TRANSFER EFFECTS OF CHILDHOOD EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES ON UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ RESILIENCE AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

A QUANTITATIVE STUDY AMONG ARCHITECTURE STUDENTS

Absztrakt

This study presents the results of quantitative empirical research examining the relationships between childhood extracurricular activities – music, visual arts, and sports – and the resilience and academic performance of university students. The theoretical framework is grounded in the theory of psychological transfer effects and the multidimensional model of resilience. Data were collected from 197 architecture students at the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology of the University of Pécs using a structured survey questionnaire incorporating the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC 25). Participants were analysed across eight activity-combination groups. Results indicate that students engaged in all three activities show significantly higher resilience scores (M = 77.31; SD = 14.61) compared to the control group (M = 64.46; SD = 18.61; t(40) = 2.42; p = .020; d = 0.81). Secondary school GPA was also significantly higher (t(40) = 2.77; p = .009; d = 0.92); however, the current semester average did not differ significantly (p = .207). A significant positive Pearson correlation was found between number of activities and resilience (r = .149; p = .037), confirmed by dose-response analysis (χ²(3) = 7.86; p = .049; V = .200). Sport participation is the strongest resilience predictor in the sample (d = 0.61, medium effect; p = .001), while visual arts activity is significantly associated with better academic performance (d = 0.44; p = .006) but shows no main effect on resilience (p = .856). The research confirms the synergistic transfer effects of combined activities and highlights the need for integrated pedagogical models in higher education.