Primary and Secondary School Students’ Participation in Extracurricular Activities: Trends Across Four Caribbean Countries

• In Event: Deconstructing Inequities and the Marginalization of Learners in Caribbean Educational Systems

Abstract

It has long been established that participation in extracurricular activities is positively correlated with students’ development, both academically and personally, and students who participate in extracurricular activities experience higher levels of academic achievement (Shulruf, Tumen, & Tolley, 2007). In fact, students who participate in athletic clubs tend to have an increase in math and science test scores by 2% (Lipscomb, 2007). Additionally, t students involved in extracurricular activities have a 10% increase in their expectations of attaining a college degree, as compared to non-participants. Participating in extracurricular activities has also been found to contribute to adolescents’ character development such that Blomfield and Barber (2009) indicate that students who participate in extracurricular activities reported higher levels of self-concept and self-worth. While international research shows that participation in extracurricular activities is related to positive student outcomes, limited research has been conducted in this area in the Caribbean. For instance, Elcock (2017) investigated perceptions of sixth form secondary school students on participation in school-based extracurricular activities at a co-educational, secondary school in Trinidad and Tobago. Although Elcock’s (2017) findings revealed that the students identified several advantages of participation such as skill development, the study also identified challenges such as time management and finance.
Given these indications, this paper uses data from a study conducted in 2019, in four Caribbean islands, to examine factors that are associated with students’ participation in extracurricular activities. Using a social justice lens, this research aims to ascertain if constraints such as socio-economic status have any effect on participation in extracurricular activities.

Authors

• Judy-Ann A. Auld, University of the West Indies - Cave Hill

• Talyjah Hyatt, University of the West Indies - Cave Hill