International Journal of

ADVANCED AND APPLIED SCIENCES

EISSN: 2313-3724, Print ISSN: 2313-626X

Frequency: 12

line decor
  
line decor

 Volume 12, Issue 8 (August 2025), Pages: 129-138

----------------------------------------------

 Original Research Paper

The role of extracurricular activities in university education: Student engagement and institutional management

 Author(s): 

 Thanh Thi Nguyen 1, Lan Thi Ha Nguyen 1, *, Cuong Van Trinh 2, Thoan Thi Duong 1

 Affiliation(s):

  1Faculty of Psychology and Education, Hong Duc University, Thanh Hoa Province, Vietnam
  2Faculty of Management, University of Transport Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam

 Full text

    Full Text - PDF

 * Corresponding Author. 

   Corresponding author's ORCID profile:  https://orcid.org/0009-0007-5190-0139

 Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2025.08.013

 Abstract

This study investigates students’ awareness and engagement levels, evaluates the effectiveness of organizational structures, and identifies key factors influencing the success of extracurricular programs. A survey of 415 participants, including 50 management staff, 35 Youth Union and Student Association officials, and 330 students from various faculties, was conducted using structured questionnaires on student participation, institutional support, and management performance. Statistical analyses, including percentage distributions, mean scores, and ranking assessments, were used to interpret the data. Results indicate that public service and volunteer activities (X̅ = 2.61) and physical education (X̅ = 2.60) show the highest participation rates, while political and ideological education (X̅ = 2.53) ranks lowest. Leadership support (X̅ = 2.93) and organizational capacity (X̅ = 2.92) are identified as the most critical factors for success, though challenges remain in interdepartmental coordination and resource allocation. The study concludes that while extracurricular activities significantly benefit students’ holistic development, their impact depends on effective management and institutional support. Universities should prioritize interdepartmental collaboration, increase resource investment, and tailor programs to student interests. Future research should address motivational barriers and institutional constraints to further enhance participation.

 © 2025 The Authors. Published by IASE.

 This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

 Keywords

 Extracurricular activities, Student engagement, Institutional support, Organizational management, Higher education

 Article history

 Received 1 March 2025, Received in revised form 13 July 2025, Accepted 18 July 2025

 Acknowledgment

No Acknowledgment. 

 Compliance with ethical standards

 Ethical considerations

This study adhered to the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and the APA Code of Conduct. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants after informing them about the study’s purpose and their right to withdraw at any time without consequence. Participation was voluntary, and to ensure confidentiality, all responses were anonymized with personal identifiers removed prior to analysis.

 Conflict of interest: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

 Citation:

 Nguyen TT, Nguyen LTH, Trinh CV, and Duong TT (2025). The role of extracurricular activities in university education: Student engagement and institutional management. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 12(8): 129-138

  Permanent Link to this page

 Figures

  No Figure

 Tables

  Table 1  Table 2  Table 3

----------------------------------------------   

 References (28)

  1. Astafurova OA, Kulagina II, and Kharlamova II (2023). The use of functional modeling in the organization of extracurricular educational work of the university. Development of Education, 6(4): 12-19.  https://doi.org/10.31483/r-109142    [Google Scholar]
  2. Astin AW (1984). Student involvement: A developmental theory for higher education. Journal of College Student Personnel, 25(4): 297–308.    [Google Scholar]
  3. Bakhmetieva I, Bezrukova V, Gorbunov V, Vostroilova E, and Khrenova N (2020). Extracurricular activities at the faculty of foreign languages: An educational aspect. In the Proceedings of ADVED 2020- 6th International Conference on Advances in Education: 103-107.  https://doi.org/10.47696/adved.202073    [Google Scholar]
  4. Bartkus KR, Nemelka B, Nemelka M, and Gardner P (2012). Clarifying the meaning of extracurricular activity: A literature review of definitions. American Journal of Business Education, 5(6): 693-704.  https://doi.org/10.19030/ajbe.v5i6.7391    [Google Scholar]
  5. Bodolica V, Spraggon M, and Badi H (2021). Extracurricular activities and social entrepreneurial leadership of graduating youth in universities from the Middle East. The International Journal of Management Education, 19(2): 100489.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2021.100489    [Google Scholar]
  6. Brooks R, Gupta A, Jayadeva S, Abrahams J, and Lažetić P (2020). Students as political actors? Similarities and differences across six European nations. British Educational Research Journal, 46(6): 1193-1209.  https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3628    [Google Scholar]
  7. Buckley P and Lee P (2021). The impact of extra-curricular activity on the student experience. Active Learning in Higher Education, 22(1): 37-48.  https://doi.org/10.1177/1469787418808988    [Google Scholar]
  8. Chapman G, Emambocus W, and Obembe D (2023). Higher education student motivations for extracurricular activities: evidence from UK universities. Journal of Education and Work, 36(2): 138-152.  https://doi.org/10.1080/13639080.2023.2167955    [Google Scholar]
  9. Díaz-Iso A, Eizaguirre A, and García-Olalla A (2019). Extracurricular activities in higher education and the promotion of reflective learning for sustainability. Sustainability, 11(17): 4521.  https://doi.org/10.3390/su11174521    [Google Scholar]
  10. Foley C, Darcy S, Hergesell A, Almond B, McDonald M, and Brett E (2024). University-based sport and social clubs and their contribution to the development of graduate attributes. Active Learning in Higher Education, 25(3): 337-354.  https://doi.org/10.1177/14697874221127692    [Google Scholar]
  11. Griffiths T-L, Dickinson J, and Day CJ (2021). Exploring the relationship between extracurricular activities and student self-efficacy within university. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 45(9): 1294-1309.  https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2021.1951687    [Google Scholar]
  12. Guilmette M, Mulvihill K, Villemaire-Krajden R, and Barker ET (2019). Past and present participation in extracurricular activities is associated with adaptive self-regulation of goals, academic success, and emotional wellbeing among university students. Learning and Individual Differences, 73: 8-15.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2019.04.006    [Google Scholar]
  13. Han S and Shin H (2023). Analyzing the effectiveness of student autonomy activity on self-leadership enhancement in university. The Korean Society of Culture and Convergence, 45(11): 1073-1085.  https://doi.org/10.33645/cnc.2023.11.45.11.1073    [Google Scholar]
  14. Hastie PA, Stringfellow A, Johnson JL, Dixon CE, Hollett N, and Ward K (2022). Examining the concept of engagement in physical education. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 27(1): 1-18.  https://doi.org/10.1080/17408989.2020.1861231    [Google Scholar]
  15. Isac C, Iordache AMM, Baltador L, Coculescu C, and Niță D (2023). Enhancing students’ entrepreneurial competencies through extracurricular activities—a pragmatic approach to sustainability-oriented higher education. Sustainability, 15(11): 8708.  https://doi.org/10.3390/su15118708    [Google Scholar]
  16. Javed I and Srivastava AK (2024). An analysis of role of extracurricular activities (ECA) in higher education. Revista Review Index Journal of Multidisciplinary, 4(1): 66-73.  https://doi.org/10.31305/rrijm2024.v04.n01.008    [Google Scholar]
  17. Ji F (2023). The effectiveness of ideological and political education in universities from the perspective of volunteer services. Advances in Educational Technology and Psychology, 7(13): 103-109.  https://doi.org/10.23977/aetp.2023.071316    [Google Scholar]
  18. Le K and Nguyen M (2021). Education and political engagement. International Journal of Educational Development, 85: 102441.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2021.102441    [Google Scholar]
  19. Leksuwankun S, Dangprapai Y, and Wangsaturaka D (2023). Student engagement in organising extracurricular activities: Does it matter to academic achievement? Medical Teacher, 45(3): 272-278.  https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159X.2022.2128733    [Google Scholar] PMid:36240333
  20. Leng J and Zhang W (2024). Study on the path of enhancing the ideological and political education function of volunteer service practice activities of college students in local universities. Frontiers in Humanities and Social Sciences, 4(4): 198-203.  https://doi.org/10.54691/nvekfm87    [Google Scholar]
  21. Li Y (2022). Construction and application of dynamic evaluation system and educational model of college students' mental health. Frontiers in Public Health, 10: 888052.  https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.888052    [Google Scholar] PMid:35570971 PMCid:PMC9106282
  22. Macfarlane B and Tomlinson M (2017). Critiques of student engagement. Higher Education Policy, 30(1): 5-21.  https://doi.org/10.1057/s41307-016-0027-3    [Google Scholar]
  23. Mishra N and Aithal PS (2023). Effect of extracurricular and co-curricular activities on students’ development in higher education. International Journal of Management, Technology and Social Sciences, 8(3): 83-88.  https://doi.org/10.47992/IJMTS.2581.6012.0290    [Google Scholar]
  24. Nasir KR, Marji, Hadi S, Suswanto H, and Nurhadi D (2020). Extracurricular organizations that grow the potential leadership of vocational school students in Indonesia. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 8(12A): 7258-7267.  https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2020.082508    [Google Scholar]
  25. Peng F (2023). Level of involvement in extracurricular activities and employability skills of graduating students. Journal of Education and Educational Research, 6(2): 48-57.  https://doi.org/10.54097/jeer.v6i2.14735    [Google Scholar]
  26. Rezaei N and Mahmoudi Y (2023). The role of extracurricular education in the development of students' job skills. Journal of Study and Innovation in Education and Development, 3(3): 29-39.  https://doi.org/10.61838/jsied.3.3.4    [Google Scholar]
  27. Solehah SM, Arrohmatan, and Murtafi’ah NH (2022). The effort in shaping the character of students through extracurricular activities: A study from the educational management science perspective. Al Wildan: Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan Islam, 1(2): 58-69.  https://doi.org/10.57146/alwildan.v1i2.591    [Google Scholar]
  28. Zhigunova AA (2022). Formation of social security conditions for students in higher education using a personality-oriented information platform to support extracurricular activities. Standards and Monitoring in Education, 10(3): 18-21.  https://doi.org/10.12737/1998-1740-2022-10-3-18-21    [Google Scholar]