UDC 378.147

Vladykina A.D.¹ (Moscow, Russian Federation) – alisa101201@mail.ru

¹Moscow Pedagogical State University

Abstract. The article is devoted to the problem of maintaining students’ engagement in extracurricular activities, examined through the lens of their own experience. The aim of the study is to identify the barriers to entry and the reasons for the cessation of student participation in extracurricular activities. The material consists of interviews with eighteen students in their 2nd–4th years of study in the field of “psychological and pedagogical education,” aged 20–22. It is important to note that the interviewers in this study were the students themselves, which made it possible to obtain results that are as close to reality as possible. This effect is noticeable even at the level of vocabulary and tone of responses: respondents use colloquial speech, self‑irony, and make jokes, which is rarely encountered during interviews conducted by a teacher. The study shows that respondents’ engagement varies with a fairly large spread, while low assessments of their own level of engagement in extracurricular activities are mainly due to a lack of time rather than a lack of interest. The barriers to participation are: the fear of not meeting the group’s expectations; the sense of the closed nature of certain student groups; and the vague wording in recruitment announcements. The reasons for the instability are identified as: shortcomings in the organization of the associations’ activities; the devaluation of personal contribution; and the lack of conditions for the participant’s personal growth. The conditions for retention are: respect for the student’s time and the personal enthusiasm of the organizers. The study suggests that the barriers to entry and the reasons for discontinuing participation are not related to the unattractiveness of the activity itself, but are related to the inability to take and maintain the position of a full‑fledged co‑author within it. The significance of the presented work lies in the fact that it allows us to move from describing individual barriers and reasons for the instability of engagement to understanding their general nature.

Keywords: extracurricular activities, social activity, student youth, eventfulness, activity-based approach, educational work, involvement in activities.

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For citation: Vladykina, A. D. (2026). Extracurricular activities of student youth: stability of involvement. CITISE, 3, 769-780. (In Russian).