INDIVIDUAL FACTORS AND STUDENT INVOLVEMENT IN EXTRA CURRICULAR

ACTIVITIES

By
Prabhashini Wijewantha
Lecturer (Probationary)
B.Sc (HRM) Special (USJP), reading for MBA (UOC)
Department of Human Resource Management,
Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies
University of Kelaniya
prabha2274@gmail.com
0718 227771 / 0776651758
INDIVIDUAL FACTORS AND STUDENT INVOLVEMENT IN EXTRA CURRICULAR
ACTIVITIES

Abstract

Universities are not only places of knowledge creation and dissemination but they have a
broad mission: developing and molding a “whole student”. Extracurricular activities are
activities performed by students, outside the realm of the normal curriculum of university
education. A deep investigation using available sources of literature indicates that there is a
knowledge gap especially in the Sri Lankan context with respect to the factors affecting student
involvement in Extra Curricular Activities within university. As such the problem addressed in
the study is how individual factors affect the students’ involvement in Extra Curricular activities
within the university system? Primary data for the study are collected through a self developed,
personally administered structured Questionnaire. Circumstances justifies that this study should
be conducted among the 2nd and 3rd Year undergraduates when considering Faculty of
Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya. The sampling technique that is
used could be identified as Systematic Sampling which is a Complex or Restricted Probability
Sampling Method. A sample of 100 undergraduates is selected for the study. The hypotheses are
tested using both the critical value approach and the p-Value Approach by using the PHStat
software used along with the versions of MS Excel. Based on the study it was concluded that
there is no association between the individual factors of gender, ethnicity, religion, school
attended, location of home town and family income level where as there is an association
between the relationship status of undergraduates and their involvement in extracurricular
activities. Further this creates the need to investigate whether the extracurricular activities
available for students at university develop the employable undergraduate required by the world
of work. As if it is not delivered there is no point in continuing student engagement in them as
they do not develop anything for the benefit of both the student and the society.