Purpose of the Project
The primary goal of this research is to look specifically at groups of students of two selected schools in the school system of Fulton County to determine if the attendance of students who participated in certain extracurricular activities was significantly better than those students who did not participate.
Method of Research
From each grade level, eighth through the twelfth, twenty students were randomly selected from the groups of students who participated in certain extracurricular activities and twenty students were selected from the group of students who did not participate.
The method of research was to compare the mean difference between the number of days absent for the participating group and the number of days absent for the non-participating group. An analysis of variance was used to test the significance of these differences.
Findings
Some basic findings coming out of this study are as follows: For each grade level, the percentage of days absent for the non-participating group is higher than for the participating group. The largest difference between the percentage of days absent for the two groups is found to be on the eighth and ninth grade levels. There is a significant difference between the mean number of days absent for the participating group and the mean number of days absent for the non-participating group. There is no significant difference between the mean days absent when the grades are compared with each other, nor is there a significant difference between the mean days absent in the interaction between grade and participation. Good school attendance on the part of the participating students in this study is a requirement common to the three activities used.
Implications of the Project Students who participate in certain extracurricular activities generally attend school better than those who do not participate. All students should be encouraged to participate in extracurricular activities which are similar to, or the same as, the ones included in this study. Efforts should be made to increase student participation in extracurricular activities on all grade levels. Special efforts should be made to include the eighth and ninth grade students. A student’s interest in participating in extracurricular activities can be utilized in helping to increase his interest in the total school’s program, including an increased interest in attending school. The effectiveness of an extracurricular activities program depends to a great extent on the leadership of those persons responsible for and in charge of the program. Certain characteristics of an effective athletics program and band program prove helpful in contributing to good attendance on the part of the participating students. A school’s athletics program should be designed so as to offer the opportunities for as many students as possible to participate. An effective student activities program should be made an important active part of the total program of the school. It should be broad enough to include, as near as possible, all students.
The nature of some activities frequently excludes the participation of many students. For example, the number of participants on a school’s basketball team is usually limited to a relatively small number of students. Only those students who, in the judgment of the coach, have the necessary skills can “make” the team. The majority of the students are forced to accept the role of spectator.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:auctr.edu/oai:digitalcommons.auctr.edu:dissertations-4171 |
| Date | 01 December 1976 |
| Creators | Porter, Henry J. |
| Publisher | DigitalCommons@Robert W. Woodruff Library, Atlanta University Center |
| Source Sets | Atlanta University Center |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | ETD Collection for AUC Robert W. Woodruff Library |
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