Students’ co-curricular participation perception and academic performance in Kenyan Secondary Schools

Abstract

The study sought to investigate students’ co-curricular participation perception and academic performance. The research objectives of the study were: to investigate the relationship between students’ co-curricular participation perception and their academic performance and to investigate the relationship between gender, co-curricular participation perception 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 ex-post-facto. A total of 72 volleyball players, 124 football players 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 in 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]. 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 perception.