Previous research has linked extracurricular activities to academic performance for adolescents, but it remains unclear through what mechanisms they are linked. I posit that extracurricular activities lead to the development of academic self-efficacy, which in turn improves academic performance. This study examines the nature of the relationship between participation in extracurricular activities and academic self-efficacy for adolescents. Using data from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002, I find that academic self-efficacy is positively related to participation in extracurricular activities. Results indicate that participation in a diversity of types of extracurricular activities such as in both sports and student government is also related to greater academic self-efficacy. Additional analyses reveal that this effect levels out and begins to decrease at high levels of involvement, when the adolescent is involved in a high number of activities or spends a high number of hours per week in extracurricular activities. Implications for adolescents are discussed.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BGMYU2/oai:scholarsarchive.byu.edu:etd-4267 |
| Date | 15 June 2012 |
| Creators | Burr, Brianne Louisa |
| Publisher | BYU ScholarsArchive |
| Source Sets | Brigham Young University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Theses and Dissertations |
| Rights | http://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/ |
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