Chapter 2

Review of Related Literature

Foreign Literature

Definition of Co-curricular Activities

Co-curricular activities or CCA may be defined as the activities undertaken to strengthen

the classroom learning as well as other activities both inside and outside the classroom in order

to develop the personality of the child (Bhatia, 2012).

According to the International Dictionary of Education (2013), co-curricular activities are

sponsored or recognized by a school or college which are not part of the academic curriculum but

are acknowledged to be an essential part of the life of an educational institution.

CCA include sports, school bands, student newspaper, various social and other types of

activities like literary, dramatic, social services etc. whichever attracted the attention of the child

CCA were mainly organized after school hours and so were the extra curricular but they are not

an integral part of the activities of the school as its curricular work ( Aggarwal, 2012).

To sum up all the definitions said above, it is clearly defined that co-curricular activities

(CCA) are extra- activities in school aside from academics, yet are still related to it. It is

implemented and being practiced by educational institutions for it is considered as essential part

of student learning experience and process.

Co-curricular Activities in the History

When it comes to history, co-curricular activities were never new to the modern curricular

education syllabi. In the ancient times, simple co-curricular activities in school were organized

such as wrestling, cooking, singing, playing, magic, etc. In rest parts of the world, co-curricular

programmes were common in various ancient civilizations.

In Spartan Civilization (Greece) warfare, heroic activities, archery, creativity and artistic

talents were widespread. In Roman Civilization, concrete arts & crafts, and religious ceremonies

were given importance. In the dark history of Europe, extra-curricular activities were also the part

and parcel of life. During reformation period, such activities got patronage.

Great educational thinkers such as Rousseau, Herbert Spencer, Dewey, all gave much

more importance of co-curricular activity in school education. According to them, Co-curricular

activities play vital role in student life.

It was evidently stated above, that co-curricular activities were already had given

importance during the early civilization, for it is already practiced and became part of their lives.

It is indeed necessary, for these activities are essential for the improvement and development of

an individual, and simultaneously providing enjoyment, because the said activities were done

from passion and desire.

Extracurricular vs. Co-curricular Activities

It should be noted that there is a definite, though sometimes fuzzy difference between co-

curricular and extracurricular activities. Where co-curricular activities are connected in some way

to the school and to academic learning, extracurricular activities step outside of this realm.
 Extracurricular activities are those activities that occur outside of the educational setting

and do not provide instruction or experience to supplement the academic curriculum. Involvement

in a sport that happens outside of the school, for example, would be considered an extracurricular

activity. Other examples of extracurricular activities might include church related activities, music

classes that are not associated with the school, dance recitals, Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts, or

martial arts competitions (Study. com, 2017).

According to Mittal (2013) extracurricular activities have been renamed by educationists

as co-curricular, which implies that all these activities are a part of school curriculum.

The term "extra-curricular activities" are oftenly used to describe and define these kind of

activities in school. But due to the technical wording of "extra" which is more describe as "outside"

or a separate activity from academic setting, it was interchange to co-curricular activities as it is

more appropriate to use as a terminology for these activities acknowledged by academic

administration were connected and related to academics and are still part of the learning process

of one's student.

Characteristics of CCA

There are many characteristics of CCA, which directly or indirectly help the classroom

teaching of students. Co-curricular activities supplement and complement the entire teaching-

learning process and effectively impact student earning outcomes. It strengthens the classroom

teaching and helps to clear the concept of topics. CCA give emphasize upon aesthetic as well as

spiritual development, which are the essential components of education. It helps in developing

features like speech fluency and extempore. Such activities are good platform to excel in acting,

singing, speaking, and recitation. Thus, CCA becomes the integral part of school’s curriculum and

student’s life.
 Co-curricular activities are activities which does not only provide enjoyment but are a tool

for improvement and development of one's own talent and skill. It also paved way to someone's

discovery of her ability and capacity. Simply put, the co-curricular activities were considered as

"opportunities" towards students to discovery, development, and excellence.

Role of Co-curricular Activity in Student

Co-curricular activities help in realization of aims and objectives of education, (Bas 2016).

In the practical life, the students able to express their ideas freely due to active participation in

debate and extempore. According to Reyes (2015), discussion also helps in generating ideas and

inculcating values. Games and Sports make them mentally and physically fit and sound. Games

make them learn how to perform while losing or wining an event. Sometimes, classroom teaching

becomes monotonous and routine. Here, co-curricular activities can bring pleasant and joyous

experiences. Thus, co-curricular activity has many advantages in student’s life of school, college

and university.

Scope of Co-curricular Activities in School

According to GYAUNLIMITED (2019), co-curricular activities not only make the students

active and energetic but also enable to harness the in-depth potential of students. It enhances

knowledge in many domains, which benefits the student as well as the school. Co-curricular

activities are good platforms to secure your future both professionally and socially and promote

leadership quality. It nurtures student’s ability in co-operation, co-ordination, organization and lead

you toward leadership. Extra-curricular activities provide exposure to personality and helps in

psychological and sociological transformation. Schools channelize the energy of students with the

help of CCA so that proper realization of student’s energy and potential can be ensued. The
importance of co-curricular activities is extremely important in case of ADHD and problematic

children who are full of energy.

Additionally, co-curricular activities are utmost needed to fulfill the aims and objectives of

life. In co-curricular activities, students participate in various cultural programmes, which help

them in socialization, self-identification and self-assessment. The participation in drama, play

enables in developing balanced personality. People get acquainted with culture, customs, and

activities of other places due to co-curricular activities such as field trips, tours and excursion. It

inculcates the feelings of harmony, thus develop unity and togetherness in the society. In

community work, students require to meet with many people and develop the capability of

adjustment. Since, in many co-curricular activities, children have to perform in groups, and

performing as a team develops the sense of belongingness.

To sum up all the findings said above, CCA covers personal and cultural and social

development, which is a vital part of one's existence. This development were very important as

well, especially towards adolescence who experience one of the most challenging stage of life --

the awkwardness, discomfortness, social anxiety and the like, which with the help of participating

co-curricular activities could be conquered.

The Benefits of CCA to students

In fact, the very concept of co-curricular activities genuinely strengthens the base of

curriculum. These activities enable children to share their emotions and strengthen the bond of

friendship. In co-curricular activities, creative works are given more importance, which facilitate

skills and ideas of children. Adolescent stage is a period of turmoil and restless, where energy of

children has to be tapped before its use in unproductive work. These are the activities which

motivate students for learning and make their lesson enjoying.

 Gyaunlimited added that, "Education along with co-curricular activities helps in the overall

development of personality." Co-curricular Activities furnish many values among students.

Students participate in physical activities, which contribute towards physical health, vitality, and

endurance of the students. Psychological needs are meet by co-curricular activities.

Psychological needs such as emotions, self-assertion, sex, and curiosity are trained and groomed

by these activities. A large part of theoretical works in discipline like geography, and science can

get value added from excursions, tour and nature study. CCA help to inculcate civic and

democratic values by participating in self-government and organizing different festivals and

ceremonies. Co-curricular activity is also an effective platform to make absorb values like social,

aesthetic, cultural, recreational and disciplinary among students.

According to Kuh (2012), participation in CCA contributes to (a) cognitive complexity (e.g.,

critical thinking, intellectual flexibility, reflective judgment), (b) knowledge acquisition and

application, (c) humanitarianism (e.g., interest in the welfare of others), (d) interpersonal and

intrapersonal competence (e.g., self-confidence, self awareness, ability to relate to others), and

(e) practical competencies (e.g., decision making, vocational preparation). Furthermore, CCA

also enhance a student’s persistence and educational attainment. In addition, many other studies

have shown that CCA improve students' cognitive and academic development and the

development of new knowledge and skills (Arip & Yusof, 2012)

Regarding the academic outcomes of co-curricular activities, participation in CCA has

been positively associated with academic achievement including better grades and test scores,

increased engagement in school, and educational aspirations (Massoni, 2014). It is also

supposed that CCA have a positive impact on academic achievement through the reduction of

problem behaviors, declining dropout rates, and the integration of learning processes (Aljarallah
et al., 2015) . Overall CCA have a positive impact on basic skills such as interpersonal skills,

teamwork skills, presentation skills, self-direction and project management skills, which can

contribute to future employability and career development, (Wood, 2011).

Students can identify their capacities and enhance competencies required for their future

careers through CCA (Bartkus et al., 2012). Although students may not get enough practice during

classroom activities because of constraints and lack of authentic opportunities for practice, CCA

often allow them to apply their knowledge in real situations (Shamsudin et al., 2014). Through co-

curricular activities, students are also able to fulfill their personal goals and improve the general

skills needed in everyday life. ECA may enhance students’ problem solving, analytical and critical

thinking skills through co-operative activities and hands-on experiences. Furthermore, CCA are

important for enhancing students’ academic confidence, social development and their sense of

well-being at school and facilitating the development of interpersonal skills and positive social

norms (Eccles et al., 2011). Activities outside class such as club activities, mentoring, etc.

promote college life adaptation, satisfaction, and commitment (White & Gager, 2016).

In general, all the advantages of co-curricular activities said above were developing one's

own cognitive skills which gives students more ability of thinking. Psychological aspects such as

developing one's interpersonal relationship, social skills, confidence etc. Moreover, it is also

found out that it is link to students' academic achievement which further outgrows competencies

in their future career.

Disadvantages of Co-curricular activities

No matter how systematized and idealistic co-curricular activities were, there will always

be the other side of the coin. Disadvantages were still present and were still being experienced
by the students. Hence, here are some of the major disadvantages of co-curricular activities, that

this research paper had found out.

It can cause frustration.

No matter the age, students can become frustrated if they are overworked with school,

friends, family and co-curricular activities. Older students sometimes juggle jobs as well. Students

need time to study, relax with peers and join family time. Anytime students struggle to find a

balance in life, parents should look at their co-curricular involvement (Castañeda , 2014) .

According to Torres (2014) Students might also be frustrated that they do not have time to grow

their talents. If children put too much focus on a few, specific abilities, they might not develop into

well-rounded people.

It can cause stress.

Balancing schoolwork with co-curricular activities can be stressful for some students,

especially when an abundance of activities takes up valuable time they need to study or complete

homework. A student's involvement in co-curricular activities can put stress on the whole family

when parents have to rush to shepherd kids to various tightly scheduled activities. Busy kids also

have less time to spend at home with their families, which can put a strain on familial relationships

as the kids get older (Ramos et al., 2017)

It can be a burden for poor families.

Some families may find that co-curricular activities are very expensive. These activities

often require parents to purchase expensive equipment and uniforms. In some cases like those

who are in the school band clubs, students might be required to buy musical instruments which

are very costly (Buri et al., 2015) .

Becoming Consumed by an Activity

According Seneca et al., (2013) , some students may choose an activity that leaves

enough time for school work and other priorities, they choose to devote their extra time and

attention to that extracurricular interest. For example, a student may love being involved with the

drama program at her school because she love performing or working backstage, and it’s where

her best friends are. So, instead of staying after class to get extra help when they need it or

keeping up with their assignments or following through on chores at home or other priorities, they

hang out at the auditorium or going over their lines and songs at home, leaving everything else

undone until it's too late to catch up (Berlin, 2013) .

Academic is more important

According Beneca and Lu Min, (2014) , the academic curriculum is really much more

important and must continue to be given more status in schools and colleges than the co-

curriculum. Students are meant to be receiving an education and gaining recognised

qualifications. Higher Education institutions place a greater importance on the curriculum than the

co-curriculum when selecting students, and so do employers. Co-curricular activities are nice, but

they have never been shown to actually play a vital role in a student’s life. And if they distract

students from focusing on their academic qualifications, then they could be actually harmful.

Guazon (2016) emphasize that, "If co-curricular activities are so good, then students

should have right to choose whether they wish to pursue them, rather than forcing them to give

equal importance to something they do not wish to do". Through equalising the demands of

academic and co-curriculums there exists the possibility that a student may drop out because he

or she may not be able to cope with the demands of both sets of activities. The right to an

education is best exercised by giving students the choice to decide what field their lives would

like to be based on, and about how to pursue these aims (Reyes, 2017).
 Generally speaking, in accordance with the quote "too much is bad", participation in co-

curricular activities of students who do not know how to prioritize and manage their time well will

absolutely experience these disadvantages. Students should know their limits at the same time

enjoys participating in this kind of activities, as CCA is intentionally implemented for students own

good.

Local Literature

There are different extra-curricular activities for every university in the world. The

Philippines is no exception, universities such as De La Salle University (DLSU), Ateneo de Manila

University (ADMU), and University of the Philippines (UP) have their own extra-curricular activities

that students actively take part in, ( Gatchalian, 2015).

In an interview with Briones (2015) he states that, “An active participant is someone who

finds time, devotes, and commits to extra-curricular activities.” He further adds that, involvement

with extra-curricular activities has taught him to be committed, involved, accountable, responsible,

and have a vision to both inspire and empower people. Aside from that he had also discovered

skills such as speaking in public, event organization and management, and team building

facilitation.

The effectiveness of co-curricular activities according to Moreno (2014) lies in the

application of what is learned since co-curricular activities complement the curriculum, it is

complemented in such a way that public speaking, time management, and accountability are used

not only for academic units but also personal development as well.
 Yearly these co-curricular activities are being introduced and conducted in the school,

district, division, regional and even national level. Co-curricular activities are those activities that

fall outside the regular academic curriculum, yet they are part of schooling. CCA earlier known as

extracurricular activities are the components of non-academic curriculum that help develop

various facets of the personality development of the child. For the development of the child, there

is a need of emotional, physical, spiritual, moral and social development that is complemented

and supplemented by Co-curricular Activities.

The types of Co-curricular Activities observed and participated by most BN of the schools

in the Philippines are investigatory project, quiz competition, art and singing contest, games like

Sci-Dama, Damath and Soduko, sports, Youth for Environment in School Organization (YES-O),

Supreme Student Government (SSG), STEP and Scouting.

These Co-curricular Activities are observed and counted in the selection of honor pupils/

students of Grades 1 to 10 of the K to 12 Basic Education. To determine the top ten, the pupils/

students shall be ranked using the 7-3 points schemes (7 points for academic and 3 points for

Co-curricular Activities) as contained in Enclosure No. 1 and 2 of DepEd Order No. 92, s. 2009

and DC. No. 74, s. 2012 Revised Guidelines on the Selection of Honor pupils/students in Public

Elementary and Secondary Schools.

Aside from the selection of honor students, the following are the significance of Co-

curricular Activities that can be acquired by the students who are participated in the said activities:

1. Enable to extend and enrich previously learned academic skills.

2. Build other facets of their personalities like selfesteem, self-confidence, social

cooperation and leadership skills.

 3. Exercise their talents, skills and interests.

4. Help them to be physically fit and energetic.

5. Guide them how to organize and present an activity, how to develop skills, how to

cooperate and coordinate in different situations.

6. Provide the awareness of socialization, self - identification and self-assessment.

7. Enhance the overall education experience of the students.

8. Help to develop the spirit of healthy competition like sportsmanship.

9. Enable the pupils to make positive sense and competition sense for future and for their

life.

10. Cater an aptitude, interest and sometimes act as a determining factor for the choice

of future vacation.

According to research it shows that students’ involvement in Cocurricular Activities

improveadolescents’ chances of avoiding such risky behaviors like dropping out, becoming

teenage parents, engaging in delinquency, smoking or abusing drugs or alcohol through the three

mechanism:

1. Time displacement: the widely held notion that if a young person spends a great deal

of time in beneficial or harmless activities, he or she will not have time to get into mischief.

2. Commitment building: the argument that participation is constructive activities and

providing awarding experiences, strengthens a young person’s commitment to conventional

institutions such as school and traditional career pathways.

3. Group Pressure: the idea that participation in teams, clubs, in other group activities

promotes a sense of membership and belongings. co-curricular activities are real significant in

student’s life. It can be viewed as student’s training ground, use to measure one’s ability to retain

and apply generalization learned from the regular academic curriculum and to keep them free

from risky behaviors like vices.

 In achieving these significance of co-curricular Activities depends upon the teachers’ and

parents’ attitude and cooperation plus the students’ desire, initiative and interest. Teachers and

parents should keep up the channel of communication open as they monitor students’

development through different learning activities. When such spirit and attitude are all found in

the parents, teachers and students, there is a great possibility that these significance of Co-

curricular Activities will be gained by the students who are participating in the said activities.

It was clearly showed that co-curricular activities are as well practice by educational

institutions in the Philippines, for it provides essential needs of the students especially towards

their self - development.

From primary to secondary school, CCA is implemented, even with the change of the

educational curriculum of the Philippines, the K + 12 Basic Education Curriculum. Senior

Highschool students are just one of the level of students who have the freedom to participate in

CCA, whatever they wanted or whatever suits their talent and skills such as in sports, singing,

dancing, poster-making, academic writing, public speaking or oral communicating competitions.

There's a lot of students who are highly competent thus, actively participate to these kinds of

activities. However, there are several students who tend to just be an audience and merely seat

to watch their co-students doing these activities. What are their reasons from being a non-

participant anyway? What do they actually think about co-curricular activities that resist them to

join? How about the one who actively participates? What forces them to join CCA? It is quite

intriguing, right? Hence, it's the purpose of the present study to determine the perceptions of

students towards co-curricular activities specifically, senior highschool students of Arboleda

National Highschool to further strengthens existing literatures and studies about co-curricular

activities that may help in it's future development.

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https://www.ph.uwc.org

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from : www.scribd.com

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Anna Han and Kyungbin Kwon (2018)

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