1. Lecturer, Department of Sociology, Government Brojomohun College, Barishal, Bangladesh.

*             Correspondence: nusratshukhi955@gmail.com

Keywords: extracurricular activities, development of academic, social skill in students Barisal

1. INTRODUCTION

Education is not restricted to obtaining a degree or improving students’ intelligence. It is the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social, and moral development of a person (National Education Policy [1]. Extracurricular activities can help to improve the educational environment by fostering and strengthening academic and social skills [2]. This study looked at the efficacy of extracurricular activities on the development of academic and social skills in students at a government college in Barisal from the students’ perspectives. The research was conducted based on participation in seven categories of extracurricular activities [3]. A mixed-methods approach was used to conduct the study, with 54 participants participating in the quantitative method and 6 in the qualitative face-to-face interview [4]. The findings of the study indicate that students believe there is a correlation between involvement in extracurricular activities and the development of both academic and social skills. The term “extracurricular activities” or ECAs for short, refers to a variety of activities planned outside of the regular academic activities, curriculum, or course to meet the interests of students [5]. These activities can help students become more involved in their educational institutions and communities, as well as improve their social and academic skills and health [6]. These may include activities such as photography, music, theatre, and volunteer work, amongst other possible options. Extracurricular activities increase students’ engagement with the environment, community, and learning both inside and outside of the classroom, promoting healthy human capital development. It will enhance the talent, creativity, and potential of students [7]. Individuals may participate in a variety of extracurricular activities based on their individual interests. Extracurricular activities that combine academic pursuits, community involvement, and personal interests are the most appealing. There are a number of extracurricular activities, but the researcher chose the following seven since they cover all the major activities in which students typically participate and because the analysed data of this study indicates that these activities significantly contribute to the academic and social development of students. Leadership Positions and Responsibilities, Working Part-Time, Participation in Sports Academic Clubs and Teams, Creative and artistic work, Volunteering and community service and, Internships [8]. This paper aims to investigate the efficacy of extracurricular activities on the development of academic and social skills in students at a government college in Barisal from the students’ perspective [9].

2. MATERIALS AND METHODS

This section gives an overview of the study’s research methodology, research design, research context and sampling, methods of data collection, research validity and reliability, research instrument, and method of data analysis. This research was conducted using a mixed method, which combines qualitative and quantitative approaches. Quantitative approaches collect numerical data and any other measurable information, whereas qualitative methods collect narrative data. This mixed-methods approach lets the researcher rely on real-world evidence and back up study conclusions with textual and numerical data. This creates a database with both quantitative and qualitative data. The mixed method was used for this study for several reasons: It offers a more comprehensive view of human behavior and experiences. The nature of the study problem suits itself to the use of a mixed method. This form of investigation is useful for drawing conclusions. This study investigated the efficacy of extracurricular activities on the development of academic and social skills in students from the perspective of students at a government college in Barisal .Due to time and financial constraints, the researcher selected a convenience sample of 54 students which is a representative sample of the 900 undergraduate sociology students by requesting completion of a Google Doc questionnaire via a Facebook group and email. With the assistance of the college principals and the department head, A total of 150 invitations were sent out for quantitative data, and the researcher received 80 responses from participants. The researcher selected 54 fully-response surveys from the 80 responses, with 27 male and 27 female respondents. To strengthen the reliability of the data and enrich the quantitative data, the researcher conducted face-to-face interviews to collect qualitative data with six respondents (3 male and 3 female) who regularly participate in ECAs. A Google Docs produced questionnaire survey was used to collect quantitative data by invitation to a Facebook group or email. Face-to-face interviews were also performed in the college common room to collect qualitative data. Reliability is about how reliable an indicator is. On the other hand, validity is an overused term that is often confused with similar ideas. However, validity tells us if an indicator really captures the meaning of the construct we are interested in. This study has a high validity and reliability because it used primary data sources and the researcher collected and analyzed all the data in the section on data analysis while following all research ethics. The quantitative data for this study was collected through a Facebook group and an email invitation utilizing a Google doc-created questionnaire. The researcher’s objectives and research questions were addressed by the questionnaire. Face-to-face interviews were performed to collect qualitative data using a second questionnaire (Appendix-4). This questionnaire was prepared based on the factors why participants participated in ECAs; how they aid in the development of social and academic skills; and participants’ perceptions of ECAs. Face-to-face interviews were recorded in audio format on a mobile device and saved with a password on a computer. The interviews were recorded in Bangla and afterwards translated into written English (Appendix-5). The SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) Version 26 was used to analyses quantitative data, and thematic analysis based on research questions was used to analyses qualitative data.

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Based on the research questions, this section offers the findings and an overview of the quantitative data collected from 54 participants and the qualitative data collected from 6 individuals. Cross tab, mean, median, mode, standard deviation, p value, and Kendall’s tau-b value testing were performed on the data using the SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) software version 26 for Quantitative data and thematic analysis for Qualitative data. Quantitative data has been presented below based on the research questions.

Table 01: Participants sex and academic year

Year in University * Sex- Male or Female Cross tabulation
		Sex- Male or Female		Total
		Male	Female
Year in University	First Year	5	6	11
	Second Year	7	6	13
	Third Year	6	10	16
	Fourth Year	9	5	14
Total		27	27	54

The aforementioned table reveals that there were 27 males and 27 females among the 54 participants. There were 11 first-year participants; 13 second-year participants; 16 third-year participants; and 9 fourth-year participants.

Table 02: Why take part in ECAs

		Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent
	To develop personal Skill	40	74.1	74.1
	To get pleasure and satisfaction	6	11.1	11.1
	To gather new knowledge	4	7.4	7.4
	Doing something for the society	4	7.4	7.4
	Total	54	100.0	100.0

 The above table shows that 74.1% of participants say they join ECAs to improve their personal skills, 11.1% to get pleasure and satisfaction, 7.4% to gather new knowledge, and 7.4% to do something for the society.

Table 03: Extracurricular Activities taken part

Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Part time Employment	7	13.0	13.0	27.8
Participation in Sports	10	18.5	18.5	46.3
Academic Teams and Clubs	10	18.5	18.5	64.8
Creative and Artistic Activities	8	14.8	14.8	79.6
Volunteerism and Community	9	16.7	16.7	96.3
Internships	2	3.7	3.7	100.0
Total	54	100.0	100.0

 The preceding table demonstrates that 18.5 percent of participants participate in sports and academic teams and clubs, respectively. In contrast, 16.7% participated in volunteerism, while 14.8% participated in leadership as well as creative and artistic activities, respectively. Approximately 13.0% of participants work part-time and 3.7% have internships. The data indicates that 53.70 percent of respondents strongly agreed that they enjoy extracurricular activities, while 46.30 percent agreed with the statement.

Table 04: Educating Through Extracurricular Activities

	Frequency		Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Strongly Agree		20	37.0	37.0	37.0
Agree		33	61.1	61.1	98.1
Disagree		1	1.9	1.9	100.0
Total		54	100.0	100.0

Table 05: Wasting Learning Time

	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Strongly Agree	6	11.1	11.1	11.1
Agree	19	35.2	35.2	46.3
Disagree	24	44.4	44.4	90.7
Strongly Disagree	5	9.3	9.3	100.0
Total	54	100.0	100.0

Most participants (44.4%) disagreed, and 9.3% strongly disagreed with the claim that ECAs waste students’ time. In addition, 35.2% agreed and 11.1% strongly agreed that it is a waste of learning time. From the preceding discussion, it can be concluded that most of the (74.1%) male and female participants participate in ECAs to develop their personal skills. Most of them were members of sports and academic teams and clubs. The majority concurred that they enjoy participating in ECAs because they believe they can educate themselves through ECAs and that it does not waste their learning time. This section deals with the research question 2 and examine the contribution of ECAs to the development of academic and social skill in students according to the analysed data.

Table 06: Social Skill Development

	Mean	Median	Mode	Std. Deviation
ECAs Develop Leadership Skill	1.81	2.00	2	.617
ECAs Develop Communication Skill	1.70	2.00.	2	.537
ECAs Develop Organizing Skill	1.74	2.00	2	.556
ECAs Develop Network Building Skill	1.72	2.00	2	.627
ECAs Develop Social Responsibility	1.78	2.00	2	.502
ECAs Develop Adaptation Skill	1.61	2.00	2	.564
ECAs Develop Friendship Skill	1.87	2.00	2	.584
ECAs Develop Team Building Skill	1.81	2.00	2	.517
ECAs Develop Extroversion	1.76	2.00	2	.581
Overall Social Skill Development	1.75	2.00	2	.565

From the students’ perspectives, Tables 7 and 8 indicate the nature of the association between students’ engagement in ECAs and academic and social skill development. As shown in Table 7, all the indicators or measurement instruments have a median value of 2.00, indicating that the respondents’ academic skills (i.e., knowledge acquisition, creative-thinking skills, presentation skills, punctuality, self-motivational skills, language skills, analytical skills, and problem-solving skills) have developed because of their participation in diverse ECAs. The respondents’ academic skill development has a median value of 2.00. This means that they agreed that their academic skills have improved because of their participation in such activities. And as shown in Table 8, all the indicators have a median value of 2.00, indicating that the respondents’ social skills (leadership skills, communication skills, organizing skills, network-building skills, sense of social responsibility, adaptation skills, friendliness skills, teamwork-building skills, and extroversion) have developed because of their participation in various ECAs. The median value of 4.00 for the social skill development of all respondents indicates that their participation in ECAs has contributed significantly to the development of their social skills. However, social skill development has a greater overall mean value (1.75) than academic skill development (1.71).According to the preceding explanation and data, the median values of 2.00 for academic skill growth and 4.00 for social skill development imply a considerable positive link between ECAs and academic and social skill development. However, ECAs contribute more to the social skill development of students than to their academic skill development. This section deals with the research question 2 and examine the relationship between ECAs and the development of academic and social skill in students according to the analysed data.

Table 07: Relationship between Enjoying ECAs and Academic Skill Development

	Kendall’s tau-b Value	P value	Approximate Tb	Approximate Significance
Extracurricular Activities Develop Knowledge	.424	.424	3.483	.000
Extracurricular Activities Develop Creative Thinking	.140	.140	1.044	.297
Extracurricular Activities Develop Presentation Skill	.360	.391	2.944	.003
Extracurricular Activities Develop Punctuality	.458	.466	4.239	.000
Extracurricular Activities Develop Self-Motivation	.160	.202	1.246	.213
Extracurricular Activities Develop Language Skill	.231	.247	1.843	.065
Extracurricular Activities Develop Analytical Skill	.297	.307	2.345	.019
Extracurricular Activities Develop Problem Solving Skill	.397	.412	3.403	.001

Using Kendall’s tau-b, a strong relationship has been found between ECAs’ participation and knowledge development (.424). Kendall’s tau-b .140, demonstrating a positive association between ECAs’ participation and creative thinking skills. Since Kendall’s tau-b =.360, it can be said that ECAs’ engagement increases presenting skills. Kendall’s tau-b.458, revealing a strong association between ECAs’ involvement and punctuality. Kendall’s tau-b.160 shows a positive relationship between ECA participation and self-motivation, while Kendall’s tau-b.231,.297, and.391 show a moderately positive relationship between ECA participation and, among other things, such as the development of language skills, analytical skills, and problem-solving skills, respectively.

Table 08: Relationship between Enjoying ECAs and Social Skill Development

	Kendall’s tau-b Value	P value	Approximate Tb	Approximate Significance e
Extracurricular Activities Develop Leadership Skill	.180	.268	1.280	.099
Extracurricular Activities Develop Communication Skill	.172	.184	1.317	.188
Extracurricular Activities Develop Organizing Skill	.251	.330	1.962	.050
Extracurricular Activities Develop Network Building Skill	.295	.117	1.504	.018
Extracurricular Activities Develop Social Responsibility	.173	.132	1.312	.180
Extracurricular Activities Develop Adaptation Skill	.298	.321	2.379	.017
Extracurricular Activities Develop Friendship Skill	.135	.157	1.039	.299
Extracurricular Activities Develop Team Building Skill	.336	.353	2.800	.005
Extracurricular Activities Develop Extroversion	.400	.112	3.316	.001

Kendall’s tau-b is.180 and.172, indicating a favorable correlation between ECAs and leadership and communication skills. Kendall’s tau-b.251 &.295 indicates a moderate positive association between ECAs, organizational skill development, and network building skill growth. Kendall’s tau-b, 173, demonstrates a connection between ECAs’ engagement and social responsibility growth. Kendall’s tau-b value is.298, indicating a moderate positive connection between ECAs and adaptability skill development. Kendall’s tau-b is 0.135, showing an ECA-friendship skill correlation. Kendall’s tau-b =.336 and.400 implies a high positive correlation between ECAs, teamwork, and extroversion. Students can learn leadership, communication, social responsibility, adaptability, teamwork, friendliness, and extroversion by taking part in ECAThe above empirical evidence shows that there is a strong positive relationship between participation in extracurricular activities and the development of academic as well as social skills in students. There is a strong relationship between ECA involvement and punctuality, presentation ability, and self-motivation, while the numerical values indicate a moderately positive relationship between ECA involvement and other components of academic skills, such as the development of language skills, analytical skills, and problem-solving abilities. There is also a strong positive connection between ECAs, teamwork, and extroversion, as well as a moderate positive correlation with other aspects of social skill development.

Discussion

This section discusses about the qualitative data that was gathered from face-to-face interviews with six participants and the thematic analysis of the collected data based on the research questions [10]. All interviewees stated that they have participated in extracurricular activities since their school years or childhood [11]. The six participants participated in a variety of extracurricular activities based on their individual interests since I was a child, I’ve participated in extracurricular activities like painting and photography [12]. It brings me joy, good memories, and inner peace. Occasionally, it provides me with the motivation to break out of a depression and return to study with a clearer head. Other times, it brings me closer to the natural world [13] (Asif) I participate in Extracurricular Activities such as working with a local charity group to assist the needy and also with a campus-based volunteer organization called “Badoni” which collects and donates blood to the vulnerable [14]. It fills me with delight and satisfaction to provide a hand to the poor, and it makes me believe that I am making a positive contribution to society and its people [15]. While the other participants claim that they participate in ECAs like Part time teaching in a School, Painting, Dance, Acting Singing, Photography, Creating You tube content to raise awareness, Debate Club, Cultural Organizations, Cricket, Football [16]. They take part in ECAs to gain positive energy, cultivate inner tranquility and good memories for the future, get rid of monotony, be up to date on new knowledge and information, to stay physically and mentally active, and nourish the soul [17]. They also claim that participating in ECAs gives them a sense of purpose in life, satisfaction, and nourishment for their soul. When it comes to the perspectives of the participants on the development of academic and social skills in students, there were a variety of responses indicating that ECAs helped them develop qualities that aid in the development of academic and social skills [16]. Seam expresses this notion Working with the charity organization makes me happy, which improves my attention while studying [17]. This activity also fosters timeliness and the ability to interact positively with individuals at all social levels [18]. It also helps with teamwork and team building, leadership, and networking, establishing friendships, as well as creativity and extroverts [19].  Other participants agree with Sayem that ECAs help them improve their social and academic skills: I believe that learning and sharing new and relevant information is a major benefit of this activity [20]. Additionally, it is advantageous to think creatively and critically. Taking part in these events has helped me to improve my sense of time management and verbal communication [21]. It also helps me to raise social awareness against violence against women and protest any injustice by creating creative YouTube content [22].

4. CONCLUSION

Education is not limited to earning a degree or increasing students’ intelligence. It refers to the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social, and moral growth of an individual (National Education Policy). Extracurricular activities can enrich the school environment by helping students develop and strengthen their intellectual and social skills. This study examined the effectiveness of extracurricular activities in developing intellectual and social skills among students at a government college in Barisal, as seen from the students’ viewpoints. The research was carried out based on participation in seven different types of extracurricular activities. Extracurricular activities help kids improve their skills in school and can help them develop a positive attitude, healthy habits, and the ability to adjust socially. They also help students prepare for the workplace. Furthermore, it has a beneficial impact on the pupils’ academic achievement and the development of their personalities. Additionally, it supports academic efforts in achieving the main objective of education. In addition to the usual academic activities, professionals ought to incorporate these activities within the curriculum.

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