Actividades extraescolares y rendimiento académico: diferencias según el género y tipo de centro

Abstract

How does students’ participation in extracurricular activities affect their academic performance? This question has become a topic of debate in the educational community, even extending into the social sphere. This study used a quantitative, non-experimental, descriptive, cross-sectional methodology to analyze any existing relationships between participation in extracurricular activities and academic performance, also taking into account gender and type of school (public vs. charter), to determine whether there were significant differences according to these variables. A total of 620 primary school students from ages 10 to 12 participated in the study (M = 10.35; SD = 0.63). The results showed significant, positive relationships between number of extracurricular activities and academic performance in Language Arts; and significant, negative relationships between time devoted to recreational activities and performance in English as a Foreign Language. Overall, the girls participated in more extracurricular activities than the boys. The boys participated in a greater number of sports activities, and participation in sports was also greater among students of the charter schools. It is possible that sociocultural context and family economic level are decisive in whether students participate in these activities, and consequently in the conclusions that may be drawn about their relationship to variables like academic performance.