Extracurricular Activities: Are They Beneficial?

Abstract

The article reports the research findings on participation in extracurricular activities and career maturity and self-efficacy for ninth grade students. The results indicate that students score significantly higher on measures of career maturity and career self efficacy when they participated in extracurricular activities. Extracurricular activities appear to contribute to the development of exploratory behavior and career awareness in the student which may not be nurtured in the classroom. The Career Development Inventory (CDI), and the Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy Scale - High School Version (CDSE-HS) were administered along with other career exploration instruments to the ninth grade students during the time that other grade levels were taking the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS).