THE EFFECTS OF EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AND RETENTION IN THE MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY HORSE SCIENCE PROGRAM

Abstract

Student retention in college has been at the forefront of research for many years. Extracurricular activities (ECA) link the student to the institution, engage them at a level of comfort required to maintain their interest, provide greater access to mentors, and allow students to identify with peers. Students invested in an institution are more likely to persist to graduation. The objectives of this study were to explore effects of ECA in Horse Science students at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), and identify variables related to retention and persistence based on level of involvement.

The hypotheses follow:

(1) Extracurricular activity participation will have a positive effect on student grade point average and increase the likelihood of students persisting to graduation.

(2) Students not involved in an MTSU Horse Science ECA will be less likely to persist to graduation.

(3) Students involved in an ECA will be more likely to identify with a peer group or mentor. Conversely, students not involved in an ECA will be less likely to identify with a peer group or mentor.

The study examined two types of data. In Part I, a 26-question survey was designed to collect student perceptions of ECA involvement and success. It was administered in the spring 2013 semester to obtain information from currently enrolled Horse Science students, with 70 surveys collected. The survey was approved by the MTSU Institutional Review Board. Questions included current extracurricular activity participation, self-reported GPA, length of commute, and whether students identified with a peer group or mentor. Data were analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient and frequency counts using SAS. As commute increased, GPA tended to decrease (R<super>2</super> = -0.23; P = 0.08); ECA participation decreased (R<super>2</super> = -0.42; P = 0.001); and identification with a mentor decreased (R<super>2</super> = -0.31; P = 0.02). A positive correlation (R<super>2</super> = 0.28; P = 0.04) was observed from 1 to 15 hr/wk time spent studying and GPA. Total ECA positively correlated with mentor (R<super>2</super> = 0.34; P = 0.003) identification. A positive trend (R<super>2</super> = 0.26; P = 0.06) was found between ECA and GPA. Results of the survey suggest indicators of self-reported student success were influenced by ECA participation in the MTSU Horse Science Program.

Part II examined the effect of ECA participation on student performance using official transcript data. In Part IIA, a snapshot of official transcript data of all Horse Science majors enrolled in the spring 2013 semester were recorded and compared to data collected from students surveyed in spring 2013. In Part IIB, official transcript data were evaluated in three first-time full-time freshman cohorts longitudinally from to graduation or attrition, from fall 2007 to spring 2013. Of these students, 50% graduated, and 100% of graduates were members of at least one Horse Science ECA. Student members of at least one Horse Science ECA had higher cumulative GPA (P < 0.0001) in their last semester of enrollment, persisted longer (P < 0.0001), and earned more total hours (P < 0.0001) by the time they either graduated or stopped attending. Student members of at least one Horse Science ECA had higher first-year GPA (P = 0.0006) and earned more first-year hours (P = 0.0016). Results of this study indicate that student GPA, retention and persistence were influenced by ECA participation in the MTSU Horse Science Program. Student interest, involvement and investment, coined as i3, leads to student success.