Sociological approach to the analysis of structured extracurricular activities and school performance among children with disabilities

The article discusses the correlation between structured extracurricular activities and the performance of children with disabilities. This interrelation is theoretically substantiated and studied in various social sciences, including sociology. The positive relationship of these variables can be explained through the prism of sociological theories, thanks to the scientific work of sociologists Coleman, Bourdieu and Portes. The author provides an overview of the theoretical rationale for the positive impact of extracurricular activities on student performance at school: “development models”, Coleman’s hypothesis “on leadership in the crowd”, the concept of “social capital”. The correlation between structured extracurricular activities and academic achievement is also supported by empirical research around the world. However, at the moment, insufficient attention has been paid to studying this issue on groups of children with disabilities, for whom additional classes are an important resource for adaptation to social life, including after receiving secondary education. The discussion about the interconnection of these parameters is rarely traced in the field of the social sciences either. The sample of the field study carried out by the author included students from correctional programmes at a boarding school in a Russian city with a population of one million. Using the method of linear regression analysis, models were built in which the students average score in school subjects was predicted based on data on the duration of their studies in additional programmes in art and sports. The results of the analysis showed that the duration of classes in art sections is positively associated with the school performance of children with mental disorders both in primary and secondary school, that indicates the importance of such classes for achieving success in learning and, as a result, for successful adaptation to life after school. Activities in sports clubs do not significantly affect the school performance of children from this sample, but neither they have a negative impact. The conclusions obtained by the author are of practical importance for the heads of Russian correctional schools, who make decisions on the need to develop additional education for students on the basis of their educational institutions and for the state authorities supervising these institutions.