Beyond Academics: the impact of co-curricular activities on career development among LIS students
Keywords:
Career development, co-curricular activities, Library and Information Science (LIS), academic performance, employabilityAbstract
Purpose
This study investigates the impact of co-curricular activities on career development, academic performance, and employability among students of the Department of Information Science and Library Management at Noakhali Science and Technology University. It examines students’ perceptions, participation patterns, skill development, and career-related outcomes associated with involvement in co-curricular activities.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative research approach was employed using a structured online questionnaire distributed via social media and email between June and December 2025. Through simple random sampling, 199 valid responses were collected from 220 LIS students. Data were analyzed using SPSS and Excel. Descriptive statistics, skewness and kurtosis tests, Pearson correlation, Mann–Whitney U, and Kruskal–Wallis tests were applied.
Findings
The findings reveal that students hold positive perceptions regarding the role of co-curricular activities in career development and academic success. Leadership development (r = .845), campus satisfaction (r = .825), and venue adequacy (r = .729) showed strong positive correlations with participation. Debate and science clubs emerged as the most popular activities. Participation significantly enhanced communication, leadership, teamwork, and academic skills, while also contributing to CV development and interview preparation. Gender and academic year influenced perceived benefits, with academic year showing the strongest impact.
Research limitations/implications
The study was limited to a single institution and employed a cross-sectional design, which may restrict the generalizability of the findings and limit causal interpretation. Future research should adopt multi-institutional and mixed-method approaches.
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