Latino Poverty in the New Century by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science, General, Ethnic Studies, Social Work, Sociology
ISBN: 9781136390838
Google: aZ7wrm5Ga-QC
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2012-11-12T03:40:48+00:00

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF EXTRACURRICULAR PARTICIPATION

The extracurricular activities, they help keep some of the kids in school. (Jessica, a stayer)

There is no question that extracurricular participation engenders many benefits for students, and at Hernández High School this was no exception. During my field work, I found that extracurricular participation played a crucial role in shaping the experiences and educational achievement of students at Hernández. My findings suggest that extracurricular participation and student retention are inextricably linked. The students who were involved in extracurricular programs had lower dropout rates than those who did not participate. I found sharp discrepancies in the rates of extracurricular participation among the three categories of students (stayers, leavers and returners). The stayers disproportionately participated in extracurricular activities throughout their high school years while the leavers and the returners seldom did. In my sample of 33 individuals, extracurricular participation among the stayers was 85 percent in comparison to 20 percent among the leavers and 40 percent among the returners.

These findings support previous studies which assert that students who participate in extracurricular activities are less likely to drop out of school (Mahoney and Cairns, 1997; McNeal, 1995; Tinto, 1975). Mahoney and Cairns (1997) found that the dropout rate was lower among at-risk students who had participated in extracurricular activities. McNeal’s (1995) research adds that although not all extracurricular activities affect student retention to the same extent, participation in athletics and fine arts programs seems to reduce the likelihood of dropping out. My findings suggest that it was not participation per se that had a positive effect on student retention at Hernández, but the many benefits students accrued as a result of participating were more important. These students had become attached to school, had developed close relationships with adults, were academic and non-academic achievers, were popular, and enjoyed school.

Some studies show that participation in extracurricular programs causes students to take on school norms and expectations, and that students who are involved in these activities exhibit pro-social behavior, value school goals, and comply with school norms (Finn, 1989; Hanks and Eckland, 1976). Although some studies find no relationship between participation and grades (Hanks and Eckland, 1976; Melnick, Sabo and Vanfossen, 1992), more recent studies suggest that extracurricular participation also has a positive effect on school performance (Gerber, 1996; Phillips and Schafer, 1971; Silliken and Quirk, 1997). At Hernández, I found that students who participated in extracurricular activities seemed to comply more readily with school norms. They had lower absentee and tardiness rates and a lower incidence of trouble with peers and staff than those who did not participate. They also maintained good academic standing, their cumulative grade point average ranging from 3.77 to 2.62, and all ranking within the top 35 percent of their graduating class (Flores-González, 1995; Flores-González, 1999).

Perhaps adherence to school norms, goals and expectations is a consequence of the attachment to school that results from participating in extracurricular programs. Students who participate in these activities come to identify with school, and its norms and expectations, because they see themselves as part of the school environment and school as part of themselves (Finn, 1989).

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