The Impact of High School Extracurricular Involvement on Postsecondary Outcomes Among Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Youth

• In Event: 49.070 - Focus on Outcomes: Evaluating Out-of-School Time Settings

Abstract

Involvement in extracurricular activities provides all youth with opportunities to develop important personal skills, abilities, and preferences as well as engage in meaningful social support networks. Students who are deaf or hard of hearing (SDHH) have faced reduced access to opportunities for both academic and occupational development, including extracurricular participation. Drawing upon available data in the National Longitudinal Transition Survey 2 (NLTS2) we examine the predictive role of overall extracurricular involvement as well as breadth of extracurricular involvement on postsecondary outcomes, including education, employment, independent living, and self-beliefs, of approximately 1,000 DHH youth. Findings suggest that overall involvement in extracurricular activities significantly predicted independent living, but that breadth of involvement in more than one activity significantly predicted post secondary attendance.

Authors

• Sarah Schoffstall, The University of Texas - Austin

• Stephanie W. Cawthon, The University of Texas - Austin

• Duncan Dickson, The University of Texas - Austin

• Mark Bond, The University of Texas - Austin

• Oscar Ocuto, The University of Texas - Austin

• Jinjin Ge, The University of Texas - Austin