High Physical Self-Concept Benefits on School Adjustment of Korean Student-Athletes.

Young-Jae Kim,Jin-Hoon Jang,Jeong-Hyung Cho

doi:10.3390/ijerph17082653

Young-Jae Kim, Jin-Hoon Jang + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17082653

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Abstract

Successful adjustment of student-athletes to their school is an internationally relevant issue. In Korea, school-athletes abandon their athletic activity at a rate of over 40%, suggesting an urgent need to develop measures that allow them to balance sports and academic life. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of physical self-concept on school adaptation among student-athletes. We analyzed data from 589 student-athletes, including sex and award-winning career as covariates. Then, reliability and validity of scales were obtained. The results showed that student-athletes with higher physical self-concept are more likely to be successful in school adjustment. The effects of physical self-concept on school adjustment were proven to be mediated by sex and award-winning career of student-athletes. This result provides the basis for the importance of recognizing the concept of physical self as a way for student athletes to adapt well to school life. As differences depending on gender and award experience exist, they should be taken into account when teaching student athletes.

Highlights

IntroductionThe World Health Organization (WHO) recommends daily physical activity for more than 60 min for teens aged 15 to 17
Maintaining and adjusting to school life is very important during adolescence [1,2,3,4].The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends daily physical activity for more than 60 min for teens aged 15 to 17
Analysis of the correlation between physical self-concept and school life adaptation showed that the high physical self-concept of student athletes had a positive effect on their school life adaptation. These results reflect that the higher the physical self-concept of student athletes, the better their adjustment to class and rules and their relationship with teachers and classmates [29]

Summary

Introduction

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends daily physical activity for more than 60 min for teens aged 15 to 17. This is because teenagers’ participation in physical activities will help them adapt to school life [5]. Among Korean students, the general dropout rate is less than 1%, but when considering only student-athletes, over 40% abandon athletic activities before graduation When including those who do not enter professional sports post-graduation, the abandonment rate reaches nearly 90% [8]. These student-athletes cannot adjust to school life, resulting in >50% transference rate and 11% dropout rate. Psychological factors affect girls more than boys [11], while sex-based physical differences influence adjustment capacity [12]

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