Integration of Co-Curricular Activities on Students ‘academic Performance in Public Primary Schools in Rwanda, A Case of Bugesera District

Abstract

The main purpose of this research was to assess the influence of the integration of co-curricular activities on students’ performance in public primary schools in Rwanda, case of Bugesera district, Rwanda. This research was supported with attribution theory and involvement Theory. The researcher used descriptive research design for data collections. The participants were students, teachers and Head teachers. The participants comprised students, teachers, and head teachers, totaling 780 respondents, including 30 head teachers, 150 teachers, and 600 students selected from 30 sampled schools across 15 sectors of Bugesera District, Rwanda. The participants were chosen by using different methods where researcher used random sampling and purposive sampling. The responses for sports show that a significant majority of participants believe that sports are well integrated into public primary schools, with 58.7% agreeing and 36.6% strongly agreeing, making it a widely embraced activity. A very small percentage of respondents were neutral or disagreed, suggesting that sports play a prominent role in school co-curricular activities. Music, particularly through choir and instrumental activities, also enjoys considerable integration in schools, with 34.6% agreeing and 52.8% strongly agreeing to its presence. Findings on objective two indicated that The statements focus on satisfaction with co-curricular activities, participation, assessment, impact on learning, fairness, and the role of feedback in academic improvement. Satisfaction with Co-Curricular Activities, A significant majority of students express satisfaction with the co-curricular activities offered at their schools, with 60.2% strongly agreeing and 34.3% agreeing. The data reflects a strong and significant positive correlation between the two variables, with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.919 and a p-value (Sig. 2-tailed) of 0.000. The Pearson correlation coefficient 0.919 suggests a very high positive relationship between students' participation in sports and their academic performance. The government should create policies that support the integration of co-curricular activities as part of the national education curriculum.. The government should provide sufficient funding and allocate resources specifically for the development of co-curricular programs in public primary schools. The government should ensure regular monitoring and evaluation of schools to assess the implementation of co-curricular activities and their impact on students' academic performance.