Developing self-concept through team sport and coaching/mentoring in an immigrant setting

Description

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a team sport (football) and coaching intervention on the self-concept of N = 129 male school students (aged 12-16) from a socially deprived area. The study took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, in an area of primarily immigrant families and families of lower socioeconomic status. Over the two-year intervention period, participants participated in weekly football training sessions and a coaching session (on personal development) every second week. In a quasi-experimental mixed methods design, the Self-Description Questionnaire II (SDQ-II) and the Youth Sport Environment Questionnaire (YSEQ) were distributed at baseline as well as at end of the intervention to investigate the effects of the intervention. Interviews with the participants at the end of the intervention were used to investigate participants’ experiences of the intervention. Linear regression analyses performed on questionnaire data showed a significant improvement on a) the general self-concept, b) physical skills, and c) social relations. Qualitative interviews showed that participants experienced a) a stronger and more confident self, b) a better physical condition, and c) a stronger and more supportive social environment as the result of their participation. Implications of the results are discussed alongside strategies for working with football/team sport and coaching as a way of addressing behavioural problems in school settings in socioeconomically deprived areas.

Period	19 Jul 2019
Event title	15th European Congress of Sport Psychology
Event type	Conference
Location	Münster, GermanyShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International