The effects of sports participation on childrens achievements in school - Term Paper Example

The effects of sports participation on children’s achievements in school affiliations The effects of sports participation on children’s achievements in school Introduction The youth and children receive numerous benefits from their participation in sports. The school environment offers considerable potential to increase participation in children. With the relevant school-based interventions and given that children are required to attend school, the population in sports activities can be increased drastically. The relationship involving academic performance and sports and other physical activities has been a contentious issue with researchers devoting most of their time to understand the existing cognition. Scholars have taken varied approaches regarding the effects of sports participation and school academic achievements. These effects range from neutral, positive, to negative positions. Each approach has an argumentative suggestion with the negative side suggesting decreased academic performance due to time wastage and energy drain resulting from sports activities. The positive side indicates that the time wasted could be a refreshing moment, and the energy drain could be an approach to health fitness that would subsequently result in improved academic performance among children. Due to the increased confusion among school administrators and the need to focus on academics, most schools have reduced or even eliminated physical education. The percentage decrease in the learning institutions is approximated at fifty percent in grades one to five and at twenty-nine percent in high schools (Coe, Pivarnik, Womack, Reeves & Malina, 2006). The paper will analyze some of the effects associated with increased sports activities in the school on intellectual functioning. The paper will put in perspectives some of the studies conducted to this effect in an attempt to critically examine these effects. Academic performance Schools that devote priorities to both academics and sports participation have indicated higher academic success. According to numerous research conducted, sports improve the ability of students in achieving excellence due to the already developed persistence. Both individual and team sports produce an exemplary outcome to academic excellence. Tabor (2014) conducted a study seeking to clarify the relationship between academic performance, sports, and weight classification. The study was conducted on a subset of children in four Chicago schools in the low-income regions. Of the total 129 participants, 48.1 percent took part in soccer while 51 percent of the participants did not. The two-year study involved both genders and varied racial categories. The types of sports participation were assessed with a checklist where the parents listed three of the sports their children participated. The sports were categorized into two: team sports and the individual sports. The team sports involved soccer and baseball while individual sports included swimming, biking, and skateboarding. The participants’ academic assessment was conducted using the teacher’s report form and an average rating calculated by averaging similar ranks (Tabor, 2014). The study by Tabor (2014) indicated no correlation between academics and weight classification. However, the study showed differing findings on non-participants, individual sports, and team sports on academics. The ANOVA analysis showed a significant effect on academic ratings in math and reading. The differences were mainly experienced between those who took part in sports and those who took part in no sports. Those who took part in individual sports fared better in their academics than those who took part in team sports. However, those who took part in sports performed better than those who never participated in sports whatsoever. The study by Tabor (2014) was conducted in elementary schools and also measured the intensity of the sports participation. The student’s ability to excel in sports and the type of sports participated in predicted the level of persistence in academic settings (Tabor, 2014). In a different study, the link between sports and academics was also established. Sports activities were found to influence the educational situation of students positively. Khan, Jamil, Khan & Kareem (2012) conducted a study in Dera Islam District on male students in government schools where four colleges were randomly selected. The research involved two hundred and sixty participants of which sixty were teachers while the rest were students. The study sought to establish the associations regarding the participation of students in sports and the resulting academic achievements in colleges. The data obtained through structured questionnaires was analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences. The mode of classification was classified into three where figures of below 1.6 represented a negative correlation. The figures between 1.6 and 2 were assumed to be a neutral correlation while the positive correlation was established to start at above two. According to the data collected, participants indicated a positive correlation between sports and academics (Khan et al. 2012). Students and teachers presented a mean of 2.16 regarding the effects of sports on academics. Students who also took part in sports activities also performed better than those who never took part in sports. The outcome also illustrated the necessity of increasing physical activities in the school (Khan et al. 2012). Mahar, Murphy, Rowe, Golden, Shields, & Raedeke (2006) also established a positive effect of sports on academics. Their research sought to evaluate the effects of a classroom program on physical activities and student behavior. Their method of study involved the assessment of two hundred and forty-three students during regular school hours. Their approach was different from those of Tabor (2012) and Khan et al. (2012) as they used a controlled environment to distinguish between the participants and none participants. Out of the two hundred and forty-three participants, a hundred and thirty-five students received sports activities while the control group of a hundred and eight were not open to any energizers. The observations were made before and after the control was effected to establish the changes. The study used multiple baselines to evaluate the effectiveness of the control group. The Cohen’s delta was used to assess the magnitudes of the differences (Mahar et al. 2006). Students in the control group took less in school steps than those in the intervention group. The intervention was successful in improving their behavior once the energizers were implemented. The classroom-based physical activities and the inter-session sports activities were adequate for the increase of daily in-school activities and the improvement of students in their academic structures (Mahar et al. 2006). Academic achievements The students in the school who take part in sports are bound to succeed better in their academics than those who do not take part in sports. The success in academics is explained by understanding how the students’ experience affect their developmental trajectory. Sports ensure that the student can meet their full potential playing a significant role in academic excellence. Sports eliminate the likely hood of depression and anxiety among the children (Cole, 2008). Sports result to improved students’ self-esteem that is crucial in eliminating cases of depression and chronically negative perceptions of self. Due to increased self-esteem, students’ participation in academic activities is improved significantly. Student involvement in sports affects school performance and years of post-secondary education. Students especially those in high school and colleges. Students identify with and commit to schools due to involvement in school sports teams. Learners actively engaged in school sports and other extracurricular activities have better academic outcomes than those not partaking in sports (Cole, 2008). Marsh and Kleitman (2002) established that students’ participation in school-sponsored athletics and sports had a great value to the learners. Marsh and Kleitman studied the outcomes of extracurricular school activities (ESA) in high school and post-secondary effects. Precisely, their examination concentrated on students’ actions both in school and out-of-school. These activities were assessed to understand the impact they had on the children’s academic achievements. Their research concluded that as students’ partaking levels in sports increased, their academic success also improved. However, Marsh and Kleitman also found that high levels of sports involvement would result in a subsequent decline in the student’s academic achievement. This conclusion suggests that there were helpful outcomes for little to moderate sports participation in school, but this positive association leveled off and concurrently began to decline affecting the students negatively as participation intensities continued to rise. The participation in sports produced a nonlinear effect to the point of diminishing returns resulting from the extremely increased levels of sports participation. There stood affirmative outcomes of participation in sports for all but the most extreme levels of activities (Marsh & Kleitman, 2002). Alongside the positive effects that arise from students’ participation in the school-sponsored sports participation, there are certain adverse effects that result from increased sports participation when students are not carefully monitored. According to Hartmann (2008), dedicating most of the students’ activities to sports and other extracurricular activities can result in time and energy drain for student-athletes. The extreme overemphasis on sports can sway the students’ attention and concern from the primary academic prospectus and lead to failure of the educational mission of the school‖. Hartmann (2008) reviewed some of the proficient reports on the association between sports participation and academic achievements and found there are several disagreements involving the benefits of sports participation when correlated with educational achievement. Eccles, Barber, Stone, & Hunt (2003) indicated from their study that not everything that comes from sports participation is perfect. Extreme sports partakers were more probable to be tangled in dangerous behavior such as using alcohol and drugs, than most of the student none partakers in sports especially in colleges. Eccles et al. (2003) found that students who exceedingly cherished sports in the tenth grade lost a considerable connection with the school in case they were no longer in sports by the twelfth grade. As students lose their association with the school, they also lose some of the assertions that are likely to be linked to their involvement. This lack of affirmation can cause students to lack the incentive necessary in their academic achievements that cause a decrease in academic performance (Eccles et al., 2003). Marsh and Kleitman (2002) found that school sports activities were associated with higher academic grades. However, out-of-school activities were also associated with adverse outcomes as well. Conclusion Student engaged in regulated sports activities perform better than students not partaking in any sports activities. Students who are also active in sports tend to miss fewer days of school than those not engaged in sports. These increased participation and academic excellence result from the association of schools with sports. The effects of participation in sports change as an increase in participation increases to a certain point where extreme participation lowers academic excellence. This paper supports the need to encourage students to engage in sports activities that should be regulated by the school administration. References Coe, D. P., Pivarnik, J. M., Womack, C. J., Reeves, M. J., and Malina, R. M. (2006). Effect of Physical Education and Activity: Levels on Academic Achievement in Children. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 1515-1519. Cole, D. (2008). Preliminary support for a competency-based model of depression in children. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 100(2):181-190. Eccles, J. S., Barber, B. L., Stone, M., & Hunt, J. (2003). Extracurricular activities and adolescent development. Journal of Social Issues, 865-889. Hartmann, D. (2008). High school sports participation and educational attainment: Recognizing, assessing, and utilizing the relationship. LA84 Foundation. Khan, M. Y., Jamil, A., Khan, U. A., & Kareem, U. (2012). Association between Participation in Sports and Academic Achievement of College Students. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 2(8): 419-431 Mahar, M. T., Murphy, S. K., Rowe, D. A., Shields, A. T., and Raedeke, T. D. (2006). Effects of a classroom-based program on physical activity and on-task behavior. Medicine and Science in Sport and exercises, 38(12): 2086-2094 Marsh, H. W., & Kleitman, S. (2002). Extracurricular school activities: The good, the bad, and the nonlinear. Harvard Educational Review, 464-514. Tabor, Faye C. (2014) "An Examination of the Effects of Type of Sports Participation on Weight Classification and Academic Achievement: Academic Persistence as a Predictor," DePaul Discoveries 3(1). Read More