The present master’s thesis focuses on students’ participation in extracurricular activities and their level of executive functioning. Extracurricular activities represent an important factor in the holistic development of children and adolescents. Various types of extracurricular activities can be distinguished, including sports, informational, creative, social, and reflective or philanthropic activities. Executive functions, also referred to as higher-order cognitive functions, are essential for achieving success across different areas of life, including participation in extracurricular activities. They encompass working memory, planning and prioritization, organization, time management, metacognition, response inhibition, emotional regulation, sustained attention, task initiation, goal-directed persistence, and cognitive flexibility. Executive functions contribute significantly to successful learning and everyday functioning, and the empirical part of this study sought to further explore the relationship between executive functions and extracurricular activities.
The empirical study was conducted on a sample of 119 students attending the third educational cycle of primary school. The research focused on examining the relationship between participation in extracurricular activities and executive functioning. Data were collected using a questionnaire specifically designed for the purposes of this master’s thesis. The Questionnaire on Extracurricular Activities for Students gathered information on students’ participation in extracurricular activities, including the type of activity, frequency of participation, persistence, and self-assessed success. Students’ executive functioning was assessed using the Executive Skills Questionnaire for Students (Dawson & Guare, 2012). The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods. Quantitative findings were complemented by information obtained from open-ended questions, which were analyzed through qualitative content analysis.
The results showed that sports activities were the most common form of extracurricular involvement among students, followed by creative activities. Reflective activities were the least frequently attended. The findings further indicated that students generally participated in extracurricular activities on a regular basis and remained involved in them over extended periods of time. Most students perceived themselves as successful in their chosen activities. They frequently associated success with external validation, whereas they linked failure to their own effort and motivation. The results also revealed a relatively high average level of executive functioning among students, although notable individual differences were observed. Students who participated in extracurricular activities achieved, on average, higher executive functioning scores than those who did not participate. However, it should be noted that the number of students who did not engage in any extracurricular activities was considerably smaller than the number of those who did, which limits the generalizability of this finding to the broader student population. Furthermore, significant relationships were identified between the extent of participation in extracurricular activities (number of activities, duration of involvement, and perceived success) and the level of executive functioning.
Based on the findings, it can be concluded that executive functioning is significantly associated with participation in extracurricular activities. The results have important implications for educational practice, as they highlight the value of students’ involvement in extracurricular activities as a complement to formal education and underscore the importance of executive functions as a factor influencing success and effectiveness not only in the school context but also in everyday activities.
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