Extracurricular Activities Essay -- High School Education Essays

Extracurricular Activities Research was performed on the claim of fact that students involved in extracurricular activities receive higher grades than those not involved in activities. This topic was studied because high school budgets are meager, and the administrations of these schools want to spend the money efficiently. Consequently, funding for extracurricular activities may be decreased. This report examines the correlation between extracurricular activities and academic performance. Scope The scope of the investigation only includes high school students and the relationship between their involvement in activities and their academic performance. Some collegiate level studies were used since the benefits of extracurricular activities in high school and college are the same. Methods Three experts in different fields that have knowledge of this area of research were interviewed. Laura Bestler, assistant director of student activities at the Iowa State University Student Activities Center, was interviewed since she is an expert on the activities that take place on the Iowa State campus and the benefits students attain by becoming involved in activities. Matt Craft, president of the Government of the Student Body at Iowa State University, was also interviewed because the Government of the Student Body, or GSB, supports and funds many campus activities. The intention of this component of the research was to discover why the GSB finds extracurricular activities so beneficial that they choose to financially support them. Erin Fowkes, a high school counselor at Battle Creek-Ida Grove High School in Ida Grove, Iowa, was interviewed to obtain information as to why it is important for students to participate in activ... ... do involved students get better grades? Does it matter what type of activity the student is in? Why are clubs and organizations funded by the university? How are activities a vital component of a well-rounded education? Works Cited Berson, Judith S. (1996, March). Stuent Perceptions of the Intercollegiate Athletic Program at a Community College. Paper Presented at the Annual Convention for the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, Atlanta, GA. ERIC Document ED404607. Bestler, Laura. Telephone Interview. 11 Oct. 1999. Craft, Matthew. Telephone Interview. 11 Oct. 1999. Fowkes, Erin. Telephone Interview. 11 Oct. 1999. Rombokas, Mary. (1995, October). High School Extracurricular Activities and College Grades. Paper Presented at the Southeastern Conference of Counseling Personnel, Jekyll Island, GA. ERIC Document ED391134.