Co-curricular Activities and Its Contribution for Psychosocial Skills Development of Students in Upper Primary Schools of Sinana Woreda, Bale Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia

Abstract

The purpose of this research article was to explore co-curricular activities and its contributions for psychosocial skill development of students in upper primary schools of sinana Woreda, Bale zone, Oromia. Pragmatic research paradigm that require mixed research approach more specifically a quantitative dominateconcurrent triangulation research design  was used to assess co-curricular activities and its contributions for psychosocial skill development of students in upper primary schools of sinana Woreda, Bale zone, Oromia.. The study population consisted of 36 upper primary schools, 2484 co-curricular member students,and 180 co-curricular activity coordinating teachers. Systematic and simple random sampling design were used to select samples of 332 students and ten schools. From the selected ten schools, ten vice directors and 50 selected co-curricular activity coordinating teachers were purposively and simple random sampling techniques were used to approach individual samples The instruments used in data collection were questionnaires and interview questions.Data were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequencies tables, mean, and standard deviation and inferential statistics, F-test of one-way ANOVA.  Qualitative data collected by means of interview were analyzed by means of narration, direct quotations and paraphrasing of the response of the respondents. The analysis made showed that there were active students’ engagement and practicing different types of activities in co-curricular activity program in upper primary schools of Sinana Woreda.In addition, the findings of the study revealed that were accounts for more than 78.9% revealed that co-curricular activities held in upper primary schoolsof Sinana Woreda were contributed much to the psychosocial skills developmentof the students. However, there were unresolved challenges that hindered students’ effective and efficient devotion to their fullest capacity to do well in co-curricular activities. Therefore, to overcome such challenges and further enhance student’s role in co-curricular activities, it was suggested that students, co-curricular activity coordinating teachers, school administration, and school community together with woreda education office have to give special attention to actively engage students,follow up, monitor, and provide all necessary financial and material supply for co-curricular activities.

Keywords: Co-curricular, Psychosocial, Practice, Challenges, and Skill development

DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/9-23-03

Publication date: December 31^st 2019