A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE CONCEPT OF EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION

An area of research in higher education is recently being developed showing evidence that structured extracurricular activities have a positive impact on the overall education of students (Ivanova & Logvinova, 2017). The existing work is mostly empirical and identifies some relevant contributions. However, there is no systematic review of the set of functions and the benefits derived from them. Furthermore, the concept and typology of extracurricular activity itself remains ambiguous and there is no generally accepted definition or classification yet (Greenbank, 2015). In this context, the objectives of this article are the following: (a) to describe the concept and typology of extracurricular activities in higher education; and (b) to identify their main functions and benefits for the integral human development of students. The methodology followed the PRISMA statement for systematic reviews (Moher, Liberati, Tetzlaff & Altman, 2009). The studies were selected from the WoS, Scopus and ERIC databases and were analysed according to the research objectives. The analysis of the 50 selected research papers contributes to the academic literature regarding not only the concept and typology of extracurricular activities but also their effects on student employability, academic performance, well-being, adaptation to university life and social participation and transformation. The benefits of these activities in terms of the development of personal, social and professional skills are also reviewed. Finally, this systematic review highlights the need to carry out further research into what extracurricular training in higher education means, as well as the importance of promoting such training in order to promote the integral human development of students in higher education.