Journal of Scholastic Inquiry: Special Edition
Volume 10, Page 48
At-risk High School Students and High Prestige Extracurricular Activities Todd Redalen Wisconsin Department of Corrections John P. McClure Saint Mary’s University
Abstract When high school students participate in the high prestige extra-curricular offerings of athletics and fine arts, they have greater chances of staying in school (McNeal, 1995; Neely & Vaquera, 2017). Factors such as low socio-economic status, race, and ethnicity correlated with unequal student participation in extracurricular activities (Metsäpelto & Pulkkinen, 2014). The Risk Assessment Scale (Morley & Veale, 2005) was used to identify students. This study was an exploration of the experience of high-risk student participants in athletics and fine arts and how these had meaning for the students and their educational trajectories. Interviews and focus groups took place with 12 students. Participation appeared to cultivate and nourish the affective learning domain, as described by Krathwohl, Bloom, and Masia (1964), by appealing to students’ interests, passions, and hopes. Students attributed improvement in academic achievement and persistence in school to participation in high-prestige activities.
