A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE CONCEPT OF EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5944/educxx1.25765Keywords:
Extracurricular activities, socio-cultural activities, higher education, training, systematic review.Abstract
An area of research in higher education is recently being developed
showing evidence that structured extracurricular activities have a positive
impact on the overall education of students (Ivanova & Logvinova,
2017). The existing work is mostly empirical and identifies some relevant
contributions. However, there is no systematic review of the set of functions
and the benefits derived from them. Furthermore, the concept and typology
of extracurricular activity itself remains ambiguous and there is no generally
accepted definition or classification yet (Greenbank, 2015).
In this context, the objectives of this article are the following: (a) to
describe the concept and typology of extracurricular activities in higher
education; and (b) to identify their main functions and benefits for the
integral human development of students. The methodology followed the
PRISMA statement for systematic reviews (Moher, Liberati, Tetzlaff &
Altman, 2009). The studies were selected from the WoS, Scopus and ERIC
databases and were analysed according to the research objectives.
The analysis of the 50 selected research papers contributes to the
academic literature regarding not only the concept and typology of
extracurricular activities but also their effects on student employability,
academic performance, well-being, adaptation to university life and social
participation and transformation. The benefits of these activities in terms of
the development of personal, social and professional skills are also reviewed.
Finally, this systematic review highlights the need to carry out further
research into what extracurricular training in higher education means, as
well as the importance of promoting such training in order to promote the
integral human development of students in higher education.
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