The "Connections Through Clubs" program provides all students with the opportunity to participate in a small-group extracurricular activity and mentoring experience led by school faculty, staff, and community members during the school day throughout the academic year. This schoolwide program was developed in response to identified school needs and as a means to facilitate a strengths-enhancing school environment and to promote the developmental competencies of all students, both of which have been linked to academic and personal success. The purpose of this article is to describe the inception, implementation, and preliminary evaluation of the Connections Through Clubs program. In addition, the school counselor's collaboration, coordination, and advocacy efforts to implement this program are highlighted.

At school, students are provided numerous opportunities to use their skills and abilities to complete tasks or solve problems. Students are considered to have academic success when they meet specific criteria on outcomes such as grade point averages (GPA), scores on standardized tests, and skill acquisition across areas like reading and math. Given the importance of academic achievement (AA) as an outcome measure, researchers have attempted to study certain variables that may relate to or predict AA. Extracurricular activities (EAs) are defined as school-sanctioned activities that students can participate in outside of the traditional school day. Participation in EAs has been associated with several benefits to students, including higher AA, noncognitive skills, and transferable skills. A comprehensive review was conducted to examine the literature on EA participation and academic performance as measured by various AA variables including the American College Test (ACT), Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), and GPA. Results of the study indicated that students participating in EAs, regardless of type, benefited academically compared to non-participants. AA declined for students who participated in more than two EAs. However, this project should not take the place of well controlled, empirical studies. Implications of these findings and future directions are discussed.

Research in extracurricular activities and arts education demonstrate how experiences in those areas contribute to the well-being and ongoing development of students in higher education. Although practiced and performed across the United States, theatrical improvisation, as an art form or extracurricular activity, lacks investigation within the context of higher education. Without an understanding from the student perspective, higher educational stakeholders miss an opportunity to incorporate experiences that address the institutions' mission and learning goals or worse, inadvertently produce student disenfranchisement. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore and describe the experience of improvisational acting training, practice, and performance of 7 college students who participated in an improvisation group. Huizinga and Caillois's theories of play and Csikszentmihalyi's theory of flow served as the conceptual framework for the study. Data collection occurred at a community college in the mid-Atlantic region through 2 interviews with each participant and 1 focus group until reaching saturation of data. Data were analyzed through iterative coding of significant statements through which themes emerged. Themes included attraction to the activity, practice of the craft, applications of skills to life, and a continuance of improvisation in the participants' lives and at college. The findings lend credibility to other research supporting arts and extracurricular activities and provide educational stakeholders with insights from students on what they value in their educational experience. Positive social change can come from providing students with an education that includes fun, creativity, and socialization for a successful future.

Numerous skill deficits interfere with the social functioning of children with intellectual (ID) and learning disabilities (LD). Due to the limited effectiveness of social skill interventions for this population, it is necessary to explore additional opportunities for social skill acquisition. Research suggests that extracurricular activity participation positively influences adolescent development; however, little is known about the benefits of activity participation for children with ID and LD. This study investigated the impact of frequency and type of extracurricular activity on the social competence of 7-12 year old children with ID (n=42) and LD (n=53), in comparison to their typically developing peers (TD; n=24). More time involved in unstructured activities was related to higher ratings of social competence. Greater participation in unstructured extracurricular activities was particularly beneficial for children with ID. Future research on the quality of involvement is necessary to further understand what specific aspects of activities facilitate social development.

The major purpose of this study was to determine how no pass, no play has impacted the perceptions of academic player eligibility as perceived by high school coaches in Educational Service Center, Region 20, Texas. Variables such as coach characteristics, school characteristics, and community characteristics were researched. In addition, the study examined the influence gender and ethnicity of the coach had on their perceptions of no pass, no play. The study focused on the perceptions of coaches to no pass, no play relating to (1) student motivation, (2) instructional issues, (3) ethnicity specific variables, (4) student suspension variables. The relationship between poverty status in the district, annual household income, the type of sport, and demographic variables such as the gender, experience level, and ethnicity of the coach were also examined. Respondents’ answers were dependent upon a number of variables. The gender of the coach was a variable that reappeared as significant throughout the study. The ethnicity of the coach and minority population in the school also showed to be significant variables. Lastly, the type of sport, poverty status in the district, percentage of economically disadvantaged students on the campus, the annual dropout rate, and annual household income were also variables that significantly impacted the study. Findings of the study included: 1. Female coaches were four times more likely than male coaches to believe that no pass, no play was an effective motivational tool. 2. Female coaches were 87% more likely to feel that allowing students to practice while they are ineligible to participate motivated students to stay in school. 3. As the annual household income in the district increased, so did the likelihood that the coach perceived students to feel threatened by no pass, no play, resulting in increased study time by the students. 4. The type of sport did not have an impact on coaches’ perceptions that in order to influence student eligibility, parents and student-athletes challenge failing grades assigned by teachers. 5. As the number of ineligible students increased, the likelihood of an athlete making better grades following suspension decreased.

This study investigated views, beliefs, and values about extracurricular activities of two sets of parents, Korean immigrant parents and American U.S. born parents, both groups of middle or higher class socioeconomic status with above college degrees. By examining how parents perceive their own involvement in their children’s extracurricular activities and how differently parents of recent immigration from Korea or of established European American descent become involved with their children’s activities, parents’ motivation and their role emerged using self-determination theory as a basis to explain the internalization underlying self-determined motivation. Participants in this study were 31 parents (approximately10 each from 3 activity groups) associated with three extracurricular activities for young children. This study used a mixed-methods approach. First, the degree of to which parents perceived their involvement based on parental support or pressure, the two factors from Anderson et al. (2003), were surveyed. Second, semi-structured face-to-face interviews were used to elicit in-depth information from three parents for each activity, selecting them based on their responses to the survey. The findings suggested that parents expect their children to find their own interest, build competence, and ultimately acquire autonomy by engaging in extracurricular activities. In terms of cultural differences, the results revealed that though there are cultural differences in their involvement, these parents were aware of possible gaps and strove to close these gaps to help their children. / text

Η παρούσα εργασία αναφέρεται στη μελέτη των σχολικών σχέσεων και των εξωσχολικών δραστηριοτήτων των Ελλήνων και αλλοδαπών μαθητών. Αναλυτικότερα, μελετούνται οι σχέσεις που αναπτύσσουν οι μαθητές μεταξύ τους, πόσο επηρεάζονται αυτές από την καταγωγή των μαθητών καθώς και οι σχέσεις των μαθητών με το δάσκαλό τους. Τέλος, ερευνάται η επιλογή των εξωσχολικών δραστηριοτήτων από την πλευρά των μαθητών σε σχέση με την επίδραση της οικογένειας και του σχολείου. / The present study refers to school relations and extracurricular activities of Greek and foreign students. Particularly, subjects, such as relationships among students as well as the impact students’ origin has on it or relationships between students and their teacher have been studied. Finally, there has been investigated the influence which family and school have on students’ choice of extracurricular activities.

The purpose of my study was to explore the experiences of senior island high school students and their participation in extracurricular activities. I investigated a rural island high school, located on the west coast of Canada, by conducting interviews of senior high school students to reveal their experiences with extracurricular activities available at the school. Using a qualitative case-study design, I provide recommendations for improving access to extracurricular activities. My results support literature finding that voluntary participation in extracurricular activities positively affects student academic standing, and that recognized school excellence improves student culture. I also found that organizational efforts and transparency in programming are needed to entice nonparticipants to become involved. Through comparative reflective analysis, I determined that word-of-mouth was a primary source of extracurricular promotion; however, this was found to create tiers of social groups, which in turn prevented access to the extracurriculum. Participants also indicated that a longer timetabled school day was a barrier to participation, and that active community volunteering efforts in the operation and offering of extracurricular activities were limited. My research is aimed at enabling educational practitioners to improve access to extracurricular activities in an island high school environment. / Graduate

Extracurricular enterprise activities have steadily increased over the past decade within universities (Rae et al., 2012), as has the domain of entrepreneurial learning research (Wang and Chugh, 2014) yet limited empirical research examines links between the two phenomena. This thesis connects educational theory, entrepreneurial learning theory and entrepreneurial education research to examine the role that extracurricular enterprise activities may have within the entrepreneurial learning processes of students at United Kingdom Higher Education Institutions. Utilising a social constructionist paradigm of enquiry this thesis critically examines perceptions of the value of extracurricular enterprise activities from an educator and student perspective. A semi-structured survey (n=55) and in depth interviews with students (n=23) and enterprise educators (n=3) across 24 UK universities explored what extracurricular enterprise activities students engaged in, their motivations for engagement and the perceived value of extracurricular enterprise activities in relation to entrepreneurial learning processes. Findings suggest that extracurricular enterprise activities not only provide value in the experiential and social learning opportunities afforded for participants, but the positioning of these activities outside of the main curriculum enables students to develop their autonomous learning capabilities. The results contribute to an emerging body of literature examining self-directed learning activities and entrepreneurial learning (Van Gelderen, 2010; Tseng, 2013). The thesis concludes that while experiential and social learning opportunities occupy a central role within entrepreneurial learning processes of university students, self-directed learning activities are increasingly important, and emphasis should be placed upon enabling students to self-direct their entrepreneurial learning processes. For policy and practice, this research provides additional scrutiny of the proposition that extracurricular enterprise activities positively enhance learning through examining what extracurricular enterprise activities students choose to engage in and the benefits they perceive they attained. This research also provides an enhanced understanding of how students interpret and apply the theoretical concept of entrepreneurial learning. Research examining entrepreneurial learning is important in enabling a more effective understanding of the entrepreneurial process yet studies examining student perceptions of entrepreneurial learning remain limited (Mueller and Anderson, 2014; Wang and Chugh, 2014). Finally, this thesis presents the central role of self-directed learning activities to students’ entrepreneurial learning processes and provides recommendations for enhancing entrepreneurial education.

Objetivos: descrever e comparar os efeitos de um programa de treinamento físico aplicado no contra turno escolar, direcionado ao aprimoramento de alguns componentes da aptidão física relacionada à saúde (ApFRS) de crianças escolares de Barra do Ribeiro/RS. Procedimentos Metodológicos: 17 crianças entre 8 e 11 anos, 13 meninos e 4 meninas, praticaram um programa de treinamento físico no contra turno escolar. Programa com duração de 6 semanas, 12 sessões de treino, duas vezes por semana. Em cada sessão de treino de 40 minutos, foram praticados exercícios de alongamento, caminhada/corrida, jogos de iniciação esportiva e volta à calma. A ApFRS (Índice de Massa Corporal, aptidão cardiorrespiratória, força/resistência abdominal e flexibilidade) foi avaliada antes e após do programa de treino (pré-testes e pós-testes) por meio de uma bateria de medidas e testes do Projeto Esporte Brasil. Nos tratamentos estatísticos foram utilizados valores de média, desvio-padrão, mínimos, máximos, absolutos, percentuais, e de delta para a descrição pré-teste e pós-teste. Foi utilizado um teste não paramétrico (Wilcoxon Test) para comparar os resultados pré-teste versus pós-teste, considerando em 5% o nível de significância. Foram calculados os percentuais de ocorrência de crianças classificadas nas zonas desejáveis ou de risco à saúde para os componentes da ApFRS, conforme os pontos de corte propostos pelo Projeto Esporte Brasil. Utilizou-se para estes fins os softwares Microsoft Excell 2007 e Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) versão 17.0 para Windows. O projeto foi aprovado pelo CEP/UFRGS (No. Protocolo: 17912). Resultados: No IMC não ocorreram diferenças estatisticamente significantes (p>0,05) entre o pré-teste e o pós-teste. Ao passo que na aptidão cardiorrespiratória, força/resistência abdominal e flexibilidade ocorreram modificações estatisticamente significantes (p<0,05). Em relação aos critérios de avaliação, todos os 17 alunos finalizaram o programa de treino na zona de saúde para o Índice de Massa Corporal. 11 alunos (64,78%) finalizaram o programa de treino na zona de saúde da aptidão cardiorrespiratória e flexibilidade. E 15 alunos (88,23%) finalizaram o treino na zona de saúde para a força/resistência abdominal. Conclusão: ao término do programa de treino pode-se observar que houve uma melhora significativa nos níveis de aptidão cardiorrespiratória, força/resistência abdominal e flexibilidade do grupo de alunos. E poucos foram àqueles alunos que finalizaram o programa de treino nas zonas de risco à saúde, conforme os critérios da ApFRS que foram adotados do Projeto Esporte Brasil. / Objective: To describe and comparing the effects of an extracurricular physical training in some components of health related physical fitness among scholar children who lived in Barra do Ribeiro/RS. Methods: Using a one group pretest-posttest design, we assessed the effect of 6 weeks of extracurricular physical training on health related physical fitness, particularly in body mass index, cardio respiratory fitness, flexibility and muscular abdominal strength/resistance, by a Brazil Sports Project battery tests. Subjects were 8- to 11- years old (n = 17), boys (n = 13) and girls (n = 4), who volunteered to participate in a biweekly extracurricular physical training within their school (after-school). Every training session with 40 minutes included stretching exercises, aerobic run/walk and initiation sports games and cool down exercises to finish the session. Means, standard deviations, minimal, maximal, absolutes, percentage, and delta values were used to describe the results and pretest-posttest were comparing by non-parametric Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test, with 5% of significance. Were calculated the occurrence of children classified at risk or health zones for health related physical fitness components, according to Brazil Sports Project criteria. Were utilized the Microsoft Excell 2007 and Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) 17.0 version for Windows. The study was approved by the ethics committee of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (protocol number 17912). Results: In the posttest there were significant improvements (p<0,05) in cardio respiratory fitness, flexibility and muscular abdominal strength/resistance, but no significantly (p>0,05) in body mass index. In relation to health related physical fitness criteria, all 17 children finished the physical training in health zone for body mass index. 11 children (64,78%) finished the physical training in health zone for cardio respiratory fitness and flexibility. And 15 children (88,23%) finished the physical training in health zone for muscular abdominal strength/resistance. Conclusion: Its possible concluded that the physical training can improve significance health relation physical fitness, principally in cardio respiratory fitness, flexibility and muscular abdominal strength/resistance of children group. And fewer children finished the physical training in risks zone for health related physical fitness components, according to Brazil Sports Project criteria that were adopted.