International Journal of

ADVANCED AND APPLIED SCIENCES

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

Frequency: 12

line decor
  
line decor

 Volume 13, Issue 6 (June 2026), Pages: 223-233

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

 Original Research Paper

Extracurricular engagement and its influence on positive youth development among Vietnamese university students

 Author(s): 

Thao Pham Huong 1, *, Thao Pham Thi Minh 2, Huy Duong 3, Trang Do Thi My 4, Hai Pham Hong 5

 Affiliation(s):

1Faculty of Business Management, National Economics University, Hanoi, Vietnam
2Institute for Sustainable Development, National Economics University, Hanoi, Vietnam
3Finance and BIA, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, United States
4Faculty of Development Economics, VNU University of Economics and Business, Hanoi, Vietnam
5Faculty of Business Administration, University of Finance-Marketing, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

 Full text

    Full Text - PDF

 * Corresponding Author. 

   Corresponding author's ORCID profile:  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8243-8780

 Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

 
https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2026.06.021

 Abstract

Extracurricular activities (ECAs) play an important role in shaping the developmental paths of university students, particularly in Vietnam, where higher education institutions increasingly emphasize holistic student development. This study investigates the effects of ECAs on Positive Youth Development (PYD) among Vietnamese university students by drawing on established theoretical frameworks, including Bundick’s theory of meaningful participation, Lerner’s developmental systems theory, and Benson’s ecological model. Survey data were collected from 1,169 students. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) were used to validate the measurement scales and test the proposed relationships. The results show that ECAs significantly contribute to PYD, although the strength of their effects differs across activity domains. Academic activities demonstrate the strongest and most consistent influence on life satisfaction, sense of purpose, and hope for the future. Arts-related activities particularly enhance optimism and hope, while sports activities produce stable developmental benefits across all outcomes regardless of participation duration. Volunteering improves life satisfaction and sense of purpose but does not significantly influence hope. Multi-group SEM analysis further indicates that greater time investment strengthens the developmental effects of academic and arts activities, while the effects of sports and volunteering remain stable over time. Overall, ten of the twelve direct hypotheses and two of the four moderation hypotheses were supported. These findings highlight the differentiated roles of ECAs in student development and emphasize the importance of both the type and duration of participation within the Vietnamese higher education context.

 © 2026 The Authors. Published by IASE.

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

 Keywords

Extracurricular activities, Positive youth development, University students in Vietnam, Structural equation modeling, Student life satisfaction and purpose

 Article history

Received 2 October 2025, Received in revised form 9 March 2026, Accepted 25 June 2026

 Acknowledgment

This research was funded by the Ministry of Education and Training through the state budget for science and technology research, under project code B2023.KHA.03. 

 Compliance with ethical standards

 Ethical considerations

Participation was voluntary, and informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to data collection. All responses were collected anonymously, and the data were kept confidential in accordance with institutional and international ethical guidelines. 

 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:

Huong TP, Minh TPT, Duong H, My TDT, and Hong HP (2026). Extracurricular engagement and its influence on positive youth development among Vietnamese university students. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 13(6): 223-233

  Permanent Link to this page

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

 References (26)

  1. Barber BL, Eccles JS, and Stone MR (2001). Whatever happened to the jock, the brain, and the princess? Young adult pathways linked to adolescent activity involvement and social identity. Journal of Adolescent Research, 16(5): 429-455. https://doi.org/10.1177/0743558401165002   [Google Scholar]
  2. 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]
  3. Benson P and Scales PC (2009). The definition and preliminary measurement of thriving in adolescence. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 4(1): 85-104. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760802399240   [Google Scholar] PMCid:PMC11868675
  4. Boat AA, Poparad H, Seward MD, Scales PC, and Syvertsen AK (2024). The role of organized activities in supporting youth social capital development: A qualitative meta-synthesis. Adolescent Research Review, 9: 543-562. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40894-024-00235-1   [Google Scholar] PMid:39131168 PMCid:PMC11315742
  5. Bruner MW, McLaren CD, Sutcliffe JT, Gardner LA, Lubans DR, Smith JJ, and Vella SA (2023). The effect of sport-based interventions on positive youth development: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 16(1): 368-395. https://doi.org/10.1080/1750984X.2021.1875496   [Google Scholar]
  6. Bundick MJ (2011). Extracurricular activities, positive youth development, and the role of meaningfulness of engagement. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 6(1): 57-74. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2010.536775   [Google Scholar]
  7. Bundick MJ, Yeager DS, King PE, and Damon W (2010). Thriving across the life span. In: Lerner RM and Overton WF (Eds.), The handbook of life-span development: Volume 1. Cognition, biology, and methods. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, USA. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470880166.hlsd001024   [Google Scholar]
  8. Damon W (2004). What is positive youth development? The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 591(1): 13-24. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002716203260092   [Google Scholar]
  9. Diener ED, Emmons RA, Larsen RJ, and Griffin S (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49(1): 71-75. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa4901_13 PMid:16367493   [Google Scholar] PMCid:PMC11638665
  10. Eccles JS and Barber BL (1999). Student council, volunteering, basketball, or marching band: What kind of extracurricular involvement matters? Journal of Adolescent Research, 14(1): 10-43. https://doi.org/10.1177/0743558499141003   [Google Scholar]
  11. Eccles JS, Barber BL, Stone M, and Hunt J (2003). Extracurricular activities and adolescent development. Journal of Social Issues, 59(4): 865-889. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.0022-4537.2003.00095.x   [Google Scholar]
  12. Feldman AF and Matjasko JL (2005). The role of school-based extracurricular activities in adolescent development: A comprehensive review and future directions. Review of Educational Research, 75(2): 159-210. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543075002159   [Google Scholar]
  13. Fredricks JA and Eccles JS (2006). Is extracurricular participation associated with beneficial outcomes? Concurrent and longitudinal relations. Developmental Psychology, 42(4): 698-713. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.42.4.698   [Google Scholar] PMid:16802902
  14. Gardner M, Roth J, and Brooks-Gunn J (2008). Adolescents' participation in organized activities and developmental success 2 and 8 years after high school: Do sponsorship, duration, and intensity matter? Developmental Psychology, 44(3): 814–830. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.44.3.814   [Google Scholar] PMid:18473646
  15. Larson RW (2000). Toward a psychology of positive youth development. American Psychologist, 55(1): 170-183. https://doi.org/10.1037//0003-066X.55.1.170   [Google Scholar] PMid:11392861
  16. Larson RW and Verma S (1999). How children and adolescents spend time across the world: Work, play, and developmental opportunities. Psychological Bulletin, 125(6): 701-736. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.125.6.701   [Google Scholar] PMid:10589300
  17. Lerner RM (2017). Liberty: Thriving and civic engagement among America's youth. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, USA.   [Google Scholar]
  18. Lerner RM and Benson PL (2003). Developmental assets and asset-building communities: Implications for research, policy, and practice. Springer, New York, USA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0091-9   [Google Scholar]
  19. Logan WL and Scarborough JL (2008). Connections through clubs: Collaboration and coordination of a schoolwide program. Professional School Counseling, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.5330/PSC.n.2010-12.157   [Google Scholar]
  20. Mahoney JL and Stattin H (2000). Leisure activities and adolescent antisocial behavior: The role of structure and social context. Journal of Adolescence, 23(2): 113-127. https://doi.org/10.1006/jado.2000.0302   [Google Scholar] PMid:10831137
  21. Mahoney JL, Schweder AE, and Stattin H (2002). Structured after‐school activities as a moderator of depressed mood for adolescents with detached relations to their parents. Journal of Community Psychology, 30(1): 69-86. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.1051   [Google Scholar]
  22. Marsh HW (1992). Extracurricular activities: Beneficial extension of the traditional curriculum or subversion of academic goals? Journal of Educational Psychology, 84(4): 553-562. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.84.4.553   [Google Scholar]
  23. Marsh HW and Kleitman S (2003). School athletic participation: Mostly gain with little pain. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 25(2): 205-228. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.25.2.205   [Google Scholar]
  24. Palen LA and Coatsworth JD (2007). Activity-based identity experiences and their relations to problem behavior and psychological well-being in adolescence. Journal of Adolescence, 30(5): 721-737. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2006.11.003   [Google Scholar] PMid:17222899
  25. Ryff CD (1989). Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57(6): 1069-1081. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.57.6.1069   [Google Scholar]
  26. Snyder CR, Harris C, Anderson JR, Holleran SA, Irving LM, Sigmon ST, Yoshinobu L, Gibb J, Langelle C, and Harney P (1991). The will and the ways: Development and validation of an individual-differences measure of hope. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60(4): 570-585. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.60.4.570   [Google Scholar] PMid:2037968 PMCid:PMC11868675