Self Esteem, Academic Achievement, and Moral Development Among Adolescent Girls

Abstract

Girls who play sports are known to display more self-confidence and tend to have a higher moral development. Using data on high school girls, we explore the effectiveness of competitive team sports on their self-confidence, use of drugs and alcohol, spirituality/religiosity, and academic achievement. Good performance in sports enables them to have some control over their behavior and their future. We suggest that school administrators might want to encourage their female students to be active in sports, and parents might want to encourage their daughters to be active in sports, as it helps in achievement orientation and moral development.

Extracurricular Activity Participation and the Acquisition of Developmental Assets: Differences Between Involved and Noninvolved Canadian High School Students

“…This situation may partially explain why there are youth who may not necessarily enjoy academic activities but still engage in school and put forth the effort to achieve their academic goals as it ensures their eligibility to play sport. These findings are supported by past research that has shown that sport participation is associated with greater levels of school connection, positive attitudes toward school, higher academic achievement, and motivation to pursue post-secondary education (Broh, 2002;Brown & Evans, 2002;Crosnoe, 2001;Eccles & Barber, 1999;Fredricks & Eccles, 2005;Perry-Burney & Takyi, 2002). The findings of the current study also add to our understanding by demonstrating how researchers may have to re-examine how student engagement-related constructs are operationalized when examining the impact of extracurricular activities on school-related outcomes.…”

“…Past research supports these findings as a number of studies within sport have shown that participation can lead to the development of a number of positive values (Camiré & Trudel, 2010;Forneris, Camiré & Trudel, 2012;Holt, 2008). In addition, past research has shown that participation in extracurricular involvement, including those that have only focused on sport, has been linked to greater school engagement (Broh, 2002;Brown & Evans, 2002;Camiré & Trudel, 2013;Eccles & Barber, 1999;Fredricks & Eccles, 2005;Mahoney et al, 2005;Peck et al, 2008;Perry-Burney & Takyi, 2002). Given the findings regarding sport specifically and the fact that sport is the most popular extracurricular activity future research to understand how the context of sport may be unique for increasing a commitment to learn and developing social competencies is warranted.…”

Reducing physical inactivity and promoting active living: from the voices of East African immigrant adolescent girls

“…Social assets, or life skills that can be transferred to other domains outside of sport and exercise, developed through physical activity can include but are not limited to teamwork, conflict management, decision making, leadership, effective communication, time management and making meaningful, long-lasting friendships (Camiré et al 2009, Holt et al 2009, Jones and Lavallee 2009. Involvement in structured physical activity, especially sport, is associated with positive academic achievement outcomes, including better school attendance and higher grades (Feltz and Weiss 1984, Melnick et al 1992, Eccles and Barber 1999, Perry-Burney and Takyi 2002, as well as higher high school completion rates, higher college attendance and greater success in the labour market (Troutman andDurfur 2007, Rosewater 2009). Physical activity also decreases risky behaviour (e.g.…”

In This Issue

“…Specifically, the authors found that participation in activities such as student government, cheerleading, or the pep club promoted a greater sense of self-worth and lower depressive symptoms. School activity participation has also been positively associated with self-esteem (Perry-Burney & Takyi, 2002) and increased interpersonal competence across adolescence (Mahoney et al, 2003), and inversely related to social isolation (Barber, Eccles, & Stone, 2001). In summary, we contend that school behavioral activities are thought to influence adolescent psychosocial well-being through processes related to either a reduced sense of isolation or greater connectedness, or both.…”