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GPA and Extracurricular Activities Correlation

This internal assessment investigates the correlation between participation in extracurricular activities and students' academic performance, measured by GPA. The study finds a strong positive correlation (r=0.93) indicating that increased involvement in extracurriculars is associated with higher GPAs. Limitations include a non-diverse sample size and uncontrolled external factors, but the experience enhanced the author's mathematical skills and understanding of real-life applications of statistics.

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mohammed galal
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
12 views8 pages

GPA and Extracurricular Activities Correlation

This internal assessment investigates the correlation between participation in extracurricular activities and students' academic performance, measured by GPA. The study finds a strong positive correlation (r=0.93) indicating that increased involvement in extracurriculars is associated with higher GPAs. Limitations include a non-diverse sample size and uncontrolled external factors, but the experience enhanced the author's mathematical skills and understanding of real-life applications of statistics.

Uploaded by

mohammed galal
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Internal assessment

Topic: Investigating the relationship between academic performance and


extracurricular activities

Course: mathematics analysis and interpretation


Level: standard level
No. of pages:
Candidate code:
RQ: How is participation in extracurricular activities and student’s academic performance

correlated, as measured by students’ grade point average (GPA)?

Introduction:

Nowadays, the competitive academic environment caused students to join several un-

academic activities which raised the question of how these activities impact their academic

performance. This argument has always been taking place in highschoolers lives for too long.

Some people evidently propose that extracurriculars enhance various skills like time-

management and cognitive ones, while others argue that It’s a distraction that highschooler

choose to refrain from their academic responsibilities. What made me interested in

discovering the relationship between students’ academic performance and extracurricular

activities is that I’m personally engaged to this topic. Through my high-school years I’ve

volunteered in various extracurriculars to enhance my communication skills and build

relationships, however, I never questioned their impact on my academic performance until

my math teacher asked us to come up with our IA ideas. My interference in several

extracurricular activities made me curious to investigate the correlation between these two

variables that might seem like they’re not correlated. This internal assessment aims to

investigate the relationship between student’s interference in extracurriculars and their

academic performance, measured by their grade point average (GPA). This IA’s purpose is to

discover if there’s a statistically significant relationship between both variables by examining

empirical data and applying mathematical analysis.


Exploration:

Hypothesis:

Null hypothesis(H0): There isn’t a statistically significant correlation between extracurricular

activities participated in and the academic performance measured by GPA.

Alternative hypothesis (H1): There is a positive statistically significant correlation between

extracurricular activities participated in and academic performance measured by GPA.

The data regarding this investigation was taken from the research paper by national Lewis

university on 2017

Statistics:

Table 1.0

No. of Mean Cum Standard

extracurriculars GPA deviation

1 2.58 0.593

2 2.65 0.560

3 2.71 0.643

4 2.75 0.607

5 2.84 0.650

Table 1.0 is extracted from the dataset to show an example of the trend, refer to appendices

for the whole dataset


The mean cumulative GPA was calculated by the mean equation:

𝑥
𝑥̅ = ∑
𝑛

𝑥̅ = 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛 ∑ = 𝑠𝑢𝑚 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑠 𝑛 = 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑠

The standard deviation was also calculated by the following equation:

̅ )𝟐
∑(𝒙−𝒙
𝒔=√ 𝒏−𝟏

𝑥̅ = 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝑥 = 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑑𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑛 = 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒

Test 1: Pearson’s correlation coefficient (PCC)

This test allows the determination of the relationship it’s strength between the two variables

Procedures of performing the PCC test:

1. Plotting a scatter plot diagram were number of extracurricular activities is on the (x-
axis) and the cumulative GPA is represented on (y-axis)

Diagram 1.0

Diagram 1.0 is a scatter plot diagram


formulated by the data values in the
dataset table

Refer to the appendices for the data


set.
2. calculate the Pearson’s correlation coefficient
Formula:

r= correlation coefficient
xi= values of x variable in the sample
𝑥̅ = 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑥 − 𝑣𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒𝑠
yi= values of y variable in the sample
𝑦̅= mean of y-variable values
Test conclusion:
After performing the Pearson’s correlation coefficient test the r value came out to be
r=0.93 which shows a significantly strong positive correlation between the variables, showing
that the number of extracurriculars joined by highschoolers directly affects their academic
performance positively.

Test 2: linear regression analysis

Linear regression analysis is such a significant test since it will give insights on how to model
the relationship between the cumulative GPA and the number of extracurriculars.

Linear regression equation: 𝑦 = 𝑚𝑥 + 𝑏


m= slope of regression line
b= y-intercept
x= no of activities (independent variable)
y= cum. GPA (dependent variable)
The steps of the test will go as follows:
Step 1: use 2 points of the data to calculate the slope
Step 2: finding y-intercept by substituting points into the equation
Step 3: graphing the regression line
Step 1: find slope
𝑦2 −𝑦1
𝑚= , substitute points in the equations
𝑥2 −𝑥1
2.65 − 2 ⋅ 58
𝑚= = ≃ 0.07
2−1

Step 2: find y- intercept


2 ⋅ 65 = 0.07(2) + 𝑏
b= 2.51
Step 3: formulate and graph the equation
𝒚 = 0.07𝑥 + 2 ⋅ 51

Conclusion of test:
For every additional extracurricular GPA increases slightly by almost 0.07, when a student
participates in 0 activities their approximate GPA is 2.51

Reflection:
Working on this internal assessment allowed me to explore a topic that was meaningful to me
as a high school student, it gave me deeper insights on the relationship between both
variables. Using tests like Pearson’s correlation coefficient and regression analysis, I
understood how these mathematical models could interfere in real-life phenomena.

Moving on to the strengths of this investigation, relevance was a major strength. As this
investigation applies to highschoolers’ lives. However, many other external factors haven’t
been controlled which might’ve affected the reliability of the data. For instance, the sample
size investigated on wasn’t as diverse which might’ve affected the generalizability of the
data. Inability of taking other external factors like study habits and socioeconomical status
into consideration was also a limitation.
Despite all these limitations, my engagement with all these statistical techniques and how I
adapted with all methods made me proud, it made me discover new skills about myself that I
never knew I could have.

If I were to improve this investigation, I would’ve tested on a larger sample size and to
provide more comprehensive and persice data I would’ve tested the other variables also.

This IA experience was extremely valuable overall, not only by enhancing my mathematical
skills but also by enhancing my understanding on how the math that I’ve been learning
theoretically could be applied in such real-life situations.
Appendices

Raw data table:

Common questions

Powered by AI

The use of linear regression analysis in the study helps to model the quantitative relationship between the number of extracurricular activities and GPA. The regression analysis provided insights into how incremental increases in activity participation impact GPA. The regression equation, y = 0.07x + 2.51, indicates that each additional extracurricular activity is associated with a GPA increase of approximately 0.07, while the y-intercept suggests an average baseline GPA of 2.51 when no extracurriculars are undertaken .

Educational policy could leverage this study's findings to promote extracurricular participation as a strategy to enhance academic performance. Policies could be developed to integrate extracurricular activities into school curricula comprehensively, ensuring all students have equal opportunities to participate. Additionally, resources might be allocated to support a diverse range of activities, accommodating various student interests and potential benefits in time management and cognitive skills development .

Mathematical analysis played a crucial role by providing objective, quantitative measures of the relationship between extracurricular participation and academic achievement. Techniques such as Pearson's correlation coefficient and linear regression analysis quantified the strength and nature of this relationship, translating qualitative observations into statistical evidence. These analyses offered empirical support for the hypothesis that participation positively influences academic performance .

The study identified several limitations, including a lack of diversity in the sample size, which may affect the generalizability of the findings. Uncontrolled external factors like study habits and socio-economic status could also have influenced the results, potentially confounding the relationship between extracurricular activities and GPA. These limitations suggest caution in extrapolating the findings to broader populations, as other variables not considered may play significant roles in students’ academic performance .

Common perceptions hold that extracurricular activities enhance time-management skills by requiring students to balance academic responsibilities with their involvement in these activities. The structured nature of many extracurriculars forces students to allocate time effectively to maintain their academic performance. Additionally, engaging in various activities can develop cognitive skills by exposing students to diverse experiences and challenges that stimulate critical thinking and problem-solving capabilities .

The study found a significantly strong positive correlation between the number of extracurricular activities and students' GPA, as indicated by the Pearson's correlation coefficient result of r=0.93. This suggests that increased participation in extracurricular activities is associated with higher academic performance for high schoolers, as measured by GPA .

Researchers could conduct studies focusing on specific non-academic skills such as leadership, teamwork, or emotional intelligence cultivated through extracurricular activities. These studies could then analyze how these skills indirectly impact academic performance by enhancing student engagement, motivation, or school climate. Mixed-methods research combining quantitative and qualitative approaches would provide comprehensive insights into these dynamics and enrich understanding of the broader impacts of extracurricular engagement .

Controlling for external factors such as study habits and socio-economic status is critical because they can independently influence academic performance. Without controlling these variables, it's challenging to isolate the specific impact of extracurricular activities. For example, a student with strong study habits or from a higher socio-economic background might naturally achieve higher GPAs, complicating the interpretation of the direct effect of extracurricular participation on academic outcomes .

The Pearson's correlation coefficient result of r=0.93 strongly supports the alternative hypothesis (H1), which suggests a positive statistically significant correlation between extracurricular activities and GPA. The strength of this result implies that participating in more extracurricular activities likely benefits students’ academic performance, reinforcing the idea that these activities enhance skills that contribute to higher GPAs .

To yield more comprehensive data, the study's methodology could be improved by including a larger and more diverse sample size, enhancing representativeness. Additionally, the study could control for confounding variables such as study habits or socio-economic status by collecting and analyzing such data. Longitudinal studies could also be employed to examine changes over time, providing deeper insights into causal relationships between extracurricular participation and academic performance .

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