Examining school-related delinquencies, extracurricular activities, and grades in adolescents

Abstract

Using the theoretical framework of risk and resiliency, the study estimated the contribution of five school-related delinquencies (behaviour problems, schoolwork problems, out-of-school suspension, in-school suspension and grade retention) and seven extracurricular activities (arts, sports, clubs, tutoring, volunteering, religious involvement and scouts) on the report card grades of students. An adolescent sample (N = 2070) from the US National Household Education Survey was examined. A three-step hierarchical multiple regression found that the protective effects of extracurricular activities remained predictive of better grades, even after controlling for the risks of school-related delinquencies. The extracurricular activity of arts best predicted better grades, but the school-related delinquency of schoolwork problems best predicted worse grades. The discussion focuses on the implications of increasing resilience by promoting extracurricular involvement and combating the risk of school delinquencies.

Keywords:

• risk and resilience
• extracurricular activities
• delinquencies
• grades
• academic achievement
• education
• adolescents

Acknowledgements

This research was conducted when the first author was a graduate student at the University of California, Santa Barbara. We thank Rebecca Zwick of Educational Testing Service, and Howard B. Lee of California State University, Northridge for comments on earlier versions of the manuscript.