Academic Achievement

     Students who participate in extracurricular activities experience higher levels of academic achievement. These effects have been researched since the early 1930s (Shulruf, Tumen, & Tolley, 2007). Students who participate frequently in extracurricular activities tend to have higher grades, better test scores, and more positive educational experiences in general (Fredricks, 2011).

     Adolescents practice skills while participating in the extracurricular activities that contribute to their academic success. First. through organized games, students learn to follow instructions. They learn to listen to instructions and apply them to achieve a desired outcome. Second, also through organized activities, students learn the importance of persistence and motivation (Fredricks, 2011). They understand that accomplishing goals often requires focus and hard work. Third, students learn goal setting and problem solving (Wormington, Henderlong Corpus, & Anderson, 2012). Following instructions, persistence, motivation, goal setting, and problem solving are all skills that are acquired during extracurricular activity participation and that transfer to students’ academic success.