Secondary school teachers' and students' perception of the impact of co-curricular participation on students' self-concept and academic performance in Rift Valley region, Kenya

Abstract

The study sought to investigate teachers' and students' perception of the impact of co-curricular participation on students' self concept and academic performance. The research objectives of the study were: to investigate the relationship between students' co-curricular participation perception and their academic performance, to examine the relationship between students' co-curricular participation perception and their self concept, to determine the perception of teachers on the relationship between co-curricular participation by students and their self-concept, to investigate gender and training of students in co-curricular participation and their influence on teachers' perception of students' participation in co-curricular activities, to examine the relationship between gender, co-curricular participation perception and self-concept and to investigate the relationship between gender, co-curricular participation perception and academic performance. It was guided by the hypothesis that students' co-curricular participation perception influences significantly their self-concepts and academic performance. The study was guided by the perception theory of Kurt Lewin as espoused by smith. The ontology was realist/objectivist and the epistemology was post-positivism. The research method was quantitative. The research design was expost-facto. A total of 72 volleyball players, 124 football players and 82 teachers participated in the study. A stratified random sampling technique was used to select the sample. The data was collected using a Likert scaled questionnaire. Data was analyzed using frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations, t-test, Pearson r and a two way ANOVA at p >.05 level of significance. The major findings of the study showed that: (59.7%) of the participants (students) had low academic performances; the participants tn football were academically superior to those who participated in volleyball and the analysis further revealed that participation in co-curricular activities has no significant relationship with academic performance, [t(194) = -1.36, P = .176]; (98%) ofthe participants had a highly rated self-concept, the results further revealed that there was a significant relationship between co-curricular participation perception and self-concept, [r (195) = .22, p = .002.]. Based on the findings it was recommended that since sports participation accommodates the less endowed students academically to succeed, there was need to use it to enhance the students' well being, it was also recommended that schools need to provide sufficient opportunities for co-curricular participation as it helps improve the self-concepts of the students. The study showed that there was need to explore on a theory that can guide co-curricular participation.