[Research Proposal] The Relationship between Extracurricular Involvement and Attendance

CHAPTER ONE

Introduction

Absenteeism continues to be a nemesis to school systems in the 21^st Century. It has plagued administrators, teachers and parents, and has caused failures for students and society. Georgia is no exception to this problem. According to Georgia Code, Section 20-2-690, each county is mandated to implement a truancy policy. This legislation is designed to force chronic truants back into the classroom to give them a chance for academic achievement.

Mandatory attendance laws were aimed at creating a productive American worker during the period of rapid industrialization in the country. Today, absenteeism affects failing standardized achievement scores, and the academic futures of young students. Epstein and Sheldon (2002) found that on average 8% of the students in this country are chronically absent (20 days or more absent per term). The fact that schools reported widely ranging absentee rates (from a low of 1% to a high of 23%), underscores the fact that some schools are doing well in combating the problem.

The purpose of this research will be to determine if involvement in school-sponsored, extracurricular activities can help keep children in the classroom.

Hypothesis

Involvement of high school students in extracurricular activities will have a significant positive effect on attendance rates.

Literature Search

A review of the pertinent literature will look at research which is related to attendance, absenteeism, and extracurricular activities, with emphasis on the causal effects of absenteeism and evidence of factors which improve attendance. A preliminary search appears to show a paucity of research on the relationship between extracurricular activities and attendance.

Significance of the Research

If a significant positive relationship between extracurricular activities and attendance can be established, then further research can be undertaken to determine which extracurricular activities are most effective. Administrators and school boards could then act to find ways to motivate students with poor attendance records to become involved with the identified activities. The end effect could be a significant improvement in attendance, and therefore in achievement and graduation rates.

CHAPTER TWO

Method

Subjects

The subjects for this study will be all 1700 students at Murray County High School in Chatsworth, Georgia. The school serves a typical Appalachian community with five elementary schools and two middle schools. The community is agrarian and service-oriented, with a significant portion of the work force involved in the carpet industry which is strong in the region. Murray County families are predominately Caucasian and the African-American population is almost non-existent, with .6%. The population of Hispanic individuals was 292 in 1990, representing only 1.1% of the total population. By the 2000 census the numbers had grown to over 4300, or 5.5% of the total population. The high school is a Georgia School of Excellence. Both attendance and drop-out rates are problems which are receiving attention from the board and administrators.

Design

Independent Variable

The independent variable for the study will be the degree of involvement in extracurricular activity. This data will be determined by student questionnaire administered by the researcher. Based on the results of the survey, the subjects will be stratified into four groups—no participation and participation in one, two, and three or more, extracurricular activities.

Dependent Variable

The dependent variable for the study will be attendance rates. The attendance data for the study will be taken from school records and converted to attendance rates.

Data Analysis

This will be a quasi-experimental factorial design. Two analyses will be conducted. Correlation between attendance rates and extracurricular involvement will be done using Pearson’s Product Moment ®. The factorial design will be analyzed for significance using a one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA).

Research Ethics

Raw data from both attendance records and the student survey will be totally anonymous. No student name will be associated with any research datum. In addition, no intervention or treatment is involved. Permission of students and parents will not be required.

Limitations

No random sample will be taken from a larger population. The population of Murray County High School is not necessarily representative of other demographic regions in the country. External validity is limited to generalizations to similar areas. If significance is found, then further research is required using board sampling techniques.

The research will be limited to only one single school term of 180 days. Longer studies might show different results.

Delimitations

The researcher recognizes that there are many factors affecting attendance, drop-out rates, and academic achievement. This study is limited to consideration of only one factor – extracurricular activities. There will be no controls for other factors, which might be causative.

Identification of Possible Databases and Key Words

Argosy’s Data Base will be used, as will ERIC and other sources. Key words will be extracurricular activities, truancy, and absenteeism.

Timeline for Completing the Dissertation Blocks

The timeline for completion of this Dissertation is will be done as quickly as time and circumstances will allow. The surveys and research will take approximately six months. The Review of Literature should take around three months. This researcher would like to complete this dissertation as soon as possible.

References.

Bagley, C., & Pritchard, C., (1998). The reduction of problem behaviors and school

exclusion in at-risk youth: an experimental study of school social work with cost-

benefit analyses. Child and Family Social Work, 3, 219-226.

Cassel, R., Chow, P., Demoulin, D., and Reiger, R., (2000). Extracurricular

involvement in high school produces honesty and fair play to prevent

delinquency and crime. Education, 121 (2), 247.

Dayton, N., (1928. mental deficiency and other factors that influence school

attendance. Mental Hygiene, 12, 794-800.

Davalos, D., Chavez, E., & Guardiola, R. (1999). The effects of extracurricular

activity, ethnic identification, and perception of school on student dropout

rates. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 21(1), 61-78.

Epstein, J., and Sheldon, S., (2002). Present and accounted for: Improving

student attendance through family and community involvement.

Journal of Educational Research, 95 (5), p308.

Epstein, J., and Sheldon, S., (2002). Present and accounted for: Improving

student attendance through family and community involvement.

Journal of Educational Research, 95 (5), p308.