Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology Online

Extract

Extracurricular activities such as band, debate, or soccer are optional activities offered by the school that complement the academic curriculum and enhance the school's sense of community. These activities provide settings within schools for adolescents to develop facets of their personalities that contribute to their emerging independence and their eventual assumption of adult roles. Extracurriculars offer opportunities for leadership, travel, skill development, and social engagement and integration in the school. There is growing evidence that adolescents who are involved in extracurricular activities are generally happier and healthier than their uninvolved peers. In particular, research suggests that extracurricular participation positively influences adolescents’ psychosocial development, problem and risk behaviors, relationship formation, and perhaps most importantly, their academic achievement.Since James Coleman's classic study The Adolescent Society, researchers have recognized that schools serve as the primary location for adolescent social development. In schools, adolescents meet friends, internalize values, and develop interests and talents. Often, extracurricular activities play a major role in these processes. Because adolescents choose to engage in extracurricular activities, these activities can become important defining experiences for their budding sense of identity. ... log in or subscribe to read full text