THE IMPACT OF EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

ON STUDENT’S ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

A case study of FTU K52 students

1) Đào Hà My – 1317710060
2) Nguyễn Linh Phương – 1317710076
3) Trương Thị Lan Anh – 1317710005
4) Nguyễn Thị Minh Trang – 1317710099
5) Hoàng Tuyết Nhung – 1317710072
6) Vũ Katia - 1310710127
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 ABSTRACT
Although it has been genrally assumed that extracurricular activities have a
positive impact on student’s academic performance, numerous studies indicate that  these
activities may actually influence student’s performance in a negative manner. The main
purpose of this study is to investigate whether extracurricular activities  have positive or
negative impact on FTU students’ outcomes. On the other hand, the study examined
whether FTU students’ academic performance are affected by their choices of
extracurricular activities
For the purposes, 51 male and female Course 52 students from different faculties
were ramdomly selected for the sample. All students were then divided into two groups:
participants and non-participants. Grade Average Point (GPA) and class attendance are
base measurements to assess the academic performance. A survey using questionnaires as
the instrument utilized for this research project to collect relevant data.
The final results revealed that students having engaged in extracurricular activities
seem to get  relatively GPAs than students who did not participate in. Furthermore, the
differences in the a GPA and class attendance between groups of extra-curricular
activities are also ascertained.  The average GPA of the hobby-related activities
participants may be highest and that of the other two types may be at the same level. The
findings suggested that participants in extracurricular activities could produce a positive
impact on academic performance.

Table of Contents
ABSTRACT............................................................................................................................I
List of figures........................................................................................................................III
List of tables..........................................................................................................................III
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................1
Background of the study...................................................................................................................1
The relevance of topic.........................................................................................................................1
History of extracurricular activities.....................................................................................................1
The current status of extracurricular activities among Vietnamese students in general and FTU
students in particular............................................................................................................................2
Statement of Problem........................................................................................................................3
The purpose of the study......................................................................................................................3
Research questions............................................................................................................................4
Hypothesis...........................................................................................................................................4

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW...............................................................................5

Definition of terms............................................................................................................................5
The impact of extracurricular activities on academic performance................................................5

CHAPTER 3: SURVEY AND DATA COLLECTION..........................................................9

Introduction......................................................................................................................................9
Description of sample........................................................................................................................9
Participants..........................................................................................................................................9
Strategy................................................................................................................................................9
Measurement and instrument...............................................................................................................9

CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND FINDINGS.........................................................................12

Analysis of the data from survey....................................................................................................12
Findings...........................................................................................................................................15

CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION............................................................21

Discussion........................................................................................................................................21
Summary of the results......................................................................................................................21
Comparison with the results of other studies.....................................................................................22
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................23
Recommendation for further study................................................................................................23
Limitations......................................................................................................................................24

REFERENCES.....................................................................................................................26

List of figures
Figure 1: The proportion of students taking part in extracurricular activities...............................13

Figure 2: The number of participants in each kind of activities....................................................13

Figure 3: Average time spending on extracurricular activities per week......................................14

Figure 4: GPA among different kinds of activities........................................................................18

List of tables
Table 1: GPA between participants and non-participants.............................................................15

Table 2: The percentage of class attendance within two groups...................................................16

Table 3: GPA and class attendance differences among different purposes of participation.........16

Table 4: Self-evaluation of the impact...........................................................................................17

Table 5: The percentage of class attendance among different activities.......................................19

 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Background of the study

The relevance of topic

Participating in extracurricular activities plays an integral role in the improvement

of each student studying in universities. “Almost any type of student involvement in
college positively affects student learning and development” (Alexander, 1993). Students
involved in extracurricular activities not only for enjoyment or entertainment purposes,
but to gain other essential skills.
In FTU, a wide range of extracurricular activities meet students’ interests.
Students engaged in extracurricular activities can benefit from many opportunities
afforded them. They have chances to enhance their interpersonal skills while also
increasing their self-confidence. In particular, students are also able to build specific plan
for their career path for future job success. However, the effect of extracurricular
activities on academic performance is a debated topic. Therefore, this research was
conducted to discover the impact of extracurricular activities on student’s outcomes .

History of extracurricular activities

The impact of extracurricular activities on academic performance is a relevant

topic today as it has been in the past. In ancient time, students were encouraged to take
part in extracurricular activities to strengthen their body and enhance a robust mind.
Athletics, art, debate, student governments and honor societies flourished in Sparta and
Athens (McKown, 1952).

Although people including educators eventually saw the benefits of extracurricular

activities, it took a while to develop those activities. From the traditional time to the
beginning of the nineteenth century, extracurricular activities just catered the wealthy
social class. The fact shows that educators who were skeptical of participation in

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extracurricular activities believed “school should focus solely on narrowly defined
academic outcome. Non-academic activities were viewed as being primarily recreational
and therefore were detrimental to academic achievement, and consequently were
discouraged” (Marsh & Kleitman, 2002). Organized athletic activities did not play an
essential role in improving participants’ characters until the turn of the twentieth century
in America (NFHS, 2007). Researchers have taken a more positive perspective that
extracurricular activities create benefits in academic accomplishments (Marsh &
Kleitman, 2002). It is obvious that extracurricular activities have an impact on academic
performance and education ever since their inception.

According to Gholson (1985), the history of extracurricular in United States was

divided into three eras. The first one, from 1870 to 1900, was a period of rejection.
Educational leaders assumed that few benefits could be derived from activities named
“extracurriculum”. 1920 – 1956 was labeled the next era when student’s organizations
and clubs were capable of providing valuable experiences. Era three, approximately
1920-1956 was regarded as the time of active acceptance and development. National
organizations provide assistance and direction to local schools during this era. The line
between school non-sponsored and sponsored activities has been fused since the 1950s.

The current status of extracurricular activities among Vietnamese students in general and
FTU students in particular

There are a large number of student’s organizations for Vietnamese students to

take part in. More and more educational professors encourage students to learn outside
the classroom (from the surrounding community and environment) as studying in college.
The statistics collected from online reports shows that: Hanoi University has 38 clubs,
RMIT university includes 30 clubs and 34 clubs were founded in FPT university.
Deriving from the demand of students in Youth Union, almost clubs mainly focus on the
fields of culture, sports and volunteer… “However, these organizations were spontaneous

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and their activities are not based on any detailed plans. They have not mentioned both
specific results and overview about the importance of extracurricular activities on
academic performance” (Hue Bui, 2014). To explain the current status, this study
detected some reason for mentioned limitations. Teachers assumed that extracurricular
activities is manipulated by the Youth Union, so faculties in universities did not devote to
focus on organizing a variety of activities to attract students. The impulsive organizing
can be viewed as another reason leading to the ineffective extracurricular activities in
some universities in Vietnam. Therefore, it is essential to discover creative methods to
change the current rank of extracurricular activities in colleges.

Students in FTU began to aware of the importance extracurricular activities at

early time. The most popular activity attracting thousands of people is participating in
student clubs and youth organizations. Based on the statistics of Youth Union FTU
(Youth Union, 2014), there are over 40 clubs in FTU. These clubs major in organizing
millions of events, competitions and conferences per year in FTU and other universities.
The active areas are classified to three kinds: academic clubs, hobbies clubs and social
clubs.  Academic clubs specialize in orienting career, researching and training soft skills
such as: AIESEC, Human resource club (HRC) Club of future accountants and auditors
(CFAA), Law Consultant Club (LCC), Tomorrow Entrepreneur Club (TEC), Young
Researcher Club (YRC)… Hobbies organization includes Music Club, Dancing Club and
MC and Fashion clubs. Social clubs are volunteer teams focusing on social projects such
as: environmental protection, multicultural activities.

Diversified clubs contribute to build a positive environment for students to

develop “FTU deserved to be in the leading position of extracurricular activities in
student community” (kenh14.vn, 2015). Extracurricular activities provide a place for
students to come together, discuss pertinent ideas and issues, and accomplish common
goals.

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 Statement of Problem
The purpose of the study

The primary purpose of this study is to discover whether extracurricular activities

have positive or negative impact on students’ outcomes. The result of the research will
provide freshmen and sophomores an objective overview before engaging in any
extracurricular activities. Hence, it is actually necessary to evaluate the impact of
extracurricular activities on student’s academic performance.

Furthermore, the other purpose is to identify whether extracurricular participation

for FTU students makes significant differences on academic performance compared to
their non-participants’ peers. The level of effect is emphasized to help students identify
the difference of academic performance between participants and non-participants

Research questions

The literature review strongly concentrates on the positive and negative impact of
extracurricular activities on academic achievement. For this research, only students in
Course 52 were selected to complete online questionnaire. Grade Point Average and
Class attendance are used as the base measurement. Therefore, the following question
were generated:

1. Is the GPA of extracurricular activities participants higher than that of non-

participants in FTU?
2. Is the academic performance of FTU students influenced by their choices of
extracurricular activities?
Hypothesis

To determine the statistical probability, alternative hypotheses that correspond

with the research question and objective of the study were determined to be the
following:

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 1. The GPA and class attendance of extracurricular activities participant is higher
than those of non-participants in FTU?

2. The academic performance of FTU students is influenced by their choices of

extracurricular activities?

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

Definition of terms

There are terms that are used throughout the literature review that need to be
defined for clarity of understanding. These terms are:
 Extracurricular activity: are those that fall outside the realm of the normal
curriculum of school or university education, performed by students including
athletics and extra academic opportunities. Extracurricular activities exist for all
students.
 Academic performance:  is the outcome of education — the extent to which a
student, teacher or institution has achieved their educational goals.
 G.P.A: Grade Point Average - is a number representing the average value of the
accumulated final grades earned in courses over time. GPA is calculated by adding
up all accumulated final grades and dividing that figure by the number of grades
awarded. It is calculated by averaging your grades together based on a point
system, which is usually a 4.0 scale.
 Class attendance: is an essential part of the student's intellectual development,
success, retention and timely graduation. The specific attendance policy for each
course is stated on the course syllabus, which is distributed in each class during
the first week of the semester.

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  Extracurricular participants: are students who have taken part in at least one kind
of extracurricular activities.
 Extracurricular non-participants: are students who have not taken part in any
extracurricular activities.

The impact of extracurricular activities on academic performance

Extracurricular activities have certain influences on students in university. In fact,

there is a variety of researches which mention the pros and cons of extracurricular
activities toward student’s academic performance.

According to “The Impact of Extracurricular Activity on Student Academic

Performance” (Jing Wang & Jonathan Shiveley), extracurricular activities have desirable
impacts on students’ study. Having 922 Freshman cohorts and Undergraduate transfer
cohorts from 2002 through 2007 get involved in the research by dividing them into 2
groups including participants and non-participants, the research states that students can
achieve higher rates of retention and graduation, better GPAs, and higher good standing
rates when they participate in any of the activities. In the research, GPA and SAT are
utilized as a measurement to produce final conclusions. However, collected data has been
available since 2005. As a result, in the period of 2002-2004, the data cannot be suitable.

Sabrine Vermaas also mentioned in “EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES AT

SCHOOL A Case Study at State College Area High School, State College, Pennsylvania
(U.S.A)” in July 31, 2009 that while Participation in game has a negative impact on the
total number of extracurricular activities, all other extracurricular activities have a
positive correlation with the number of extracurricular activities that is participated in.
The majority of activities are associated with their favorite subjects like science, math, art
and even sports. The results of the research are obtained by doing research in students in
the State College Area High School (SCAHS) during the academic year of 2008-2009,
followed by analyzing data comparing certain student groups with the tool of online

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questionnaires sent by email to the entire student population. Nevertheless, there is still a
wonder whether this school may not be representative of the average American high
school due to its location. That’s why, it is a task of challenge to come to the conclusion
in this case.

“The Effects of Extracurricular Activities on the Academic of students in junior

school” by Kimiko Fujita aims to the junior high students enrolled at Walnut Creek
Christian Academy, Walnut Creek, CA, in April 2005 and it also concludes that
extracurricular activities positively influence participants but there is little analysis on the
data collected.

Instructor Julie Baker states that students who participate in extracurricular

activities will have higher ACT composite scores than those who do not participate in
extracurricular activities in this co-relational study. The researcher find that significance
in fact exists between the dependent variable of ACT composite score and participation
in ECAs, followed by a strong correlation existed between HSGPA and participation in
ECAs. The research is done with 151 2009 - 2010 seniors at Sequatchie County High
School.

In addition, sports as extracurricular activities are also considered as a contributive

factor to students’ academic performance. Rhea Singh, Emory Lee, and Emily Krisanda
supposes that GPA of students who play sports is higher than that of those who don’t.
The author carries out the research on the population of our entire student body and
collected data through a simple random sample of seventh periods.

Finally, a recent research “Positive Effects of Extra Curricular Activities on

Students” (Erin Massoni April 2011) reveals 5 main fluencies of these activities. Firstly,
students that participate in extracurricular activities have reduced behavior problems. In
sports, they show discipline in drills, practices, and routines. Higher grades and positive
attitudes towards school is the second effect that extracurricular activities have on
students. Self esteem can be a predictor of academic performance. The third effect that

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extracurricular activities have on students is school completion. Students who participate
in extracurricular activities are less likely to drop out and more likely to have higher
academic achievement. The fifth way that extracurricular activities have effects on
students is because they have positive aspects that students need to become productive
students and adults. The final effect that extracurricular activities have on students is the
social aspect.

The other advantage of extracurricular activities on students’ academic

performance is revealed with a significant improvement in GPA by James W. O'Dea’s
research in May 1994. The target participants of the research are 421 students from the
1994 class of Valley High School.

In general, positive changes in GPA, social skills and working experiences are the
results of participation in extracurricular activities.

When it comes to negative sides of extracurricular activities, “The impact of

extracurricular activities on students” (Nikki Wilson, May 2009) is a typical one which
illustrate negative sides of these activities. The research states that extracurricular
activities are the culprits of overuse of alcohol and drugs as a result of being over
involved in their participation. Another drawback that is worth a mention of is too much
involvement in extracurricular activities is responsible for overloads among students. An
explanation for this is that it is a task of challenge for students to balance at the same time
the bombardment of study burdens and extracurricular activity responsibility. Last but not
least, a concern that is found out from the research is that students have to pay a certain
amount of money for their participation which may be out of their reach.

All in all, although there are several shortcomings of extracurricular activities,

their pros overweight their cons. Nevertheless, the majority of mentioned researches
reveals data and evidences from different areas and period of time.

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 CHAPTER 3: SURVEY AND DATA COLLECTION

Introduction
This chapter includes the sample selection process, a description of how the data
was collected, the procedure by which the data was compiled, and the methods that were
used for analyzing the statistical data.

Description of sample
Participants

Archival data was collected from Foreign Trade University course 52. The number
of student course 52 is more than 2500. Class size ranged from 30 to 50 students. There
were total 14 male participants (28 percent) and 37 female participants (72 percent) in
this survey.

Strategy

This project will utilize both quantitative and qualitative data collection tools, but
is rooted in a qualitative epistemological position. A survey is utilized for this research
project to collect substantive and relevant data. The survey is conducted with 51
practicing students from Foreign Trade University course 52. Such a qualitative approach
is valuable here due to the varying experiences of the students in taking part in variety of
extra-curricular activity. A simple and random sample is used for gathering relevant data.

Measurement and instrument

Measurement

GPA and Class attendance percentage are used as dimension of the research. The
reason is that GPA and class attendance indicates hard work, dedication, and commitment
to student’s academic success. Academic performance is assessed using a GPA

10
calculation. This is done once a year and determines the academic standing for that year,
at the university.

There are six academic standings in Foreign Trade University:

 Excellent: GPA is greater or equal to 3.6

 Very good: GPA is between 3.2 to 3.59
 Good: GPA is between 2.5 to 3.19
 Acceptable: GPA is at least a 2.00 - student may continue in your studies.
 Conditional: GPA is between 1.50-1.99 - student needs to meet with him/her
department advisor prior to registration (some departments may have other
conditions).
 Failed: GPA is below 1.50

Instrument

Participants of the survey are administered a questionnaire. Following questions

are shed light on through the survey:
1. How many are GPA of both Extra-curricular participants and non-participants?
2. How many percentage of class time they attend?
3. What kind of extracurricular activities have they joined? (for example: Academic
organizations, Social organizations, Arts, Athletics and others)
4. How many hours do they spend on extra-curricular activities per week?
5. Do extra-curricular think that extra-curricular activities are positive?
6. What do they see as the main purpose of taking part in extra-curricular activities?
(To get higher grade and positive attitude towards school or social aspects)

From the answers of students for these questions, data about GPA marks of both
extra-curricular participants and non-participants, kind of extracurricular activities have
the participants joined and how much time they spend for these activities are collected.
The collected result generates advantages for further analysis.

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 Conducting survey
Data are collected by online survey with the aim of saving time and money. In
addition, one of the benefits of designing an online survey is that participants do not have
to fill in questions that are not relevant to them. Based on their answers certain questions
can be skipped. The online survey sample is formed basing on the prepared questionnaire
and the survey approaches the participants through email and Facebook. Thanks to a
survey online tool, one participant only takes part in the survey once. After that, the result
from participants is gathered and analyzed.

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 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND FINDINGS

Analysis of the data from survey

The purpose of this study is to discover whether extracurricular activities

participation has positive or negative impact on students' outcomes with a focus on GPA
and class attendance. Participating in extracurricular activities is a vital part of the
educational process for many youth in our university. Therefore, determining the effect of
extracurricular participation on academic achievement can provide crucial information
for all students.
The data collected were from the third year students in Foreign Trade University.
A total of 51 students were investigated in this study. Of the students in the study, there
were 13 males and 38 were females because female students outnumbered male students
in FTU. Within the population in the study, the average grade point average was 3.1. The
highest GPA a student achieved in study was 3.9 while the lowest GPA was only 2.13. In
terms of class attendance, average the percentage of class attendance of students in
samples was 82%. There were only seven students who just attended half of the lessons
in class, while the number of students always attending full class were 19. In gathering
the data, the subjects were identified as extracurricular participants and non-participants.
There were 20 non-participants who didn’t take part in any kind of activities through 3
years in university and 31 participants who have ever taken at least one kind of
extracurricular activities. Non-participants account for 38% of the total students surveyed
while the proportion of participants is 62 %.

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Figure 1: The proportion of students taking part in extracurricular activities

For participants, there are three kinds of extracurricular activities listed in survey
including: Academic organizations (e.g. clubs majoring in career, scientific
researches…), Social organizations (e.g. charity funds, volunteer works…), Hobby club
(e.g. music, sport, dancing, etc). The number of participants spending time on academic
organizations is highest among three kinds which accounts for 48.4% in the total
participants. In contrast, there are only more than 19% students in hobby clubs. The rest
were participants in social activities (32.6%)

The number of participants in each kind of activities

16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Academic activities Social activities Hobby activities

Column2

Figure 2: The number of participants in each kind of activities

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 To investigate more about the level of participations, a question was asked about
the hours each participant spend on their extracurricular activities per week. As can be
seen clearly from the pie chart below, less than seven hours used for extracurricular
activities makes up for the largest proportion which was 43.8%. It is followed by the
number of hours ranging from seven to fourteen hours which was 37.5%. On the
contrary, 6.3% participants take part in extracurricular activities up to more than 21hours.

Figure 3: Average time spending on extracurricular activities per week

Findings

Research question 1: Is GPA and class attendance of extracurricular activities

participants higher than these of non-participants in FTU?

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 Based on the data gathered from the survey, a summary of the analytical results
will be provided in this part.
Firstly, to answer the very first question whether participation in extracurricular
activities will have positive or negative impact on academic performance of students,
especially third year students, some comparison tables between and within groups was
employed. A total of 51 third year students in Foreign Trade University were used for this
comparison in terms of GPA and class attendance.

GPA between participants and non-participants

  Non-Participants Participants

Min 2.13 2.7

Max 3.67 3.9
Mean 2.9 3.3

Table 1: GPA between participants and non-participants

The results of this table demonstrates a high statistical significant effect on GPA of
those who participated in extracurricular activities compared to those who did not
participate in extracurricular activities. An outstanding feature is that extracurricular
participants had noticeable higher GPA than non-participants. The highest GPA of
participants was up to 3.9 while this figure of non-participants was only 3.67. Similarly,
even the lowest GPA of participants (2.7) was still remarkably higher than that of non-
participants (2.13). As a result, there was also a clear disparity between two groups in
terms of the mean GPA. While the mean GPA of participants was considered to be very

16
good according to six levels of GPA assessment in FTU, the mean GPA of non-
participants was regarded as good.
The second measurement used to identify the effect of extracurricular activities on
students in this study was class attendance. The following table shows the analytical
statistics results related to the percentage of class attendance within two groups.

Class attendance

  Participants Non-participants

Min 50% 50%

Max 100% 100%

Mean 88.4% 75.6%

Table 2: The percentage of class attendance within two groups

Both of the groups had the same highest and lowest percentage of attending in
class which were 100% and 50% respectively. However, the mean percentage of
attendance for students who participated in extracurricular activities was 88.4%, while
the mean for non-participants was 75.6%. The difference between two groups were
12.8%. Therefore, participants usually attended class more than non-participants.

Purpose always plays an important part in making decision to do anything.

Moreover, participation in extracurricular activities also makes up for a large proportion
of time of participants, especially for third year students.

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 GPA and class attendance differences among different purposes of participation

Social Higher grade and better Others

  aspects attitude towards school

Number 10 16 5

Mean GPA 3.28 3.52 3.17

Mean class
attendance 87% 91% 90%

Table 3: GPA and class attendance differences among different purposes of participation

The table gives information about GPA and class attendance of participants
depending on their purpose of taking part in extracurricular activities. The number of
participants joining in extracurricular activities for the reason related to academic
performance is the highest which were 16 people. On the other hand, there were only five
students taking part in extracurricular activities for some other reasons as relaxing. As a
result, students who participate in extracurricular activities to get higher grade and better
attitude towards school had the highest average GPA (3.52) and the highest percentage of
class attendance (91%). Additionally, students aiming at social aspects when participating
extracurricular activities had the lowest class attendance (87%). Generally, purpose of
participation had influence on their academic performance.

To have a closer look at the impact of extracurricular activities, participants were

asked to evaluate this influence on academic performance in the survey by themselves
according to five levels: very positive, positive, neutral, negative and very negative.

Self-evaluation of the impact

Very Positive Neutral Negative Very

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 positive negative

Total number 8 13 9 1 0

Percentage
26% 42% 29% 3% 0%

Table 4: Self-evaluation of the impact

Presented figures in the table 3 are the result of self-evaluation from participants.
As can be seen apparently from the table, nearly 70% of participants considered that
participation in extracurricular activities would bring for themselves good or very good
impact. Especially, there were up to 26% who regarded it as very positive effect while
there were no students who thought that participation in extracurricular activities would
have very negative effect on their academic achievement. There was only one student
who regarded this effect as negative effect which only accounts 3% in the total
participants. Clearly, the majority of participants by themselves found that participation
in extracurricular activities was a good way to raise their academic performance.

Research question 2: Is the academic performance of FTU students influenced by their

choices of extracurricular activities?
The second research question aims at pointing out if there is difference in
academic achievement among participants depending on kind of extracurricular they took
part in. To investigate the answer to this question, some comparison tables which are still
related to GPA.

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 GPA among different kinds of activities

3.9 3.8
3.7 3.65
3.4 3.3
3.2
2.94
2.58

Min Max Average

Academic organization Hobby club Social actitities

Figure 4: GPA among different kinds of activities

The table gives information about GPA among participants in three kinds of
extracurricular activities in FTU which is quite different. As can be seen clearly from the
table, while GPA of academic organization participants always occupied the first place,
GPA of participants in hobby club stands in the last position. Academic organization
participants had the highest GPA at 3.9, the lowest GPA at 3.4 and the mean GPA at
3.65. In contrast, students in hobby club scored much lower than students in academic
organization, especially in their lowest GPA and mean GPA which were 2.58 and 3.2
respectively. As a result, the gap of GPA between two groups were quite clear and
significant.

After calculating GPA among different groups of participants, class attendance

was also compared. The graph below demonstrates the percentage of class attendance
among different activities.

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 Class attendance among different activities

Academic
organization Hobbies Social

Min 90% 80% 80%

Max 100% 100% 100%

Mean 95% 90% 90%

Table 5: The percentage of class attendance among different activities

Third year students, who participated in extracurricular activities, also have the
difference of frequency to attend lessons. However, the disparity in class attendance
among three groups of activities was not as large as the disparity in cumulative GPA of
them. Participants of academic organizations also had the most frequency of attendance
which was 95% on average. In respect to two other groups, students who took part in
hobby club and Social activities had the same level of attendance in class.
Overall, there may be a correlation between the participation in extracurricular
activities and academic performance. Participation may have good influence on academic
performance and different level of impact may depend on kind of extracurricular
activities.

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 CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

This study investigated whether extra-curricular activities have positive or negative

impact on students' outcomes by comparing the GPA and class attendance of the
participants to that of the non-participants of extra-curricular activities.

This chapter includes the possible conclusion that can be drawn from the results of
the study.

Discussion
Summary of the results

The involvement in extra curricular activities appears to have positive effects on

students’ academic performance. Basing on the result of the survey, it is noted that extra-
curricular activities participants have relatively higher mean GPA than the non-
participants (3.30 and 2.90 respectively). The mean percentage of class attendance of the
participants is also higher than that of the non-participants (88.4% and 75.6%
respectively).

However, the impacts of extra-curricular activities differ among different purposes

of participating and different kinds of extra-curricular activities that the students take part
in. Among the three types of extra-curricular activities studied, the academic-related
activities participants have the highest GPA (3.65 on average); and of all the participants,
those who take part in extra-curricular activities with the purpose, according to the
survey, “to get higher grade and positive attitude towards school”, have the highest
average GPA of 3.52. Also, there is a slight difference between the academic outcomes of
the two genders: the male participants have the average GPA of 3.35 while the average
GPA of the female participants is 3.30 and the average GPA of the male and female non-
participants are 2.54 and 2.69 respectively. This might imply that the impact of extra-
curricular activities on female students is less significant than on male students.

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Comparison with the results of other studies

The result of this study is not new to those who have studied about the impact of
extra-curricular activities on students’ academic performance. There are many other
research that have the similar conclusions.

For example, James W. O'Dea’s study on the 421 students graduating in 1994
from Valley High School found that students involved in extra-curricular activities have a
significantly higher GPA than non-participants. With the sample size of 421 students,
O’dea’s study promises to have an objective and unbiased result.

Jing Wang & Jonathan Shiveley’s study on 922 Freshman cohorts and
Undergraduate transfer cohorts from 2002 through 2007 concluded that Extracurricular
activities have a very positive impact on the academic performance, Students achieved
much higher rates of retention and graduation, better GPAs, and higher good standing
rates when they engaged in any of the activities. According to the study, the positive
influences of extra-curricular activities seem to be very strong no matter the dimension of
the examined and compared group. The positive effect of extra-curricular activities seems
to be particularly obvious in the case of California State University. Moreover, in the
study, Jing Wang and Jonathan Shiveley pointed out that the students involved in extra-
curricular activities also had “higher good standing rates” when they engaged in other
activities.

Adding to the benefits that our study has concluded of extracurricular activities on
the academic aspect, Massoni (2011) found that students that participate in extra-
curricular activities have reduced behavior problems. In sports, they show discipline in
drills, practices, and routines. Massoni’s study also found that extra-curricular activities
involvement promotes school completion: students who participate in extracurricular
activities are less likely to drop out.

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 Conclusion

The result of this study support all the purposes of the research and has solved all
the research questions. A conclusion can be made that extra-curricular activities
involvement has a positive impact on students’ academic outcomes and class attendance.
The average GPA of extracurricular activities participants is relatively higher than that of
non-participants for students of K52, Foreign Trade University. The difference between
the outcomes of the two groups is significant.

Additionally, there are differences in the average GPA and class attendance
between different choices of extra-curricular activities participation: the mean GPA of the
academic-related activities participants is highest and that of the other two types are the
same; the mean percentage of class attendance of the social activities participants is
highest while the other two types of activities are also at the same level.

According to all the conclusions that have been made in this study, it is reasonable
to state that Foreign Trade University should promote extra-curricular activities as a way
to improve their students’ outcomes. Also, students in general should choose a type of
extra-curricular activity to take part in during at least one of their school years as there
are many benefits they can get from doing so.

Recommendation for further study

The following suggestions are submitted for further study:

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 1. Future studies could focus on the student's family and peer relationships to
determine if excessive participation affects these aspects of students’ lives and to
what degree.
2. Provide more in-depth analysis of the level of participation, explore student's
effort, concentration, enjoyment, interest, and/or obedience.
3. Determine the impact of extracurricular activities on students' future career.
4. Should analyze a larger sample size, as this research focus only on K52 students
(sophomores), therefore further studies should examine GPA of a wider selection
of students from varying age groups and determine if there any differences
between freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior.
5. Further studies should consider a longitudinal study, more controlled sample to
examine students' GPA before and after joining clubs.
6. To produce more valuable results, researchers should collect data during different
times of the year since many extracurricular activities are seasonal and
involvement varies depending on the time of year.
7. Researchers should look into the background of families which may have
socioeconomic hardships and the deterrents and review influences whether their
child participates in extracurricular activities or not.
8. Also should consider ethnically diverse populations in relation to academic
achievement, dropout rates, discipline of students who participate and do not
participate in extracurricular activities, and also opportunities to participate in
extracurricular activities.

Limitations

The findings of this study were limited by a number of factors. Due to the time
constraints, this study did not combine and use other methods to further enrich data as
observation or interview, so results of this study were based upon a limited sample size.

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In this research, data was collected from FTU K52 students (51 sophomores) and did not
consider larger groups of students of varying age, therefore data cannot be generalized to
other populations. Moreover, did not include the factors that could provide more-in-depth
analysis such as peer relationships, families' background and socioeconomic status, or
deterrents and different hardship.

The next limitation is financial problem. As this research was written by students,
there was no financial support to provide a full multivariate analysis, looking for
interrelationships among subgroups and categories. Hence, poor instrumentation was
used to collect data, in this case conducting survey by online.

It is also important to note that academic performance is only studied through the
two criteria GPA and class attendance, so students' academic performance is not
thoroughly evaluated. There are several other problems that could influence students’
performance. Information regarding these factors cannot be obtained from student
records and were, therefore, not included in this study.

In addition, data was gathered from current period of time and did not focus on
sample to examine students' GPA and class attendance before and after participate in
extracurricular activities. It brings difficulties to collect data during different times of the
year, as participants can not remember their GPA and attendance in class from the past.
There may be numerous impact on student participation in and after extracurricular
activities that also can affect academic achievement.

Because of writing first research, there is lack of experience, which may provide
not thorough and valuable results. During finding out and analyzing the results, the
formula as SPSS or ANOVA were not used because this research was written by students
who don't know how to use this data management system, hence, the analysis is only
based on visual comparison according to survey results.
The last limitation is only focusing on club activities. In order to define
extracurricular participation in this study, activities were limited to four categories.

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Therefore, this study did not take into account part-time jobs and other areas of
extracurricular activities or social aspects such as student government and honour
societies.

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