Benefits Of Extracurricular Activities Essay

Benefits of Extracurricular Activities The benefits of extracurricular activities can be endless for adolescents and high school students. Extracurricular activities help participants gain an advantage for the future in many ways. The three academic articles: “Black High School Students ' Participation in School-sponsored Sports Activities: Effects on School Engagement and Achievement,” by Will J Jordan, “The Integrative and Physiological Effects of Sports Participation: A Study of Adolescents,” by Runar Vilhjalmsson and Thorolfur Thorlindsson, and “Extracurricular Activity Participation and the Acquisition of Developmental Assets: Differences Between Involved and Noninvolved Canadian High School Students” by Tanya Forneris et al, show the

Academic success is one of the benefits that comes with extracurricular activities. As stated by Will J. Jordan, “building proficiency in athletics fosters a certain level of self-confidence in one’s ability that can carry over to other aspects of students’ lives, both in school and outside of school” (Jordan 56). The correlation the text makes between sports and academic confidence shows that sports have a positive effect on a student. Data was also added in the text by Jordan which shows the positive correlation between the athletics and academics. The text states that “participation in both individual and team sports appears to have a small, but positive impact upon students’ GPA, self-concept, and academic self-confidence” (Jordan 60). The main point, of the article by Jordan, was that sports can help students in many ways in school. Jordan makes a connection between the struggles of students and the number of them involved in sports by saying, “an overwhelming percentage of students do not participate in either team or individual

Jordan states in the text that, “Values reflected in athletic competition-striving for excellence, fair play, sportsmanship, hard work, and commitment to a goal- are inextricably linked to our nation’s mainstream cultural values.” (Jordan 54). Jordan shows that the American culture of sports teaches students how to work for an achievable goal while teaching them values such as hard work and commitment, that can benefit them in other aspects of their lives. The text from Thorlindsson and Vilhjalmsson states that, “However, evidence for an integrative effect of club sport emerges for life satisfaction.” (Thorlindsson and Vilhjalmsson 644). By showing that participation in sports integrates people together, the two authors are able to prove that participation in sports can help build relationships between students. The text by Forneris and et al says, “these activities facilitate the development of relationships with peers and supportive adult.” (Forneris and et al. 52). The text displays that participation in sports helps build relationships between students and adults, therefore creating a bond that was not previously existing. Being active in sports benefits students by helping them build relationships with one another and by teaching them values that can help them in other aspects of their lives. One more way students can benefit from being involved in extracurricular