The following study examined the relationship between participation in extracurricular activities and academic outcomes, such as achievement and behavioral engagement and self-concept, in an at-risk group of middle school students. The researchers hypothesized that if a relationship existed between extracurricular participation and academic outcomes, then self-competence beliefs would mediate this relationship and that these relationships would remain significant after controlling for the previous years’ academic outcomes and self-concept. Consistent with the hypothesis, there was a positive relationship between extracurricular participation and achievement. However, this relationship was no longer significant after controlling for the previous years’ achievement. Inconsistent with the hypothesis, the relationship between extracurricular participation and classroom engagement was not significant. As expected, the positive relationship between extracurricular participation and self-concept was significant and remained significant after controlling for the previous years’ self-concept. The implications of these findings and avenues for further research are discussed
