Date of Award

4-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Copyright Status, No Creative Commons License

All Rights Reserved

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership for Diverse Learning Communities

Department

Education

School

School of Education and Human Services

Abstract

This study focused on the narratives of four high school students who did not participate in after-school or extracurricular activities at a suburban high school in the Northeast region of the United States. Understanding participant narratives supported a recognition of the problem that many students were opting out of beneficial non-compulsory school activities. The purpose of this study was to present the narratives and perceptions of students from Northridge High School who shared the reasons they did not participate in any of the available after-school and extracurricular activities. The selected site was nationally recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for academic achievement and closing gaps within education. This narrative inquiry used participant observation, semi-structured interviews with four participants, informal interviews with guidance counselors and administrators, and document analysis to understand the problem of opt-out behaviors among students at this nationally recognized school. While Northridge High School offered more than 46 diverse after-school and extracurricular activities, participant narratives revealed that opting out was not simply a matter of disinterest or apathy. Rather, it was a complex, socially charged decision-making process in which students weighed the perceived benefits and expectations of entering unfamiliar activities. The implications of this work underscore the need for future research to consider a critical, intersectional lens to approach a deeper understanding of the problem of opting out of beneficial after-school programs.

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