High School Dropout Rate Extracurricular

High School Dropout Rate

Extracurricular activities are found to be vitally important for the healthy development of high school students and in arresting dropouts. By creating appropriate, engaging, and entertaining extra curricular activities and by involving all the students, schools could not only expect to increase the learning outcomes of all the students, but also make children enjoy the learning process.

The increasing high school dropout rate and the decline in the graduation rate has become a pressing problem for the United States. As per the national centre for education statistics released in 2005, the graduation rate for the country has declined from an average of 73% in 1990 to just around 68% in 2005. (United Health Foundation). It is a disturbing trend since high school dropouts have problems finding good jobs and are at risk for delinquent behaviour. Surveys have also found that young girls who dropout from high school are prone to become pregnant at a much younger age and consequently end up as single parents. (Alexa Lamm). In the increasingly technological corporate world that requires continuous update and learning, the opportunities for high school dropouts are very limited. Unemployment rates are much higher among high school dropouts than those who successfully complete their school graduation. Given the importance of a high school diploma for the future of the young people, researchers have studied the factors that affect school dropout rates both in the positive and negative context. Participation in extra curricular activities, in particular, has been found to have largely positive outcome in reducing the dropout rates. Let us have a brief discussion of available literature on the relation between extracurricular activities and high school dropout rates.

Literature review

There has been extensive research on the impact of extra curricular activities on dropout rates. Mahoney & Cairns (1997) analysed 206 girls and 186 boys from two middle schools as well as two high schools over a period of 6 years. Both the schools under study had extensive extracurricular activities such as athletics, quiz programs, bands, etc. And the subjects were interviewed annually. Other factors such as (1)'socio-economic status' (2) grades retained (age); (3) 'aggressive behaviour'; (4) 'academic performance' and (5) 'popularity with peers' were also considered. The result of the study showed that involvement in extracurricular activities had a direct positive bearing and helps prevent early dropout from school. The researchers identified that extracurricular activities offered a new window of opportunity for students to show more involvement and commitment at school. [Mahoney & Cairns (1997)] Another study in 1998 by Alspaugh also supported the same conclusion. Alspaugh studied 16 school districts in Missouri region and compared the school size, no of courses offered, extra curricular activities, etc., with dropout rates. "Participation in athletics and fine arts -- highly visible and prestigious activities -- is related to student retention. For example, when the number of players on an athletic team is fixed, the probability an individual student will have an opportunity to participate decreases as the school enrollment increases. Thus, as the high school size increases, there tends to be a decrease in student participation in student activities, which leads more students to drop out." [Alspaugh (1998)] in other words, more the number of students participating in extra curricular activities, lesser the dropout rates.

The 1995 national level data analysis by the Department of Health and Human Services stresses the importance of extra curricular activities among adolescents. The researchers found that adolescent students who are not involved in extra curricular activities are 57% more likely to dropout from schools before reaching senior class. Even more shocking was the fact that they were 49% more likely to be drug abusers, and 37% more likely to become teen parents. The research also found high risk for criminal behavior among such students. (Zill N, Nord CW, Loomis LS, 1995). Another 1995 study, which correlated participation in specific extracurricular activities with dropout rates, found that only athletics had a significant role in minimizing student dropouts. This study by Mcneal, Ralph B. Jr., was comprehensive and involved 14,249 students. Some individual studies have also confirmed that school dropout is positively associated with drug and alcohol abuse. (Krohn, Lizotte, and Perez 1997). Also, Crosnoe (2002) and Eccles et al. (2003) have reported that participation in extra curricular activities contributes to a lowering of drug and alcohol use and in general lessens delinquent behavior. [JOHN P. HOFFMANN (2006)] Thus, we can arrive at a positive conclusion that extracurricular activities, both directly and indirectly, contribute to retention among high school students.

A recent longitudinal study by Mahoney JL (2001) also confirms that children who actively participated in extracurricular activities were less likely to dropout from school and also less likely to be arrested for delinquent behavior. This study involved following up the lives of 695 children from seven different schools to their 24th year with an annual Interpersonal Competence Scale test. The study results show that independent of any risk factors such as poverty, extra curricular activities had a positive motivational effect on students and deterred dropping out. (Hans Steiner, MD) a Texas university research on 292 students compared the academic performance and overall intellectual and social development of students who participated in extracurricular activities and those who did not. The outcome of the research by Mary Rombokas, the researcher who conducted interviews and analyzed the data, is in support of extracurricular activities. As Rombokas puts it in most cases these activities are, "the only component" which keeps students in school. The researcher further quotes the words of a high school counselor, "I've charted academic profiles for our seniors that show the students who participated in extracurricular activities have higher grades and better attendance. For instance, students on the traveling tennis team or in the color guard say they have to be super-organized about schoolwork -- which means setting aside a specific time to do their homework and study for tests" [Susan Black (June 2002)]