ON CAMPUS SUPPORTIVE – LEARNING EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF DALAT

This research is carried out to determine the real performance of supportivelearning extracurricular activities in the Faculty of Foreign Languages at the University of Dalat. In particular, this research will seek to identify the favorable conditions, problems and student expectations linked to these activities. Through this research I will propose solutions to the identified problem areas and further make recommendations for providing supportivelearning extracurricular activities within the Faculty of Foreign Languages. Of particular note, this research will also attempt to investigate the differences, if any, between freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors, and further between male students and female students7 within the faculties of Foreign Languages, socials works, Physics and Mathematics in relation to participating in supportivelearning extracurricular activities. By highlighting some of the supportivelearning extracurricular activities available, my goal is to inform students of these activities and in return gain access to a resource that can improve their academic performance while providing entertainment as well. Using actual situations involving of supportivelearning extracurricular activities within the faculty and comparing it to the corresponding student attitudes, this research will raise practical recommendations that can be used to enhance the experience from the perspective of both the organizers and the participants.

UNIVERSITY OF DALAT FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

DƯƠNG VIỆT HƯNG

ON - CAMPUS SUPPORTIVE – LEARNING EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES AT THE

UNIVERSITY OF DALAT

SUPERVISOR: NGUYỄN TẤT THẮNG, Ph.D

Dalat, May 2010

My thankfulness is also given to my classmates (AVK30D), especially Nguyễn Thị Hoàng Bích and

Vũ Thị Thu Hiền, to Mr Dương Bảo Ninh (Mathematics Department), Ms Dương Thị Thanh Hiên (Physics Department) and Lê Anh Nguyên (AVK30B, Faculty of Foreign Languages), and to friends from the faculties of Mathematics, Physics, and Social Works and Foreign Languages for their great contributions and valuable information during the time of my research

My thankfulness is also given to my classmates (AVK30D), especially Nguyễn Thị Hoàng Bích and

Vũ Thị Thu Hiền, to Mr Dương Bảo Ninh (Mathematics Department), Ms Dương Thị Thanh Hiên (Physics Department) and Lê Anh Nguyên (AVK30B, Faculty of Foreign Languages), and to friends from the faculties of Mathematics, Physics, and Social Works and Foreign Languages for their great contributions and valuable information during the time of my research

TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgement

Abstract

I INTRODUCTION .5

1.1 Rationale 6

1.2 Aims of the research 6

1.3 Research questions .7

1.4 Significance of the research .7

1.5 Limitation of the research .7

II LITERATURE REVIEW 8

2.1 Definition .8

2.2 Characteristics 8

2.3 Opinions about Extracurricular Activities .8

III METHODOLOGY .12

3.1 Subjects .12

3.2 Data collection instruments 13

3.3 Methods of Data Analysis 13

IV FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION .13

4.1 The Reality of Supportive-Learning Extracurricular Activities’ Performance in the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Other Faculties at the University of Dalat 13

4 2 Attitudes of the students of the Faculty of Foreign Languages .15

4.2.1 Students’ discontentment with on- campus extracurricular activities 15

4.2.2 Students’ expectations to the supportive-learning extracurricular activities .16

4.2.2.1 Clubs .16

4.2.2.2 Seminars 17

4.2.2.3 Contests 18

4.3 Differences in Term of Gender .18

4.4 Differences in Term of Year .19

4.4.1 Differences between Freshmen and Sophomores .20

4.4.2 Differences between Freshmen and Juniors 20

4.5 Differences in Term of Faculties 22

4.5.1 Differences between the faculty of foreign languages (FFL) and the faculty of social works (FSW) 22

4.5.2 Differences between the faculty of foreign languages (FFL) and faculty of physics (FP) 23

4.5.3 Differences between the faculty of foreign languages (FFL) and the faculty of math (FM) 24

V CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 26

5.1 Recapitulation 26

5.2 Recommendations 26

REFERENCES 28

APPENDICES 29

Appendix A: QUESTIONNAIRE 29

Appendix B: CRITERIA FOR INTERVIEW 31

Appendix C: TABLES OF OUTPUTS FROM SPSS 32

I INTRODUCTION

1.1 Rationale

The typical student at Dalat University, in particular those part of the Faculty of Foreign Languages, is under an intensive time schedule to complete a heavily weighted curriculum Students struggle to find

a healthy work-life balance between their academic studying and their personal lives For those who

do participate in extra activities, the motivation for joining is more so for health, fun and entertainment rather than for the educational purposes In fact, the average student does not participate

in activities that can support their academic goals That is the reason why students often get into trouble in their studies Many students lack studying skills and as a result they are unable to retain relevant subject-matter knowledge

With global integration now facing many of the world’s economies, employers expect to see more than just an applicant’s studying records and scores What they expect to see is an applicant’s involvements out-of-class activities

Prospective employers want to see a person’s entire personal development rather than just the studying records and scores of the applicants during their time at schools and colleges Therefore, students should seriously evaluate and undertake extracurricular activities in relation to the goal of bolstering their résumés This principle would also apply to individuals looking at pursuing higher education both within and outside of the country

Supportive-learning (also known as learning-supporting) extracurricular activities are a part of the curriculum in every college and university The major goal of these activities is to complement students in their study by providing them with knowledge, information, and experience as well In addition, these activities enhance students with skills and chances such as leadership skills, social skills, and chances for personal development

In essence, supportive-learning extracurricular activities efficiently aid a student’s studying Some common types of supportive-learning extracurricular activities include academic clubs, academic competitions, contests and seminars While most high schools and colleges focus on academics, the majority of students participating in out-of-class activities do so for their own sense of joy and entertainment

Unbeknown to most participants, the benefits of being involved in extracurricular activities typically

go beyond an individual’s sense of entertainment In fact, Lawhorn (2008) states that “athletics, clubs, and other extracurricular activities have benefits beyond the enjoyment they provide These pursuits assist students in developing personally, socially, and intellectually They might even help students to advance their academic and professional goals” So it is through these activities that students have the opportunities to form friendships and to develop social skills In addition, participating in extracurricular activities may help students in their academic performance

As a senior student I have found that thereare few opportunities for students, especially those part of the Faculty of Foreign Languages, to become involved in supportive-learning extracurricular activities around the campus

1.2 Aims of the Research

This research is carried out to determine the real performance of supportive-learning extracurricular activities in the Faculty of Foreign Languages at the University of Dalat In particular, this research will seek to identify the favorable conditions, problems and student expectations linked to these activities Through this research I will propose solutions to the identified problem areas and further make recommendations for providing supportive-learning extracurricular activities within the Faculty

of Foreign Languages

Of particular note, this research will also attempt to investigate the differences, if any, between freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors, and further between male students and female students

within the faculties of Foreign Languages, socials works, Physics and Mathematics in relation to participating in supportive-learning extracurricular activities

By highlighting some of the supportive-learning extracurricular activities available, my goal is to inform students of these activities and in return gain access to a resource that can improve their academic performance while providing entertainment as well Using actual situations involving of supportive-learning extracurricular activities within the faculty and comparing it to the corresponding student attitudes, this research will raise practical recommendations that can be used to enhance the experience from the perspective of both the organizers and the participants

1.3 Research Questions

The research is designed to answer two questions:

1 What is the actual situation of supportive-learning extracurricular activities at the Faculty of Foreign Languages and other three faculties, (Social Works, Mathematics and Physics) at University of Dalat?

2 What are the students’ attitudes towards the organizers and the activities?

1.4 Significance of the Research

The research provides teachers and students in the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Dalat University, with practical insights into supportive-learning extracurricular activities so that they can better and more efficiently arrange, organize and manage activities The result of this research will give students and teachers practical ideas in organizing extracurricular activities, especially the supportive-learning type

1.5 Limitation of the Research

Due to the brief timeframe of the research, the recommendations provided cannot be extended beyond the situations described in this report As a precaution, it is advised that the recommendations provide

be evaluated for relevancy to the reality of our faculty The research results provided are based on

analyzed data collected from 140 randomly selected respondents, ranging from first year to the fourth year students, who answered a survey questionnaire (refer to Appendix A) Due to the limited sample size, the research provided is not representative of the greater student population at the university

II LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Definition

Extracurricular activities may have different meanings in different situations At the mention of extracurricular activities, people often associate it with the entertaining activities or learning-enhancing ones for students on campus In fact, extracurricular activities are those activities held by students, with teachers’ support, and are often performed outside of the regular school hours since they are not part of the academic curriculum

According to the website of answers.com, extracurricular activities are “activities performed by

students that fall outside the realm of the normal curriculum of school or university education.” In addition, Hantal (2007) states that “these activities are optional and usually non-credited educational activities, that can be related or not to the field of studies and conducted during the students’ free time and in the same time these activities are useful for their personal development.”

2.2 Characteristics

Extracurricular activities can be sports (e.g football, volleyball, swimming), theatre (e.g art performances or drama) or participation in academic clubs For those who participate in extracurricular activities, these activities are a great opportunity for them to form social relationships, create mutual experiences with the other people and efficiently support their academic study

As stated on answers.com, extracurricular activities can have a great influence on student’s career as

well as their college admissions Besides high academic achievements, college admissions officers and the employers may consider and evaluate other portions of a person’s CV including the skills and experiences that the candidate has received from extracurricular activities Some of these highly

coveted skills include leadership skills, social skills, time management, organizational skills and personality

While there are many different ways to categorize extracurricular activities, the number and the types

of extracurricular activities varies widely Lawhorn (2008) classifies extracurricular activities into certain types, such as student government, athletics, volunteer and service-related activities (e.g Red Cross, Green Summer Club), arts, academic and professional organizations (academic clubs), and finally academic competitions

Student government: According to Lawhorn (2008), students who are selected and elected by their

fellow classmates will serve as a bridge between all students and their school’s administration Participating in this type of activity offers students a chance to improve their leadership skills within various positions such as president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary Working together, student governments perform activities during their term that includes student-run honor committees, judiciaries, and alumni councils

Athletics: Athletics are often referred to sports, which are the most popular activities in schools and

colleges as well Lawhorn(2008) asserts that athletics are “among the most prominent and popular of extracurricular activities in both high school and college.” Time and efforts are the two basic elements that students have to consider when participating in these activities Participating in athletic activities typically provides students with skills to work in a group and improves the solidarity amongst individuals Moreover, people who join these activities have a preference for an active lifestyle since they can become healthier in the process

Volunteer and service-related activities (e.g Red Cross and Green Summer Club)

These activities help students improve their social communication skills Typically these activities are associated with volunteer organizations College and university students participate in helping people who have suffered from natural disasters or provided educational assistance to people in remote and mountainous areas

Lawhorn (2008) believes that being involved in this type of activity “allows students to meet other socially conscious people and perform rewarding work with them.”

Arts (e.g music and drama): Arts activities within college settings are typically for entertainment

purposes and can include drama, cinema, painting and music In his own research, Lawhorn (2008) showed that art is performed in most high schools and colleges Furthermore, Lawhorn asserts that

“performers don’t just play for their own benefit;” what they often receive is the feedback from the judges and the audience in addition to the friendships formed when working together with their fellow artists

Academic and professional organizations (academic clubs): Academic clubs play a significant role

in campus life Club members are typically those who share similar interest in a particular subject of field of study Examples include English speaking clubs and literature clubs Lawhorn (2008) also agrees with this point of view He explains that many colleges have clubs formed around specific academic subject areas These clubs work to improve their members’ shared interest in the subjects and to aid in academic learning Participating in clubs provides students with knowledge, information, and a chance to discuss the subject beyond the classroom’s scope

Academic competitions: Academic competitions are often referred to intellectual contests that are

held within a school or between schools These competitions can be a multi-subject contest covering a wide range of specific subjects or can be one- subject contest Participating in these kinds of activities, forces students to be qualified and prepare carefully Joining these activities offers students a chance

to express themselves and enrich their own knowledge

Seminar: According to the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary (the seventh Edition, p.1380) ,

a seminar is a class at a university or college where a group of students and a teacher discuss or study

a particular topic With relation to this report, the type of seminar which I am focusing on is one where students or teachers can convene to share their academic experiences about one specific topic

In this type of seminar, students and teachers must prepare their presentation carefully at home before

presenting

Among all of the extracurricular activities listed above, the ones that I will primarily focus on are the academic clubs, academic competitions and the seminars since these three activities can effectively support students in their studies

2.3 Opinions about Extracurricular Activities

Extracurricular activities are always considered an essential component in syllabus design in schools and colleges Because of its crucial role, a lot of research related to this topic has been performed

Historically, extracurricular activities first appeared in American colleges in the 19th century (Wikipedia, 2010) Student-based literary societies originating in Harvard University and Yale University were the first instance of academic extracurricular activities Early athletic programs were also initiated and organized by the American students; in most American colleges and high schools, intercollegiate athletics soon became the dominant type of extracurricular activity

Lawhorn (2008) claims that “academics are the focus of high school and college but for many students, participation in activities outside the classroom is what they enjoy the most.” He also asserts that extracurricular activities like athletics and clubs have benefits beyond the enjoyment they

provide According to Lawhorn, the way these activities complement students is that “these pursuits

assist students in developing personally, socially, and intellectually They might even help students to advance their academic and professional goals.”

Supplementing Lawhorn’s claims are those of Hollrah (2006), where he states that activities are not simply about the records, the scores, the wins or losses or the place It should be noticed that these activities “provide and instruct students with lessons that will last them a lifetime.”

Moreover, Hantal (2007) believed “the extra-curricular activities arrive to complement the academic

education.” He points out that these activities can be useful for students’ personal development

The opinions noted above are concerned with the topic of “extracurricular activities” in general In terms of supportive-learning extracurricular activities, Lawhorn (2008) provides further opinions which correspond to academic clubs and academic competitions For academic clubs he states that

“academic clubs provide students with an opportunity to discuss topics beyond the scope of the classroom.” By giving an example of language clubs, Lawhorn suggests that “allowing students to watch foreign films or eating delicacies that are native to the country of origin, these cultural experiences are enjoyable and help make learning a language more meaningful.” This is one area where the faculty language clubs at the University of Dalat should consider and apply effectively

In terms of academic competitions Lawhorn (2008) states that “it is likely that the study skills of students who are selected for the team are already well developed; however, competitions give them the chance to hone these skills further Participants also learn to work together with other team members.”

by their gender so that further analysis can be done to determine if differences in gender and age exist

To supplement the 140 subjects selected, I performed interviews with three people each from the faculties of Foreign Languages, Mathematics, and Physics, who have knowledge in this area of research These people have responsibility for managing the extracurricular activities within their respective faculty Answers provided through these interviews help develop a description of the extracurricular activities’ performance The first person is Mr Dương Bảo Ninh, the Secretary of Youth League and Assistant Dean of student works for Mathematics Department The second person

is Ms Dương Thị Thanh Hiên, the Secretary of Youth League of Physics Department while the last is

Lê Anh Nguyên former Secretary of Youth League of Foreign Language Faculty

3.2 Data Collection Instruments

A 13-item questionnaire is written in English and distributed to the student body, of which 140 students returned the questionnaire The questions are clear, simple, and easy to understand so that students can answer appropriately The questionnaire can be found in Appendix A

In terms of the interviews, those were carried out in accordance with the topic-related criteria with the three experts coming from faculties of Foreign Languages, Mathematics department, and Physics department The interview criteria are essential data that are used to describe the performance of extracurricular activities in these faculties The interview can be found in appendix B

3.3 Methods of Data Analysis

I used SPSS software, Statistical Package for Social Studies, in order to make the comparisons between groups including gender, year of study, and faculties

IV FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

4.1 The Reality of Supportive-Learning Extracurricular Activities’ Performance in the Faculty

of Foreign Languages and Other Faculties at the University of Dalat

Mr Dương Bảo Ninh, working for Mathematics Department, indicated that the seminars involving learning methods, academic subjects, and methodology appropriating are often organized once a year The participants include both students and the teachers These seminars are usually held in lecture halls and are typically organized by the faculty’s administration and youth Most seminars are related

to Mathematics and computing While it is obvious that the department cares about seminars, the frequency at which they occur and the content which they cover is in fact limited Meanwhile the students demand for greater seminar content and frequency is higher than what is currently offered

Regarding the contests, the Mathematics department has only two annual contests – one on computing knowledge and the other on applied Mathematics These contests are a good opportunity for students

to express themselves and to enrich their knowledge as well

Lastly, when it comes to clubs the department has only one – the Mathematics club This club is held weekly with different topics so the number of participants can fluctuate depending on their topic of interest Ninh claims that while there is only one club, its performance is quite efficient and it can encourage students to do research by giving them VND 50,000 for one presentation

Ms Dương Thị Thanh Hiên, representative for the Physics department, asserts that most of the organized extracurricular activities are related to athletics and art performances rather than clubs, seminars, and contests The Physics department has only a few clubs and those tend to small and private in nature This means that the club is formed by a few members of a class and not by students spread across all of the classes The goal of these clubs is just musical exchange and not for studying purposes It is obvious that the Physics department is in lack of clubs and seminars that can aid a students’ studying For the contests, she says the department intends to hold a small competition named “Ringing Golden Bell” which is targeted towards for all students of the department and will be held annually Consequently, the supportive-learning extracurricular activities at the Physics department are very limited and do not meet students demands for more activities that can effectively support their studies

In the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Mr Lê Anh Nguyên, a former Secretary of Youth League, mentions that activities focused on athletics and art performances are often seen and more popular than clubs, seminars, and contests within the faculty For the clubs, there are only two clubs: English speaking club and a voluntary club The English speaking club is a student-based club where topics are given and then participants can discuss and give their opinion by making a presentation Of course, everything should be prepared and performed in English During club meetings, students can listen to the presentations, ideas and experiences of international and Vietnamese teachers This club

is considered a very good opportunity for students, regardless of their area of study, to practice and

improve their English speaking skills as well as their public speaking skills However, the club does not meet frequently; it often takes place once every three or more weeks More recently, this club has not met for quite some time

In terms of seminars, most of the organized seminars are for teachers only; there seems to be no seminar dedicated to students with the exception of a study-skills seminar that was held last semester Contrary to expectations, the content of this seminar was neither interesting nor efficient

The last area to be mentioned is contests Up until now, there have not been any contests or competitions organized and run by the faculty While there are students participating in several contests hold by the University’s Youth League, such as Ringing Golden Bell, Studying of Hồ Chí Minh’s thoughts, studying of history, or general knowledge, it is clear that there is a lack of supportive-learning extracurricular activities There is high demand from the student body for activities that combine entertainment value with studying support Therefore, the faculty and the teachers should focus more attention to this area and be ready to prepare relevant solutions Overall, the faculties of Foreign Languages, Mathematics, and Physics, have a very weak and limited selection

of supportive-learning extracurricular activities

4 2 Attitudes of the Students of the Faculty of Foreign Languages

4.2.1 Students’ Discontentment With On- Campus Extracurricular Activities

This result is based upon the answer to question number 4 which is “The reason why I am not satisfied

with the activity is…, with six options including facilities, content, time, participants, finance, and organizers”. As illustrated in chart 1 (below), the students in the Faculty of Foreign Languages are mostly unsatisfied with time commitment when they participate in extracurricular activities (33.75%) Most believe that time scheduled for extracurricular activities should be relevant to their schedule; each activity should have a clear timetable during every semester so that they could plan to participate

in advance

Chart 1: Students’ Discontentment With Extracurricular Activities

Another area of concern is the facilities (18.75%) associated with these extracurricular activities Indeed, facilities are an important factor contributing the success of an activity The role of the organizers was a concern identified by only 15% of the respondents yet organizers tend to play a crucial role in every activity Give the results, it is reasonable to find that the success or the failure of

an activity depends greatly on the factors just mentioned

4.2.2 Students’ Expectations to the Supportive-Learning Extracurricular Activities

Chart 2: The Percentage of the Clubs that Students Want to Participate in Most

Respondents were asked the following regarding participation in clubs: “The club that I wish to be in is…” (with four options provided including English- speaking club, writing club, literature club, and linguistic club)

The result, illustrated in the chart above, shows that students are most interested in participating in the English-speaking club In fact, students faced with difficulties in speaking English find that joining an English-speaking club is the easiest way to improve their speaking skills Therefore, it is recommended that the faculty invest greater resources towards creating an English-speaking environment on our campus Additionally clubs devoted to writing, literature, and linguistics should also be explored by the faculty as a means to efficiently support the demands and study-habits of the student population

4.2.2.2 Seminars

In terms of seminars, the question is asked was: “The seminar that I expect to participate in is

about…” (with four choices provided: studying-experiences, subjects offered at FFL, learning methods, and part time job”) From chart 3 (below) it is becomes clear that the disparity in the

respondents’ answers between the four clubs is not large From this it can be surmised that the students share this expectation equally In fact, the Faculty of Foreign Languages often organizes seminars yet they are typically for the teachers only Students rarely have a chance to participate in these seminars and so it is recommended that the faculty provide greater access to seminars that will aid in student learning

Chart 3: The Percentage of the Seminars that Students Want to Participate in Most

A unique item in this section is the notion of part time jobs, which has never been thought about prior Besides studying, the need for a part time job is also necessary for those who want to earn money to

support their study and living This is a unique area that the Faculty of Foreign Languages should pay special attention towards

be about music

be about drawing and designing

Chart 4: Percentage of the Contests that Students Want to Participate in Most

For contests, the question asked was: “the contest that I wish to participate in should… “ (with four options provided: be academic, provide students a chance to debate, be about music, and be about

drawing and designing) As seen in chart 4, it is obvious that students prefer to participate in a contest

that is able to provide them a chance to debate (42.50%) However, up until now there have yet to be any such contest held It is recommended that such a contest be organized in ther near future to meet the growing demand of the student population Moreover, contests focusing on academics and music are also attracting great interest from the students, scoring 22.50% and 26.25% respectively In summary, contests centered on academics, music or drawing and designing should be taken under serious consideration by the faculty since these activities promote positive studying habit while providing entertainment value as well

4.3 Differences in Terms of Gender

As set out in Table A1 (see Appendix C), the results show that all the p’s are greater than 0.05, indicating that there is no statistically significant difference between male and female students with respect to their attitudes toward extracurricular activities

Most male and female students disagreed or were dissatisfied with the time required to organize these activities, with a mean of 3.1667 for male students and a mean of 3.3140 for female students.Students, irrespective of gender, think that the time commitment for these activities is relevant to their schedules in that it should be planned and announced at the beginning of every semester so that students can plan to fully participate Most students agree, with a mean of 1.8148 for male students and a mean of 1.9302 for female students, with the idea that the faculty should invest more in learning-supporting extracurricular activities such as clubs, seminars, and contests

With respect to clubs, both male and female students expect to have specific clubs for specific subjects with a mean of 1.8333 for male students and a mean of 1.9419 for female students Particularly, in the Faculty of Foreign Languages, most of the students expect to join the English speaking club Thus, particular attention should be given to these kinds of clubs in terms of both quality and scale

With respect to seminars, students expect seminars to pertain to specific subjects and learning methods with a mean of 1.8953 for male students and a mean of 2.5185 for female students In addition, seminars regarding study experience and part time jobs are also important to students

With respect to contests, students desire most to participate in those that provide opportunities to debate with a mean of 2.0185 for male students and a mean of 2.3256 for female students In addition, students prefer to join contests that focus on music, academic, drawing and painting It is apparent that students, regardless of gender, strongly desire to have a positive environment in which to either study or entertain Therefore, faculties and teachers should take this into serious consideration in order

to better support students with studying

4.4 Differences in Terms of Year

In the Table B (see Appendix C), the second question that, “I think that our faculty should invest more

in clubs, seminars, and contests”, and the ninth question that, “The faculty and teachers should pay much more attention to the learning- supporting extracurricular activities”, are the only two terms

that are statistically significant, with p = 0.027 and 0.000 respectively These results indicate that these two features show differences between students according to their year of study In order to understand the difference, the following subsections will address the most critical evidence as between certain years of study including: (a) freshmen and sophomores, (b) freshmen and juniors, (c) freshmen and seniors, (d) sophomores and juniors, and (e) juniors and seniors.

4.4.1 Differences Between Freshmen and Sophomores

Levene's Test for Equality of Variances

t-test for Equality of Means

F Sig t Df Sig (2-tailed) DifferenceMean Difference Std Error 95% Confidence Interval of the

Difference

Equal variances assumed .291 591 .758 58 .452 .1500 .1979 -.2462 .5462

.734 35.112 468 1500 2042 -.2646 5646

Equal variances assumed .634 429 .441 58 .661 7.500E-02 .1699 -.2651 .4151

Table 1: Independent Samples Test – Differences Between Freshmen and Sophomores

As set out in Table 1 above, although there are differences between freshmen and sophomore students, these differences are not statistically significant, with p = 0.452 and 0.661 respectively Both freshmen and sophomore students agree and strongly agree with the idea that the faculty should invest and pay much more attention to learning- supporting extracurricular activities such as clubs, seminars and contests with the means fluctuating from 1.5750 to 1.8000 (see Appendix C, B2)

4.4.2 Differences Between Freshmen and Juniors

Levene's Test for Equality of Variances t-test for Equality of Means

F Sig t df Sig (2-tailed) DifferenceMean Difference Std Error

95% Confidence Interval of the Difference

Equal variances

assumed -1.221 24.922 .233 -.2250 .1842 -.6045 .1545 Equal

assumed -3.103 43.221 .003 -.5250 .1692 -.8662 -.1838

Table 2: Independent Samples Test- Differences Between Freshmen and Juniors

Table 2 indicates that, with respect to the issue that the faculty and teachers should pay moreattention

to the learning- supporting extracurricular activities, the difference between freshmen and junior students is statistically significant, with p =0.004 However, this number only shows the difference

between freshmen and junior students in the way they chose agree or strongly agree for the given

issue Most freshmen and junior students agreed or strongly agreed with the notion that the faculty should invest and pay more attention to clubs, seminars and contests with the means fluctuating from 1.6500 to 2.1750 (see Appendix C, B3) However, the number of freshmen who chose the first answer

(strongly agree) was more than that of junior students, indicating that freshmen students have a

stronger desire to participate in such activities and the faculty should offer more practical and concrete solutions to address the demands of such students

For the other comparisons, no statistical differences were found; all the charts of results show small differences between freshmen and senior students (see Appendix C, table B4.1), sophomore and junior students (see Appendix C, table B5.1), sophomore and senior students (see Appendix C, table B6.1) and junior and senior students (see Appendix C, table B7.1) Nevertheless, these small differences still indicate that first year students find it more necessary to participate in these activities

as opposed to the more senior students It is apparent that freshmen students have a desire to become involved in extracurricular activities

4.5 Differences in Terms of Faculties

In Table C1, (see Appendix C), there are three issues that differ statistically The first one is seen with

the question, “I think that our faculty should invest more in clubs, seminars, and contests”, with p = 0.000 The second difference is seen with the question, “I hope that there would be more seminars

with a variety of topics”, with p = 0.003 The last difference is the issue that the “faculty and teachers should pay much more attention to the learning- supporting extracurricular activities”, with p =

0.001 All of these three issues are close-ended questions meant to elicit responses from students to

judge whether such students chose strongly agree, agree, no idea, disagree, or strongly disagree The

difference in the responses is examined in the following detailed comparisons

4.5.1 Differences Between the Faculty of Foreign Languages (FFL) and the Faculty of Social Works (FSW)

Levene's Test for Equality of Variances t-test for Equality of Means

F Sig t df Sig (2- tailed) DifferenceMean Difference Std Error 95% Confidence Interval of the

Difference

Equal variances assumed .262 610 4.139 98 000 .6250 1510 3254 9246

I think that our

4.314 30.841 .000 .6250 1449 3294 9206

Equal variances assumed .183 670 2.930 98 004 .5250 1792 1694 8806

I hope that there

would be more

seminars with a

variety of topics

Equal variances not assumed

3.727 43.464 .001 .5250 1409 2410 8090

Equal variances assumed

1.398 29.845 .172 .2125 1520 -9.8056E-02 5231

Table 3: Independent Samples Test- Differences Between FFL and FSW