A Study of the Relationships Between Extracurricular Participation in Selected North Carolina High Schools and Student Achievement As Determined By Cumulative Grade Point Average

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between high school academic achievement and participation in extracurricular activities. Academic achievement was measured by both weighted and unweighted GPA’s. Data were categorized by four types of participation: athletics, arts, service clubs, and interest clubs. Data were also disaggregated based on gender and ethnic differences. Quantitative research methods were used to collect and analyze data in order to answer the four-research questions related to this study. Non-identifying archived data was collected from the senior classes of three North Carolina High Schools. An ANOVA was conducted to measure the statistical significance between participation in extracurricular activities and GPA and whether or not that relationship differed based upon a student’s gender, ethnicity, and type of participation. The results of the study show that there were statistically significant relationships between academic achievement and participation in extracurricular activities for both weighted and unweighted GPA, except for one subgroup. The subgroup of Other did not show any statistical significance when measuring weighted and unweighted GPA and it’s impact on student achievement. Implications of the study and suggestions for further research are presented.