Caribbean Youth and Resilience: Exploring Levels of Engagement in Extracurricular Activities, Leadership Traits and Their Effects on the Resilience of Grenadian Youth

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to analyze the influence of extracurricular activity leaders on the resilience of secondary grade students. A large body of research has documented extracurricular activities for its compensatory and protective functions. As a result, youth living within socioeconomically disadvantaged communities can benefit from participating in extracurricular activities. The objective of this study was to explore levels of engagement in extracurricular activities and leadership traits’ interactions in the explanation of students’ resilience. The sample of this quantitative correlational study consisted of 150 Grenadian youth, ages 13 to 16. Participants completed the Grenadian Youth Engagement and Leadership Trait questionnaire, Student Resilience Survey, and the Grenadian Youth and Resilience Study Demographic questionnaire collecting sociodemographic data. The results show a statistically non-significant effect of levels of engagement on students’ resilience. However, this study found a statistically significant effect of leadership traits observation on the overall resilience of school-aged youth. These results support the study research question that an influential leader in extracurricular activities functions as a protective mechanism for positive youth development. This study is unique in its analysis of data collected on the trait theory of leadership and student resilience separately and provides invaluable information about the understudied population of school-aged Grenadian youth. Study conclusions support the significance of particular leadership traits impacting student resilience and the integration of extracurricular activities within schools and communities.