There's a great deal of research that shows getting involved in campus clubs and activities not only improves retention rates—literally increasing the odds that students stay enrolled in college—but also improves academic outcomes and helps students make connections with peers (because you join groups with classmates who have shared interests) and with faculty and staff.
Below is a sampling of this kind of research, so please skim the following. NO NEED TO READ THE ACTUAL ARTICLES. Just skim this annotated bibliography below.
“Student Involvement in Clubs and Organizations: An Exploratory Study at a Community College.” Author: Derby, Dustin C.
Source: Journal of Applied Research in the Community College, Volume 14, Number 1, Fall 2006, pp. 39-45(7)
Publisher: Montezuma Publishing
- Investigation of student participation in campus organizations and student retention, particularly within the community college sector, has long been neglected. This exploratory study investigates the relationships between four student retention measures and student involvement in campus organizations. Chi-square analysis revealed significant relationships between organizational involvement and degree completion, student retention, and persistence across time.
Research in Higher Education
March 2015, Volume 56, Issue 2, pp 127–145 . 04 November 2014
Student Involvement in Ethnic Student Organizations: Examining Civic Outcomes 6 Years After Graduation .
Nicholas A. Bowman, Julie J. Park, Nida Denson
- Few college experiences elicit as much controversy as racial/ethnic student organizations. Critics argue that these student groups promote racial division and segregation, whereas supporters counter these claims and suggest instead that they facilitate college adjustment, learning, and growth. Clearly, some students are quite predisposed to participate (or not participate) in these organizations, which can lead to significant challenges when trying to determine the impact of this form of engagement. The present study used multilevel propensity score matching analyses to explore the relationships between racial/ethnic student organizations and post-college civic outcomes within a 10-year longitudinal sample of 8,634 alumni from 229 institutions. The results indicate that participation is significantly and positively associated with numerous civic behaviors and attitudes 6 years after graduation. Moreover, these findings are similar regardless of race/ethnicity, gender, or institution.
Satisfaction with Campus Involvement and College Student Academic Success
Pauley, Carissa (2019) Satisfaction with Campus Involvement and College Student Academic Success. The University of Mississippi.
- Previous research has shown there are multiple benefits to overall development and well-being of an individual when they obtain social belongingness (Begen & Turner-Cobb, 2015; Maslow, 1943; Osterman, 2000; Sirgy, 1986). Additionally, social belonging has been shown to have multiple positive effects in the lives of college students (Pittman and Richmond, 2008). The main objective of this study was to help determine whether the satisfaction a college student feels toward the quantity and quality of their social involvement in campus organizations is a predictor of academic success. Participants completed measures assessing academic involvement, satisfaction with The University of Mississippi, quality of campus interpersonal relationships, satisfaction with life, social involvement, peer attachment, satisfaction with involvement, and demographics. There was a positive correlation between student involvement and GPA, r = .202, p = .043, n = 101. Academic involvement, satisfaction with college, quality of interpersonal relationships on campus, satisfaction with life, number of campus organizations, and peer attachment, significantly predicted that semester’s official GPA, F(9, 98) = 2.510, p = .013. Furthermore, there is a meaningful difference in students’ satisfaction with their level of involvement between students who do not have any campus involvement and students who are involved in just one organization. This research is meaningful because it shows that getting involved in campus organizations, even in small amounts, can impact college students’ individual needs and academic success.
Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice
Types of Extracurricular Campus Activities and First-Year Students’ Academic Success
Amanda M. Kulp, Amanda Blakewood Pascale, Matthew GrandstaffFirst Published September 16, 2019
- This research examines the relationships between first-year college students’ attendance at campus-sponsored extracurricular events and grade point average, persistence from fall to spring, and retention to the second year. Students’ attendance at various campus life events over the course of an academic year was tracked by scanning students’ identification cards. Hierarchical regression modeling revealed that first years attending events within a specific category of campus life programming called signature events had significantly higher cumulative grade point averages and better odds of persisting and retaining. The findings from this study add to the body of research on student involvement and engagement, with a specific focus on campus life activities.