The status of high-school extracurricular activity club members who primarily practice outside their club

Some extracurricular activity club members in Japanese high schools primarily practice outside their club (EACM-POC). The unclear status of EACM-POCs leads to the unfair management of club activities. Thus, this study aimed to determine the status of EACM-POCs in Japanese high schools. A descriptive study design for a survey conducted in 2022 targeted all coaches of extracurricular activity clubs in all Japanese high schools. Cooperation letters were mailed to 5,007 high schools, and online responses were obtained from all coaches. The survey items included the number of club members and the number of EACM-POCs. The proportions of EACM-POCs were calculated for each club. A total of 7,892 coaches responded to the survey. The overall proportion of EACM-POCs was 5.5%. The proportions for athletic clubs and cultural clubs were 4.4% and 6.2%, respectively. Among athletic clubs, the highest proportions of EACM-POCs were 23.1% and 20.7% for the swimming and rhythmic gymnastics clubs, respectively. Among cultural clubs, the highest proportions of EACM-POCs were 13.8% and 10.5% for the band and volunteering clubs, respectively. We hope that this study’s findings will lead to deeper discussions on how to improve extracurricular club activities.