DEVELOPING INDUSTRY-RELEVANT COOPERATIVE SKILLS AMONG VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS THROUGH EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Abstract

Cooperative skills are an essential component of competency-based vocational education, as industries increasingly require workers who are able to collaborate effectively, communicate, and work in teams. However, the development of cooperative character among vocational high school students is often not optimally fostered through classroom learning alone. Extracurricular activities are considered a potential medium for strengthening students’ social and collaborative competencies, yet empirical evidence regarding their contribution remains limited. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the cooperative character of vocational high school students as reflected through their participation in extracurricular activities. This study employed a quantitative descriptive research design involving 204 vocational high school students who actively participated in extracurricular programs. Data were collected using a cooperative character questionnaire covering cognitive, affective, and psychomotor aspects and analyzed using descriptive statistical techniques to determine the level of students’ cooperative character. The results show that students’ cooperative character is predominantly at a moderate level, with 75.00% of students categorized as moderate, 15.69% as high, and 9.31% as low. These findings indicate that while extracurricular activities contribute positively to the development of basic collaborative competencies, they have not yet fully supported the achievement of high-level cooperative performance. This study contributes to vocational education by emphasizing that the effectiveness of extracurricular activities depends not only on student participation but also on the quality of interaction and collaborative experiences. Therefore, structured and intentional extracurricular programs are necessary to enhance students’ cooperative character and better align it with industry demands.