schools studied in this investigation