A Mixed Methods Investigation of Breadth and Intensity of Extracurricular Activity Participation and Students' Academic Performance

Abstract

The relationship between extracurricular activity participation (EAP) and academic performance has been analyzed by sociologists, economists, and psychologists for decades. However, researchers have mainly directed their attention to general education students and seemingly ignored higher education undergraduates. This study aims to examine this relationship under other dimensions of EAP such as the breadth and the intensity on university students of a Vietnamese educational institution. An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was utilized with two data collection instruments: a survey questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The quantitative data in the first phase revealed no statistical significance between EAP and students’ academic performance (e.g., time on homework, lateness for school, skipping classes, and missing sessions) while the qualitative information in the second phase uncovered a very small effect size of EAP on those outcomes.