The Longitudinal Influence of 10th Grade Extracurricular Activity Involvement: Implications for 12th Grade Academic Practices and Future Educational Attainment

Abstract

Although extracurricular activity involvement during high school is linked with positive academic outcomes, less is known about the longitudinal effects or the mediators of this association. The current investigation assessed the influence of 10th grade extracurricular activity involvement on educational attainment. The sample for this study (N = 11,720; 52.9% female) was drawn from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002, a nationally representative, longitudinal investigation. Both breadth and intensity of extracurricular activity involvement in the 10th grade were linked with educational attainment eight years after high school. For breadth, the association was mediated by increased educational expectations in the 12th grade. The results are discussed in terms of the implications and importance of extracurricular activity involvement.

Keywords: Academic outcomes; Adolescence; Educational attainment; Extracurricular activities.