Extracurricular Activities Boost Pre-Service Teachers' Competencies

A recent study published in the Journal of Intelligence has found that extracurricular activities have a positive impact on the cognitive, emotional, and social skills of pre-service teachers. The research, conducted at Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University in Turkey, analyzed data from 775 pre-service teachers and found that extracurricular participation significantly influenced self-efficacy, professional interest, self-regulation, teacher-student relationships, and academic achievement. The study highlights the strategic importance of extracurricular activities in teacher education programs and emphasizes the need for holistic approaches beyond traditional academic metrics.

Key Takeaways:

• The study investigated the development of cognitive, emotional, and social skills in pre-service teachers through extracurricular activities, addressing 21st-century challenges in preparing educators for diverse learning environments.
• The research employed predictive correlational methodology based on an integrated theoretical framework combining Social Cognitive Theory, Self-Determination Theory, Self-Regulation Theory, and Interpersonal Relationships Theory within formal-informal learning contexts.
• Data from 775 pre-service teachers across multiple disciplines at a Turkish university were analyzed using structural equation modeling, with results showing that extracurricular participation significantly influenced self-efficacy, professional interest, self-regulation, teacher-student relationships, and academic achievement.
• Notably, an unexpected negative relationship emerged between self-efficacy and academic achievement, indicating distinct developmental pathways for professional versus academic competencies.
• The model demonstrated strong explanatory power for self-efficacy, professional interest, self-regulation, and teacher-student relationships, while explaining only 1.8% of academic achievement variance.
• The findings emphasize the strategic importance of extracurricular activities in teacher education programs and highlight the need for holistic approaches beyond traditional academic metrics.
• The research contributes to Sustainable Development Goal 4 by providing empirical evidence for integrating experiential learning opportunities that serve both academic researchers and educational practitioners.

Statistics:

• 775 pre-service teachers participated in the study.
• 71.1% of the participants were female.
• The instrument 'Scale on the Contribution of Extracurricular Activities to Professional Development' was developed and validated through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, yielding a five-factor structure with strong reliability indicators (Cronbach's a = 0.91-0.93; CR = 0.816-0.912; AVE = 0.521-0.612).
• Structural equation modeling (ch/df = 2.855, RMSEA = 0.049, CFI = 0.93, TLI = 0.92) was used to analyze the data.
• The model explained 72.8% of self-efficacy variance, 78.7% of professional interest variance, 77.2% of self-regulation variance, and 63.1% of teacher-student relationships variance.
• Academic achievement variance was explained by only 1.8%.

Sources:

• The Impact of Extracurricular Activities on Pre-Service Teacher Professional Development: A Structural Equation Modeling Study. Journal of Intelligence, 2025;13(7).
• Funda Uysal, Dept. of Curriculum and Instruction, Faculty of Education, Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, 15030 Burdur, Turkey.
• Mdpi, St Alban-Anlage 66, Ch-4052 Basel, Switzerland.