Peer-reviewed article
Frequency of Organised Enrichment Activities and Later Self-Esteem in Japanese Children: A Longitudinal Cohort Study.
Asada T, Matsumoto N, Sakamoto S, Yokode A, Ohya Y et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined whether participating in enrichment activities outside school in fourth grade was linked to self-esteem two years later in Japanese children. The researchers found that children who attended 2 to 5 sessions per week had higher self-esteem in sixth grade compared to those who attended no sessions, but attending 6 or more sessions per week did not show further improvement. The strongest benefits were seen at moderate participation levels, particularly for boys.
Key points
- Participation in enrichment activities (naraigoto) was associated with higher self-esteem 2 years later, with strongest associations at 2-5 sessions per week
- The benefit plateaued at moderate frequency; attending 6+ sessions per week showed no additional benefit compared to lower frequencies
- Adjusted odds ratios for higher self-confidence ranged from 1.22 to 1.41 across moderate frequencies
- Gender-stratified analyses showed significant associations only in male participants
- Results remained consistent in sensitivity analyses using alternative definitions
Limitations
The study cannot determine whether the associations are causal or reflect selection bias, as it did not randomly assign children to different activity frequencies. The study also does not examine the total time spent in activities or the quality of participation, which may be important factors.
Abstract
Background Although participation in organised extracurricular activities has been associated with higher self-esteem, high participation frequency may have adverse effects, as proposed by the overscheduling hypothesis. Longitudinal evidence from non-Western countries is limited. We examined whether the frequency of enrichment-oriented out-of-school lessons (naraigoto) in fourth grade was associated with self-esteem in sixth grade in a Japanese large-scale cohort. Methods We analysed longitudinal data from the Japanese Longitudinal Study of Children and Parents from fourth grade (baseline, 2017-2019) to sixth grade (follow-up, 2019-2021) (n = 3399). The exposure was the frequency of enrichment-oriented activities in fourth grade, excluding academic tutoring (juku). The outcome was self-confidence in sixth grade (4-point Likert scale). Ordinal logistic regression models were employed for estimating odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals, and possible confounders (sociodemographic factors, baseline self-confidence) were adjusted. Sensitivity analyses were also conducted using alternative outcome and alternative exposure definitions. Results In the fully adjusted model, the adjusted odds ratios for higher self-confidence were 1.22 (95% confidence interval 0.96-1.55) for one session/week, 1.30 (1.02-1.66) for two sessions/week, 1.34 (1.04-1.73) for three session/week, 1.41 (1.10-1.82) for four to five sessions/week, and 1.22 (0.87-1.71) for six or more sessions/week, compared with zero sessions/week (reference). Associations were strongest at two to five sessions/week, with no increase at six or more sessions/week. Results were similar in sensitivity analyses. Gender-stratified analyses suggested that these associations were significant only in male participants. Conclusions Enrichment activity participation was associated with self-esteem 2 years later, with the strongest associations at moderate frequencies. Future studies should examine total amount of time and qualitative aspects of participation.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Participation in organised enrichment-oriented out-of-school lessons (naraigoto) at varying frequencies
- Population
- Japanese children in fourth grade (n=3,399) followed through sixth grade; approximately 8-12 years old
Key finding
Adjusted odds ratios for higher self-confidence were 1.30 (95% CI 1.02-1.66) for 2 sessions/week, 1.34 (1.04-1.73) for 3 sessions/week, and 1.41 (1.10-1.82) for 4-5 sessions/week compared with zero sessions/week
T et al. · Europe PMC · 1 Sept 2026