Diagnóstico del estado actual de la educación intercultural del estudiante desde

Extra-curricular activities have been said to be beneficial (Feldman & Matjasko, 2005), especially for low SES students (Broh, 2002; Everson & Millsap, 2005). Hattie et al. (1997) pointed out that “physical activities can be used as an effective medium for participants to recognise and understand their own weaknesses, strengths, and resources and thus find the wherewithal to master the difficult and unfamiliar in other

environments” (p45). They demonstrated that there were marked increases as a consequence of the adventure programs in the domains of social competence, interpersonal communication and educational achievement.

Hirsch (1987) outlined the importance of cultural literacy26 _{in education, especially for}

disadvantaged children. Participation in extracurricular activities is said to be one source of such literacy. According to Lareau (2003), the extracurricular activities enabled children to gain more than the skills of playing cricket, violin etc. In the process, the children “learn to think for themselves as special and as entitled to receive certain kinds of services from adults. They also acquire a valuable set of white-collar work skills, including how to set priorities, manage an itinerary, shake hands with strangers, and work on a team (p39).

Marsh and Kleitman (2002) concluded that students who participated in extracurricular activities did better academically than their peers. They found that such activities had numerous academic outcomes, particularly for low SES students. For Massoni (2011) students learnt skills in “leadership, teamwork, organization, analytical thinking, problem

26 _{“the network of information that all competent readers possess. It is the background information,} stored in their minds, that enables them to take up a newspaper and read it with an adequate level of comprehension, getting the point, grasping the implications, relating what they read to the unstated context which alone gives meaning to what they read” (p2).

solving, time management, learning to juggle many tasks …(p86). According to Wikeley et al. (2007) the activities enabled young people to develop self control and confidence and learn about learning. Collins et al. (2015) pointed out that by not getting involved in extra-curricular activities a student's perception of the school might be solely as a place of work, rather than one where a wider range of interests are pursued.

Within the Scottish education system, there was recognition for the role played by extra- curricular activities (Learning and Teaching Scotland, 2010). They were seen to enable “staff and students to see each other in a different light, building positive relationships and improving self-awareness and understanding of others (p7). The activities were seen to enable the students to contextualise their understanding within curriculum areas. In 2008, Education Scotland expanded the focus of its inspection process to include the learning available to young people outside schools. Could this be a model, for the inclusion of madrassah-learning, within the Ofsted framework?

The English government and its agencies have also recognised the important role played by extra-curricular activities in children’s education. For Ofsted (2008), education outside the classroom leads to improved outcomes in achievement, motivation, personal development and behaviour. It also provides extra depth to pupils’ learning and

experience. In a White Paper (HMSO, 2005), it was seen as important

that children and young people have a rich and exciting range of opportunities and activities, beyond the school day, that will allow them to follow their interests, broaden their horizons, remove barriers to learning and motivate them to greater achievements (p58).

Elsewhere, the DCSF (2007a) pointed out that participation in extra-curricular activities can “help to improve attitudes to, and engagement with, school; build social and communication skills; help young people avoid taking risks such as experimenting with drugs or being involved in anti-social behaviour or crime; and improve their self- confidence and self-esteem (p6). Chowdry et al. (2009) pointed out that “young people who participate in positive activities at age 14 tend to have higher test scores” (p50). Recently (DfE, 2013) it was pointed out that such activities led to positive academic attitudes and better attendance. The, then, Secretary of State Michael Gove pointed out that most schools that excelled academically had a programme of extracurricular activities (DfE, 2014). He saw the purpose of such activities to help to build character and give children’s talents an opportunity to grow and to allow them to discover new talents they never knew they had.

Participation in extracurricular activities has implications for community cohesion as it is an opportunity for pupils to interact with those outside of their own ethnic group. Those who participate in them meet many new people, who they otherwise would not encounter (Massoni, 2011). This facilitates encounters between young people from different ethnic and faith groups and leads to better understanding, thereby building community cohesion (DCSF, 2007a). Elsewhere (CIC, 2007), it has been pointed out that such provision for young people was a critical starting point for tackling the tensions between different groups in the community. Here it is worth pointing out that Pakistanis have been identified as a segregated community (Burgess & Wilson 2004), making it even more important for their young people to have the chance to mix with others from outside their ethnic group.

Research by World Challenge (2015) showed that extra-curricular activities enabled young people to gain entry to university and lead successful lives in the workplace. They pointed out that whilst academic grades were the most important factor considered by university admissions teams,

evidence of extra-curricular activities remains an important part of the application process for 97% of respondents. Universities most value evidence of extra-curricular activities when deciding between applicants with similar grades and for courses that have an interview stage

(p2).

58.5% of the universities indicated that it was important for students to demonstrate experience beyond academic achievements in their university applications and that 20- 30% of a student's personal statement should be focused on extra-curricular experience. Sullivan (2001) linked the acquisition of cultural capital with educational attainment. This included familiarity with the dominant culture in society and ability to understand and use educated language. Cultural activities were seen to enable pupils to succeed at school. “Possession of cultural capital does have a significant effect on GCSE

attainment” (p911). Zimdars et al. (2009) pointed out that for students who apply to Oxford, cultural knowledge played a significant role, alongside academic attainment, “perhaps because it allows the applicant to persuade the admissions tutors that they have the right sort of intellectual breadth and potential, which may not be adequately assessed by examination results” (p660). They concluded that in such a situation students from lower SES and South Asians scored significantly lower than their White higher SES peers. In their report for the DfE, Thornton et al. (2014) recommended to state schools, serving disadvantaged communities, to provide extra-curricular activities so the pupils could draw on them in an interview and compete with their more