Date of Award

Spring 5-21-2018

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

EdD Education Leadership, Management and Policy

Department

Education Leadership, Management and Policy

Advisor

Elaine M. Walker, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Carolyn Sattin-Bajaj, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Margaret A. Dames, Ed.D.

Committee Member

Thomas J. Altonjy, Ed.D.

Keywords

academic co-curricular activities, student engagement, intensity of involvement, student learning, Catholic high schools, academic achievement

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of Catholic secondary school students’ involvement in academic co-curricular activities on their academic performance. The data in this study were collected from Catholic high schools in a northeastern state of the United States. They consisted of de-identified data taken from school student information systems. The number of academic co-curricular activities, the length of time for which a student participated, and his or her grade point average were included. Student ethnicity and gender were analyzed for interaction with the above-mentioned factors.

The research questions for this study were answered using descriptive statistics and an analysis of the influence of gender, ethnicity, intensity, engagement, and school type on student learning. The results of the regression analysis suggest that academic co-curricular activity participation improves Catholic high school students’ learning as measured by grade point averages. Factors including gender, ethnicity, and school type are also examined as potential moderators of academic outcomes.

Download

Share

COinS