Master of Arts in Education Major in MAPEH
Vol. 2 No. 1, January - March 2026 · pages 106–112
Extracurricular activities in MAPEH provide meaningful opportunities for students to develop social skills, strengthen academic habits, and experience holistic growth beyond regular classroom instruction. This study determined the effects of participation in Music, Arts, Physical Education, and Health extracurricular activities on students' social skills and academic success. Specifically, it identified the extracurricular activities in MAPEH, determined the level of student participation, examined the effects of participation on social skills and academic success, tested significant differences in the effects across activity categories, identified challenges encountered by students, and proposed intervention measures to improve participation and performance. The study employed a quantitative, descriptive-correlational research design involving 400 students who were actively participating in MAPEH extracurricular activities. Data were gathered through a structured survey questionnaire measuring participation level, the impact of social skills and academic success, challenges, and recommended improvements. Findings revealed that sports teams had the highest participation frequency and the highest mean participation score, followed by music clubs, art clubs, and health advocacy groups. Participation in sports teams also showed the strongest perceived effect on both social skills and academic success, while music and art clubs likewise contributed positively to communication, teamwork, confidence, creativity, motivation, and academic development. Significant differences were observed in the effects of participation across activity categories, with sports teams demonstrating the strongest impact. The main challenges encountered were time constraints, lack of resources, and limited awareness of some activities. The study concluded that MAPEH extracurricular participation positively influences students' social and academic development and recommended resource support, flexible scheduling, stronger promotion, and inclusive program planning.
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Extracurricular activities have become an important component of holistic education because they provide students with structured learning experiences beyond the formal classroom curriculum. In secondary schools, these activities allow learners to explore talents, develop interpersonal abilities, build discipline, and strengthen school connectedness. Music, Arts, Physical Education, and Health (MAPEH) extracurricular activities are especially valuable because they combine creative expression, physical engagement, teamwork, leadership, and health awareness. Participation in music clubs, art clubs, sports teams, and health advocacy groups provides students with opportunities to apply what they learn in MAPEH while developing competencies essential to personal, social, and academic growth.
Social skills are among the most important developmental outcomes linked to extracurricular participation. Communication, teamwork, empathy, cooperation, leadership, and conflict management are not developed solely through lecture-based instruction; they are strengthened through repeated interaction with peers in meaningful and goal-oriented activities. In MAPEH extracurricular settings, students work with others in rehearsals, performances, competitions, exhibitions, fitness events, advocacy campaigns, and group projects. These contexts require learners to listen, coordinate, share responsibility, respect differences, and contribute to group success.
The OECD explains that social and emotional skills such as cooperation, sociability, curiosity, self-control, and persistence support important life outcomes, including academic achievement, well-being, healthier behaviors, and career aspirations. The link between extracurricular participation and student development is also supported by recent empirical evidence. Wang, Li, and Yao (2024) found that participation in extracurricular arts and sports activities was significantly and positively associated with adolescents' social and emotional skills. Their study further reported that students who participated in both arts and sports activities had higher scores across social and emotional skill dimensions than those who did not participate in such activities.
This finding is relevant to MAPEH because the subject area encompasses both arts-based and sports-related activities, suggesting that a balanced extracurricular program may offer broader developmental benefits than participation in a single activity type alone. Academic success may also be influenced by extracurricular involvement. Participation in structured activities can strengthen time management, persistence, motivation, responsibility, focus, and goal orientation. These qualities are important for students who must balance academic work with club meetings, practices, performances, training sessions, and competitions.
A meta-analysis by Lewis (2005) reported that student outcomes were significantly related to participation in general extracurricular activities and prosocial activities, with both showing notable effects on academic achievement. However, the relationship between extracurricular activities and academic outcomes must be interpreted carefully because achievement is also shaped by prior performance, family support, socioeconomic background, teacher quality, learning resources, and school climate. Extracurricular activities can also support the formation of friendships and a sense of belonging among peers. Schaefer, Simpkins, Vest, and Price (2011) explained that extracurricular activities are settings where adolescents may maintain existing friendships and develop new ones.
This social function is particularly important in secondary education, where peer relationships influence identity, motivation, confidence, and participation in school life. In MAPEH activities, social belonging may be formed through shared goals such as preparing a musical performance, completing an artwork, winning a sports event, or implementing a health advocacy campaign. These shared experiences may improve students' confidence and willingness to engage with others. Despite these benefits, participation in extracurricular activities is not without challenges. Students may encounter time constraints, academic workload, limited resources, insufficient facilities, transportation issues, lack of awareness, low motivation, or limited school support.
These barriers can reduce participation, especially in less visible or less popular activities. In the uploaded thesis, sports teams showed the highest participation and the strongest perceived effects, while health advocacy groups recorded lower participation and impact ratings. This pattern suggests that not all MAPEH extracurricular activities receive equal student engagement, and schools may need targeted interventions to promote balanced participation across music, arts, sports, and health-related programs. Although many studies have examined extracurricular participation in general, there remains a need for school-based evidence focusing specifically on MAPEH extracurricular activities.
MAPEH is distinct because it integrates artistic, physical, cultural, social, and health-related dimensions of learning. Music and arts activities may enhance creativity, expression, and confidence; sports activities may strengthen teamwork, discipline, and resilience; and health advocacy groups may develop responsibility, awareness, and civic engagement. Because these activities contribute differently to student development, it is important to examine which activities students join, how actively they participate, how such participation affects social skills and academic success, and what challenges limit fuller engagement.
Accordingly, the present study determined the effects of participation in extracurricular activities in MAPEH on students' social skills and academic success. Specifically, it identified the extracurricular activities in MAPEH, determined the level of student participation, assessed the perceived effects of participation on social skills and academic success, examined significant differences in effects across activity categories, identified challenges encountered by students, and proposed intervention measures to improve participation and performance. Using a quantitative, descriptive-correlational design with 400 student respondents, the study aimed to generate empirical evidence to guide administrators, teachers, coaches, policymakers, parents, and learners in strengthening MAPEH extracurricular programs as instruments for holistic student development. 2. Method
The study employed a quantitative descriptive-correlational research design to examine the effects of participation in MAPEH extracurricular activities on students' social skills and academic success. The descriptive component was used to identify the types of extracurricular activities in MAPEH, determine the level of student participation, describe the perceived effects of participation on social skills and academic success, and identify the challenges students encounter when joining these activities. The correlational component was used to determine the relationship between students' level of participation in MAPEH extracurricular activities and their perceived social and academic development.
This design was appropriate because the study sought to gather numerical data from student respondents, analyze patterns of participation, and determine whether participation was associated with positive outcomes in communication, teamwork, leadership, motivation, time management, and academic performance. Since the study did not manipulate variables or introduce an intervention, the design allowed the researcher to examine naturally occurring relationships among extracurricular participation, social skills, and academic success. Through this approach, the study generated empirical evidence that served as the basis for proposing intervention measures to strengthen MAPEH extracurricular programs and address barriers to participation. 2.2 Participants The study was of 400 students actively involved in extracurricular activities at selected schools in Music, Arts, Physical Education, and Health.
The respondents were selected through stratified random sampling to ensure representation across relevant student characteristics, including gender, age, grade level, and level of participation in MAPEH activities. They served as the primary source of data because their experiences directly reflected the relationship between extracurricular participation, social skills development, and academic success. The participants were engaged in different MAPEH-related activities, including music clubs, art clubs, sports teams, and health advocacy groups. Through their responses, the study gathered information on their level of participation, perceived effects on communication, teamwork, leadership, motivation, time management, academic performance, and challenges encountered in sustaining involvement.
This participant profile was appropriate because the study required data from learners with direct experience in MAPEH extracurricular activities and the ability to meaningfully evaluate how such participation influenced their social and academic development. 2.3 Instrumentation The study used a structured survey questionnaire as the primary instrument to collect quantitative data on participation in MAPEH extracurricular activities and their effects on students' social skills and academic success. The questionnaire was organized into several sections aligned with the study's objectives. The first section gathered demographic information, such as gender and grade level, while the second section identified the MAPEH extracurricular activities students participated in, including music club, art club, sports team, health advocacy group, and other related activities.
The third section measured participation using frequency indicators and Likert-scale ratings. The succeeding sections assessed the perceived impact of participation on social skills, including teamwork, communication, leadership, and collaboration, as well as academic success in terms of motivation, time management, problem-solving, critical thinking, and performance in other subjects. Another section identified challenges students face, including time constraints, limited resources or facilities, limited awareness, and insufficient support. The final section gathered recommendations for improving participation and program benefits.
The questionnaire underwent content validation by experts in education, MAPEH, and research methodology, and pilot testing was conducted to establish clarity, relevance, and reliability. Through this instrument, the study obtained measurable data necessary for analyzing the relationship between MAPEH extracurricular participation, social skills, academic success, and participation challenges. 2.4 Data Analysis The data collected from the survey questionnaires were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistical techniques appropriate for a quantitative descriptive-correlational study. Descriptive statistics, including frequency counts, percentages, weighted means, and ranking, were used to identify the extracurricular activities in MAPEH, determine the level of student participation, assess the perceived effects of participation on social skills and academic success, and identify the challenges encountered by respondents.
The weighted mean was used to assess the extent of participation and the impact of MAPEH extracurricular activities on students' development. Inferential statistical procedures, including t-test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), were employed to determine whether significant differences existed in the effects of participation across different activity categories and respondent groups. Correlation analysis was likewise utilized to examine the relationship between participation in MAPEH extracurricular activities and students' social skills and academic success. All hypotheses were tested at the 0.05 level of significance.
The results of these statistical analyses provided objective evidence regarding the contribution of MAPEH extracurricular activities to students' social and academic development and served as the basis for recommending intervention measures to enhance participation and program effectiveness.
The results showed that students participated in different extracurricular activities under MAPEH, namely Music Club, Art Club, Sports Team, and Health Advocacy Group. Among these activities, the Sports Team recorded the highest frequency, with 140 participants, followed by the Music Club with 120, the Art Club with 90, and the Health Advocacy Group with 50. This finding indicates that physical education-related extracurricular activities were the most preferred among the respondents, while health advocacy activities had the lowest participation. The result suggests that students were more inclined to join activities that involved active physical engagement, teamwork, competition, and visible school participation.
In terms of participation level, the Sports Team had the highest mean score of 4.5, indicating very high participation. This was followed by Music Club (4.2), Art Club (3.8), and Health Advocacy Group (3.6). These results show that students were generally active in MAPEH extracurricular activities, although participation varied across activity categories. Higher participation in sports and music may be attributed to their popularity, availability, and alignment with students' interests, whereas lower participation in health advocacy groups may suggest the need for stronger promotion, better program design, and more engaging activities.
The effects of participation on social skills were also positive across all MAPEH extracurricular activities. The sports team had the highest social skills impact mean of 4.7, followed by Music Club (4.3), Art Club (4.0), and Health Advocacy Group (3.9). These findings indicate that participation in MAPEH extracurricular activities helped students improve teamwork, communication, leadership, confidence, collaboration, and peer interaction. The strong effect of sports teams suggests that structured physical activities provide frequent opportunities for cooperation, shared goals, discipline, and interpersonal development.
In terms of academic success, the Sports Team again recorded the highest impact mean of 4.4, followed by Music Club with 4.0, Art Club with 3.9, and Health Advocacy Group with 3.7. These results suggest that participation in MAPEH extracurricular activities contributed positively to students' academic development by improving motivation, discipline, time management, problem-solving, and commitment to schoolwork. Although the academic impact scores were slightly lower than the social skills scores, the findings still indicate that extracurricular participation supported both social and academic growth among learners.
The study further revealed significant differences in the effects of participation across activity categories, with sports teams demonstrating the strongest impact on both social skills and academic success. However, the respondents also identified challenges that limited their participation, including time constraints, lack of resources, and limited awareness of some activities. These findings suggest that while MAPEH extracurricular activities provide clear developmental benefits, schools must address participation barriers to maximize their impact. The results support intervention measures such as increased resource allocation, flexible scheduling, stronger promotion of less popular activities, improved facilities, and more inclusive program planning to strengthen student participation and performance.
The finding that sports teams recorded the highest frequency and participation level among MAPEH extracurricular activities suggests that students were more strongly attracted to activities involving physical engagement, teamwork, competition, and visible school representation. This result is consistent with the study of Wang, Li, and Yao (2024), which found that participation in extracurricular arts and sports activities was positively associated with adolescents' social and emotional skills. In the present study, high participation in sports teams suggests that physical education-related activities may provide students with structured opportunities to interact, collaborate, practice discipline, and develop confidence.
However, the lower participation in health advocacy groups suggests that some MAPEH-related activities may require stronger promotion, improved program design, and more meaningful student engagement strategies. The strong positive effect of MAPEH extracurricular participation on students' social skills supports the idea that structured after-school and school-based programs can strengthen interpersonal development. Sports teams had the greatest impact on social skills, followed by music clubs, art clubs, and health advocacy groups. These results indicate that participation helped students develop teamwork, communication, leadership, collaboration, and peer interaction.
Durlak, Weissberg, and Pachan (2010) found in their meta-analysis that after-school programs designed to promote personal and social skills produced significant improvements in students' feelings, attitudes, behavior, and school performance. This corroborates the present finding that MAPEH extracurricular activities can serve as practical settings for developing learners' social competence. The positive effect of participation on academic success further suggests that extracurricular involvement may support academic development when students can balance participation in activities with school responsibilities. In the study, sports teams had the greatest impact on academic success, while music and art clubs also contributed positively.
This implies that MAPEH extracurricular activities may help strengthen motivation, discipline, time management, responsibility, problem-solving, and commitment to schoolwork. The OECD (2024) reported that social and emotional skills are linked to better life outcomes, including academic success, healthier behaviors, reduced anxiety, and stronger aspirations. Thus, the academic benefits observed in this study may be partly explained by the social-emotional and behavioral habits that students develop through consistent participation in structured extracurricular activities. The significant differences in effects across activity categories indicate that not all MAPEH extracurricular activities influence student outcomes equally.
Sports teams demonstrated the strongest impact on both social skills and academic success, while health advocacy groups showed positive but comparatively lower effects. This result suggests that activity structure, visibility, practice frequency, peer involvement, and student interest may influence the level of developmental benefit derived from participation. The finding aligns with Mahoney, Cairns, and Farmer's (2003) work, which linked extracurricular participation with interpersonal competence and educational success, emphasizing that structured activities can contribute to positive youth outcomes. In the present study, the stronger effects of sports teams may be due to their regular practice schedules, team-based goals, performance expectations, and opportunities for leadership and cooperation.
Finally, the challenges identified by the respondents-time constraints, limited resources, and limited awareness-indicate that the benefits of MAPEH extracurricular activities may not be fully realized unless participation barriers are addressed. Time constraints may prevent learners from consistently joining activities, while limited resources and facilities may reduce the quality of program implementation. Limited awareness may also explain why some activities, such as health advocacy groups, had lower participation. Therefore, the proposed intervention measures are justified: schools should allocate resources more equitably, promote less popular activities, provide flexible schedules, support teachers and coaches, and design inclusive programs that allow students with different interests and abilities to participate.
Overall, the findings support the value of MAPEH extracurricular activities as instruments for social development and academic support, provided that schools strengthen accessibility, visibility, and program quality.
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