A new PISA in Focus study from the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), looks at whether students perform better in science if they are encouraged to participate in extracurricular activities, such as field trips and science projects. Most countries (22 of 31 OECD countries) demonstrated that students perform better at science in schools that offer more extracurricular activities compared with students in schools that offer fewer of these activities. The types and availability of extracurricular activity vary widely across countries, but the study shows that the relationship between improved student performance and extracurricular activity is consistent, with Germany and Australia having the strongest correlation.

The study also finds that in addition to performing better, students in schools that offer more science-related extracurricular activities also report more positive attitudes toward the subject. They tend to believe more in their own ability in the subject (22 OECD countries) and enjoy learning science more (20 OECD countries).  After accounting for socio-economic background, the positive relationships between achievement, enjoyment, and self-efficacy still hold for most countries. No negative relationships between science-related extracurricular activities and positive attitudes towards science were found.