26th Annual Student Research Conference
Patches, Pitches, and Piccolos:
The Positive Effects of Extracurricular Activity Type, Variety, Breadth, and Leadership on the Self-Esteem, Life Satisfaction, and School Connectedness of Middle School Students
Shelby L. Hewerdine
Dr. Amber Johnson, Faculty Mentor
Life course theory, multiple roles theory, and the concept of social capital and peer group formation all suggest that increased extracurricular involvement will increase student social development and views of the self. However, little research has tested these presumptions for middle school students. This study examines how different extracurricular activity types, activity diversity, activity leadership, and involvement amounts affect self-esteem, life satisfaction, and school connectedness. The sample of this study is 81 students from Kirksville Middle School. A questionnaire is used to obtain information about students extracurricular involvement as well as their well-being scores, found through the use of the Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale (Rosenberg 1989), the Students Life Satisfaction Scale (Huebner 1991), and the School Connectedness Scale (Resnick et al. 1997). This study reveals that activity leadership is positively correlated with increased well-being measures, and also shows that well-being scores do correlate differently with different types of activities.
Keywords: Extracurricular Activity, Self-Esteem, Life Satisfaction, School Connectedness, Students, Peer Group Formation
Topic(s):Sociology
Education
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: 10-5
Location: GEO
Time: 3:30