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.
