Sports Participation among Academically Gifted Adolescents: Relationship to the Multidimensional Self-Concept

Abstract

This study compares academically gifted students who engage in sports to academically gifted students who do not engage in sports on measures of the multidimensional self-concept. Participants include 264 gifted adolescents who had completed the 6th through 10th grade during the previous academic year. Sports participation was measured by asking participants whether or not they participated in organized sports. Multiple facets of self-concept were measured using the Self Description Questionnaire II (Marsh, 1990). Results indicate gifted adolescents who engage in sports have higher physical abilities self-concepts than those who do not engage in sports. No grade level or gender interactions were found. Conclusions and implications are discussed.

References

Bucknavage

L. B.

Worrell

F. C.

(2005). A study of academically talented students' participation in extracurricular activities. Journal of Secondary Gifted Education, 16, 74–86

Calfas

K. J.

Taylor

W. C.

(1994). Effects of physical activity on psychological variables in adolescents. Pediatric Exercise Science, 6, 406–423

Chan

L. K. S.

(1988). The perceived competence of intellectually talented students. Gifted Child Quarterly, 32, 310–314

Crain

R. M.

Bracken

B. A.

(1994). Age, race, and gender differences in child and adolescent self-concept: Evidence from a behavioral acquisition, context-dependent model. School Psychology Review, 23, 496–511

Crews

D. J.

Lochbaum

M. R.

Landers

D. M.

(2004). Aerobic physical activity effects on psychological well-being in low-income Hispanic children. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 98, 319–324

Dai

D. Y.

(2001). A comparison of gender differences in academic self-concept and motivation between high-ability Chinese adolescents. Journal of Secondary Gifted Education, 13, 22–32

Dauber

S. L.

Benbow

C. P.

(1990). Aspects of personality and peer relations of extremely talented adolescents. Gifted Child Quarterly, 34, 10–15

Delaney

Lee

(1995). Self-esteem and sex roles among male and female high school students: Their relationship to physical activity. Australian Psychologist, 30 (2), 84–87

Doan

R. E.

Scherman

(1987). The therapeutic effect of physical fitness on measures of personality: A literature review. Journal of Counseling and Development, 66, 28–36

10.

Evans

M. E.

Schweingruber

Stevenson

H. W.

(2002). Gender differences in interest and knowledge acquisition: The United States, Taiwan, and Japan. Sex Roles, 47, 153–167

11.

Ference

R. A.

(1999). The role of physical activity in the development of self-perceptions and identity in gifted adolescent females (Doctoral dissertation, University of Georgia, 1999). Dissertation Abstracts International, 60, 3908

12.

Field

Diego

Sanders

C. E.

(2001). Exercise is positively related to adolescents' relationships and academics. Adolescence, 36 (141), 105–110

13.

Folkins

C. H.

Sime

W. E.

(1981). Physical fitness training and mental health. American Psychologist, 36, 373–389

14.

Fox

K. R.

Corbin

C. B.

(1989). The physical self-perception profile: Development and preliminary validation. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 11, 408–430

15.

Fredricks

J. A.

Alfeld-Liro

C. J.

Hruda

L. Z.

Eccles

J. S.

Patrick

Ryan

A. M.

(2002). A qualitative exploration of adolescents' commitment to athletics and the arts. Journal of Adolescent Research, 17, 68–97

16.

Gilman

Laughlin

J. E.

Huebner

E. S.

(1999). Validation of the Self-Description Questionnaire-II with an American sample. School Psychology International, 20, 300–307

17.

Glass

G. V.

Hopkins

K. D.

(1996). Statistical methods in education and psychology (3rd ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon

18.

Haggar

M. S.

Biddle

S. J. H.

Wang

C. K. J.

(2005). Physical self-concept in adolescence: Generalizability of a multidimensional, hierarchical model across gender and grade. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 65, 297–322

19.

Hansford

B. C.

Hattie

J. A.

(1982). The relationship between self and achievement/performance measures. Review of Educational Research, 52, 123–142

20.

Hoge

R. D.

Renzulli

J. S.

(1993). Exploring the link between giftedness and self-concept. Review of Educational Research, 63, 449–465

21.

Jackson

S. A.

Marsh

H. W.

(1986). Athletic or antisocial? The female sport experience. Journal of Sport Psychology, 8, 198–211

22.

Jaffee

Manzer

(1992). Girls' perspectives: Physical activity and self-esteem. Melpomene Journal, 11 (3), 14–23

23.

Kelly

K. R.

Jordan

L. K.

(1990). Effects of academic achievement and gender on academic and social self-concept: A replication study. Journal of Counseling and Development, 69, 173–177

24.

Kirkcaldy

B. D.

Shephard

R. J.

Siefen

R. G.

(2002). The relationship between physical activity and self-image and problem behaviour among adolescents. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 37, 544–560

25.

Klein

A. G.

Zehms

(1996). Self-concept and gifted girls: A cross sectional study of intellectually gifted females in grades 3, 5, 8. Roeper Review, 19, 30–35

26.

Leroux

J. A.

(1988). Voices from the classroom: Academic and social self-concepts of gifted adolescents. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 11, 3–18

27.

Lox

C. L.

Martin

K. A.

Petruzzello

S. J.

(2003). The psychology of exercise: Integrating theory and practice. Scottsdale, AZ: Holcomb Hathaway

28.

Marsh

H. W.

(1990). Self Description Questionnaire (SDQ) II: Manual. New South Wales, Australia: University of Western Sydney

29.

Marsh

H. W.

Chanal

J. P.

Sarrazin

P. G.

(2006). Self-belief does make a difference: A reciprocal effects model of the causal ordering of physical self-concept and gymnastics performance. Journal of Sports Sciences, 24 (1), 101–111

30.

Marsh

H. W.

O'Neill

(1984). Self Description Questionnaire III: The construct validity of multidimensional self-concept ratings by late adolescents. Journal of Educational Measurement, 21, 153–174

31.

Marsh

H. W.

Shavelson

(1985). Self-concept: Its multifaceted, hierarchical structure. Educational Psychologist, 20 (3), 107–123

32.

McNeal

R. B.

Jr. (1998). High school extracurricular activities: Closed structures and stratifying patterns of participation. Journal of Educational Research, 91, 183–191

33.

Meece

J. L.

(2002). Child and adolescent development for educators (2nd ed.). Boston: McGraw Hill

34.

North

T. C.

McCullagh

Tran

Z. V.

(1990). Effect of exercise on depression. Exercise & Sport Sciences Reviews, 18, 379–415

35.

Olszewski-Kubilius

Lee

(2004). The role of participation in in-school and outside-of-school activities in the talent development of gifted students. Journal of Secondary Gifted Education, 15, 107–123

36.

Park

(2003). Adolescent self-concept and health into adulthood. Health Reports/Statistics Canada, 14 (Suppl.), 41–52

37.

Plucker

J. A.

Taylor

J. W. V.

Callahan

C. M.

Tomchin

E. M.

(1997). Mirror, mirror, on the wall: Reliability and validity evidence for the Self-Description Questionnaire II with gifted students. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 57, 704–713

38.

Pyryt

M. C.

Mendaglio

(1994). The multidimensional self-concept: A comparison of gifted and average-ability adolescents. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 17, 299–305

39.

Pyryt

M. C.

Richwein

(2000, May). Self-concept comparisons between gifted males and females: A meta-analysis review. Paper presented at the 5th Wallace National Research Symposium on Talent Development, Iowa City, IA

40.

Rinn

A. N.

(in press). Effects of programmatic selectivity on the academic achievement, academic self-concepts, and aspirations of gifted college students. Gifted Child Quarterly.

41.

Schultz

R. A.

Delisle

J. R.

(2003). Gifted adolescents. In Colangelo

Davis

G. A.

(Eds.), Handbook of gifted education (3rd ed., pp. 483–492). Boston: Allyn & Bacon

42.

Shapiro

D. R.

Ulrich

D. A.

(2002). Expectancies, values, and perceptions of physical competence of children with and without learning disabilities. Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, 19, 318–333

43.

Shavelson

R. J.

Hubner

J. J.

Stanton

G. C.

(1976). Self-concept: Validation of construct interpretations. Review of Educational Research, 46, 407–441

44.

Siegel

(2006). The effects of physical activity on the health and well-being of youths. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, & Dance, 77 (1), 11

45.

Sonstroem

R. J.

(1998). Physical self-concept: Assessment and external validity. Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews, 26, 133–164

46.

Stryer

B. K.

Tofler

I. R.

Lapchick

(1998). A developmental overview of child and youth sports in society. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 7, 697–724

47.

Todd

K. A.

(2003). Student athletes' perceptions of self. Adolescence, 38 (152), 659–667

48.

Ulrich

D. A.

Collier

D. H.

(1990). Perceived physical competence in children with mental retardation: Modification of a pictorial scale. Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, 7, 338–354

49.

Videon

T. M.

(2002). Who plays and who benefits: Gender, interscholastic athletics, and academic outcomes. Sociological Perspectives, 45, 415–444

50.

Wilgenbusch

Merrell

K. W.

(1999). Gender differences in self-concept among children and adolescents: A meta-analysis of multidimensional studies. School Psychology Quarterly, 14, 101–120

51.

Worrell

F. C.

Bucknavage

L. B.

(2004). Participation in extracurricular activities by students attending assisted and prestige schools in Trinidad. Caribbean Curriculum, 11, 129–147

52.

Worrell

F. C.

Roth

D. A.

Gabelko

N. H.

(1998). Age and gender differences in the self-concepts of academically talented students. Journal of Secondary Gifted Education, 9, 157–162

53.

Yin

Moore

J. B.

(2004). Re-examining the role of interscholastic sport participation in education. Psychological Reports, 94, 1447–1454