AUSTRALIA (Commonwealth Union) – Extracurricular activities often give school kids a leisurely atmosphere to bond with fellow school children and often to stay fit. New findings from the University of Tasmania and Flinders University have indicated that extracurricular activities may assist younger students in regional areas to bridge the gap with metropolitan schools.
The average, students in regional areas are ranked 5 percent below their city counterparts under the classification system determining university entrance. However, the participation in up to 3 unique sporting, vocational, artistic, academic or service activities outside of the classroom overcame these gaps by elevating students’ expectations for academic success.
Yet participations of out-of-school-hours activities regional areas tend to be lower according to Developmental Psychology findings.
University of Tasmania lecturer in psychology and lead author Dr Alexander O’Donnell stated that the findings emphasize that more access and support to participate in extracurricular activities in regional areas can lower inequalities in education. “While our data finds strong evidence that different extracurricular activities are beneficial, lack of funding and facilities for after-school activities leads to less engagement in these important activities than is needed to level out their school results,” he said.
The study was put together by the Australian Research Council project ‘Wellbeing in Adolescence’ led by Flinders University Professor Gerry Redmond who stressed the requirement for policymakers, educators and parents to enhance the academic welfare of adolescents living in regional areas.
1,477 adolescents who were engaged in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children were sampled, in a key Australian Government funded survey, the evaluation saw that the vital difference between adolescents in metropolitan and regional areas dissipated following extracurricular activities. Dr O’Donnell further stated that sporting clubs were the lifeblood of many country communities, and it’s good to witness how many young people are participating, but new ways were required to bring in more youth to artistic, cultural and academic activities which is economical to them.
