Abstract
This longitudinal study examined the effects of extracurricular activities on junior high school students' satisfaction with school. Between 1999 and 2001, 131 pupils (in seventh grade at the time of the initial data collection) completed four-wave questionnaires. The results showed that active engagement in extracurricular activities had a positive effect on school satisfaction, even when controlling for the initial levels of students' academic competence. Although active engagement in extracurricular activities and high level of academic competence related directly and concurrently to high level of satisfaction with school, only active engagement in extracurricular activities led to growth in school satisfaction. Conversely, satisfaction with school and academic competence may affect the growth of students' active engagement in extracurricular activities.
