Students’ Perception on How Club Participation Affects its Members’ English Study at International University
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background
Whether or not club participation helps to improve students’ academic performance has long been the subject of debate. In the study of Gardner, Roth and Brooks-Gunn (2008), extra-curricular activities, club participation in particular, assist students in developing supportive relationships with people and achieving greater academic success. Participating in organized activities also gives the students a good opportunity to have a promising start in their career.
However, the negative side of participating in clubs sometimes outweigh the positive ones. To begin with, it is so difficult that overscheduled students have to balance between their activities in clubs and academic performance. Moreover, undergraduates should take financial problem into account, especially in some type of “pay-to-play” games (Smith, 2008). Besides, when considering how club participation impacts oneself’s study, people often mention that “out-of-school” activities may cut into homework time (Reeves, 2008, pp.86-87).
Because it is evident from some researchers, student organizations or clubs have a lot to offer to identify the value of what they receive – the fun when they have a team, the social skills and experience they gain and the extension of relationships among members. Whether students choose to be a member or a leader in clubs, they can gain some benefits for themselves to enhance their school experience and help them to become contributory individuals in society – one that’s ready to take on their future career.
Taking into consideration the significance of participating in the extra-curricular activities or clubs to students and its aspects of difficulties, the report here is to raise the students’ awareness of balance participation in clubs against academic performance.
Aims of the Study
This study makes an effort to discover thoroughly and comprehensively students’ perception on how club participation affects its members’ English study at International University as well as describe the involvement of International University students in club activities in semester 1, school-year 2017-2018. Besides, it also aims to provide educational leaders with further understanding of the role of club participation in students’ overall educational performance (Reeves, 2008). Additionally, this study will give students some useful information in to help them make more informed decisions related to clubs involvement.
Significance of the Study
This study indicates the effect of taking part in clubs on International University students’ English study. Understanding these aspects would benefit the following groups. The first group is the teachers. They would have knowledge about the correlation between student involvement in clubs and English study. Therefore, it is beneficial to design new initiatives and programs to raise test scores and help students with their academic performance. The second group that would benefit from this study is the students. They would be encouraged to get involved more in not only university clubs, but also in any organizations or groups outside the university that are to their liking. Lastly, this study would help parents dispose of the misconception that participating in clubs has a negative effect on cognitive ability due to the lack of commitment to academic study.
Research Questions
Regarding the fact that there is not much information on how students perceive different facets of university life, there is a need for more research on this matter. As extracurricular activities are becoming more important for students’ academic performance (Hawkins, 2010), it is necessary that their perception be taken into consideration. Therefore, this study inquires into the following research question: What is International University students’ perception on the effect of club participation on their English study?
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
Definition Of Key Terms
Perception
According to Cambridge Online Dictionary (2018), the term perception is defined as “a belief or opinion, often held by many people and based on how things seem”. Similarly, Furberg (2010) also used the term perception to indicate individuals’ opinions and viewpoints. In the research conducted by Gibson and Levin (1975), perception is “the process of extracting information from stimulation emanating from the objects, places, and events in the word around us”. However, Cambridge Online Dictionary and Furberg’s definitions of perception are chosen to be the foundation of this study because the purpose of this study is to seek students’ opinions on club participation.
Club Participation
Club participation falls into the category of extracurricular activities, along with sports, governance, student newspaper, music, art and drama (Massoni, 2011). Therefore, according to the definition of ‘extracurricular activities’ provided by Holloway in 1999, club participation is voluntary and does not count for school credits.
English study
The Cambridge Online Dictionary’s definition of the term English study is “the act of learning about English, usually at school or university”.
Literature Review Related To Students’ Perception on How Club Participation Affects Its Members’ English Study
History of Clubs
Clubs are formed in many universities in order to facilitate students’ learning and practical experience. According to Hawkins (2010), this kind of activity can enhance overall college experience. Clubs and organizations for students have developed throughout the past decades. Despite the fact that student clubs came into existence a long time ago, these clubs were officially considered proper extracurricular activities authorized by universities and colleges at the beginning of the twentieth century. Kuk, Thomas, and Banning (2008) state that student clubs, as well as fraternities and literary societies, were the representative initial organizations established by colleges. These days, student clubs which can be found on a particular campus are too numerous to mention. Considerable organizations have set the precedent for smaller clubs to be devised with the purpose of suiting the students’ requirements (Andring, 2002). Clubs are sorted by their activities, for instance academic, athletic, social and religious clubs (Kuk et al., 2008). Throughout the last century, student clubs have played a leading role in the educational development as 70% of the students who were surveyed expressed that club participation was more substantial than passing an exam with flying colours (Long, Buser, and Jackson, 1997).
Positive Effects of Club Participation
According to Michael Corbett, members can learn more about their ability as well as their strengths when they are in clubs. Students can discover what they are good at and know how to handle complicated situations by both their basic knowledge and skills regardless of whether that is multitasking, staying organized, generating thoughts or serving others, which will be beneficial in future career. Furthermore, other benefits of participation in extracurricular activities have been reported, such as the development of positive social networks and leadership abilities (Broch, 2002; Lipscomb, 2007; Marsh, 1992). Relying on a sample of approximately 1,300 predominantly white high school students in Michigan, Eccles and Barber (1999) found that adolescents who indicated that they had participated in clubs at school had higher expected GPA, English grade in particular, than their peers who indicated that they did not take part in extracurricular clubs at school. Fredricks and Eccles (2006) also found that positive academic results are related to activity participation such as enhanced test scores, more school engagement, and boost in students’ educational yearnings. In studying the effects of extracurricular club participation, Camp’s (1990) conclusions validated early research: that participation in in-school student clubs had a positive prediction on academic achievement (Holland & Andre, 1987). Although there are several reasons for why students choose to join in a club such as developing English skills, team-working, getting net-working opportunities, gaining knowledge and experience and so on, negative academic performance can be seen across extracurricular activities.
Negative Effects of Club Participation
In some cases, club participation is considered to exacerbate students’ academic success. Generally, the main purpose of entering university is to have higher education, graduate with honors and earn a degree. As a result, the importance of academic work is typically prioritized by parents and faculty; therefore, promoting involvement related to clubs is not highlighted. In other words, students sometimes are deemed to lose concentration on their studies because of engaging with too many club activities (Reeves, 2008). Moreover, students’ level of dedication is stated to be an important factor (Thompson, 2008, p.10). Involving enthusiastically in too many club activities is thought to have negative impacts on students’ physical and mental health, such as causing stress, fatigue and burnout; consequently, taking part in clubs indirectly aggravates students’ study progress. In contrast to Thompson’s (2008) viewpoint, the type of club is regarded as a key element having an effect on students’ academic achievement (Baker, 2008). According to a research conducted by Baker (2008), club involvement is inferred to bring significant benefits to college students, provided that the kind of club must be taken into account. Furthermore, some students avoid taking part in clubs since they are worried that it will affect their grades, English included (Thompson, Clark, Walker, Whyatt, 2013), and discontinue club activities when they need to keep their minds on something else (Roulin and Bangerter, 2013), especially in their academic work. In an equivalent research, undergraduate students from United Kingdom universities are reported to encounter strains between club participation and academic work from time to time. Some students attributed poor academic performance to club involvement and others claimed that they refrained from club activities in order to prevent negative effects on their grades (Thompson et al., 2013). In addition, spending too much time on club meetings or practice sessions may interrupt homework time. In brief, when students have a large amount of work to do, they might spread themselves too thin, which may cut into self-study time and preparation for class.
Summary
The literature review provides a background of clubs and multiple research addressing the positive and negative impact of club participation on students’ English study and academic performance in general. Many researchers have pointed out that club participation has profound implications for students’ GPA as it helps students realize their full potential as well as develop personal skills. However, there are still some researchers claiming that participating in clubs distracts students from their academia. The contradiction of these findings along with the sparse information available on the matter lead to the fact that further study should be conducted in order to clarify the relationship between club participation and its members’ English study.
