Bridging the Gap: Linking Co-Curricular Activities to Student Learning Outcomes in Community College Students
type: CreativeWork
description: This study investigated the extent to which participation in co-curricular events enhances the achievement of student-learning outcomes in community college students. One community college in Illinois—Chicago Metropolitan Area Community College (CMACC), a pseudonym—was selected to research based on its robust co-curricular activity programming. A concurrent nested mixed methodology (Plano Clark & Creswell, 2007) was used, nesting quantitative data within qualitative data. To generate quantitative data, a student survey was distributed to 128 students involved with co-curricular activities at CMACC. Participating students were asked to identify their involvement with co-curricular programming and how this participation correlated with the institution’s general education learning outcomes and related objectives. Quantitative data analysis found that participation (in 6 of the 15 co-curricular activity groups at CMACC) was correlated modestly though statistically significant to the achievement of institutional general education learning outcomes. These co-curricular groups include the following: Internship/Co-op, Multicultural, Career/Professional, Service and Awareness, Creative Arts, and Leadership. To generate qualitative data, semi-structured interviews were conducted with individuals familiar with co-curricular programming at CMACC: two student leaders, two student activities staff members, two faculty members, and two student services administrators. Interview participants were asked about their perceptions regarding (a) co-curricular programming and its connection to the achievement of CMACC’s general education learning outcomes, (b) their thoughts about CMACC professionals regarding co-curricular activities, and (c) recommendations to improve the link of co-curricular activities to classroom learning. Chickering’s Theory of Identity Development provided the theoretical framework supporting this study. Qualitative data analysis revealed themes that support co-cu…
abstract: This study investigated the extent to which participation in co-curricular events enhances the achievement of student-learning outcomes in community college students. One community college in Illinois—Chicago Metropolitan Area Community College (CMACC), a pseudonym—was selected to research based on its robust co-curricular activity programming. A concurrent nested mixed methodology (Plano Clark & Creswell, 2007) was used, nesting quantitative data within qualitative data. To generate quantitative data, a student survey was distributed to 128 students involved with co-curricular activities at CMACC. Participating students were asked to identify their involvement with co-curricular programming and how this participation correlated with the institution’s general education learning outcomes and related objectives. Quantitative data analysis found that participation (in 6 of the 15 co-curricular activity groups at CMACC) was correlated modestly though statistically significant to the achievement of institutional general education learning outcomes. These co-curricular groups include the following: Internship/Co-op, Multicultural, Career/Professional, Service and Awareness, Creative Arts, and Leadership. To generate qualitative data, semi-structured interviews were conducted with individuals familiar with co-curricular programming at CMACC: two student leaders, two student activities staff members, two faculty members, and two student services administrators. Interview participants were asked about their perceptions regarding (a) co-curricular programming and its connection to the achievement of CMACC’s general education learning outcomes, (b) their thoughts about CMACC professionals regarding co-curricular activities, and (c) recommendations to improve the link of co-curricular activities to classroom learning. Chickering’s Theory of Identity Development provided the theoretical framework supporting this study. Qualitative data analysis revealed themes that support co-cu…
author: Storey, Katie Lauren
keywords: co-curricular activities, community college, extracurricular activities, higher education, student involvement, student learning outcomes, Community College Leadership
date published: 2010-06-01T07:00:00Z
date modified: 2026-07-24T03:21:28Z
provider: National-Louis University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: National-Louis University