Bridging extracurricular sports activities to formal education: Cognitive flexibility and sport

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the cognitive flexibilities of sports high school students based on status of participation in extra-curricular physical activity and reveal the relationship between cognitive flexibility and academic success in the same group. The sample of the study consisted of 449 sports high school students including 142 (31.6%) female and 307 (68.4%) male students. As the data collection instrument in the study, the Cognitive Flexibility Scale (CFS) was used. The data were analyzed by t-test and Pearson’s correlation test. In the study, it was determined that the mean cognitive flexibility score of the students who took part in extra-curricular physical activity was higher than those who did not (p < .01). Additionally, there was a weak, positive and significant relationship between the cognitive flexibility levels of the students who took part in physical activity and their grade point averages (p < .05.), whereas there was a weak and positive relationship between the cognitive flexibility levels of the students who did not take part in physical activity and their grade point averages, but this relationship was not statistically significant (p > .05).

Keywords

• Cognitive flexibility
• academic success
• high school
• sports high school
• student athlete

Okul dışı spor aktivitelerinin örgün eğitime bağlanması: Bilişsel esneklik ve spor

Öz

Bu araştırmanın amacı, okul dışı fiziksel aktiviteye katılım durumuna göre spor lisesi öğrencilerinin bilişsel esnekliklerini incelemek ve aynı grupta bilişsel esneklik ile akademik başarı arasındaki ilişkiyi ortaya koymaktır. Çalışmanın örneklem grubunu 142’si (%31.6) kadın ve 307’si (%68.4) erkek 449 spor lisesi öğrencisi oluşturmaktadır. Araştırmada veri toplama aracı olarak Bilişsel Esneklik Ölçeği (BEÖ) kullanılmıştır. Veriler T-Testi ve Pearson Korelasyon Testi kullanılarak analiz edilmiştir. Araştırma kapsamında okul dışı fiziksel aktiviteye katılan öğrencilerin bilişsel esneklik puan ortalamalarının fiziksel aktiviteye katılmayan öğrencilerin puan ortalamalarına göre yüksek olduğu belirlenmiştir (p < .01). Ayrıca fiziksel aktiviteye katılan öğrencilerin bilişsel esneklikleri ile genel not ortalamaları arasında düşük düzeyde, pozitif ve anlamlı bir ilişki olduğu (p < .05.), fiziksel aktiviteye katılmayan öğrencilerin bilişsel esneklikleri ile genel not ortalamaları arasında ise düşük düzeyde, pozitif bir ilişki olduğu, ancak aralarındaki ilişkinin istatistiksel açıdan anlamlı olmadığı belirlenmiştir (p > .05).

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Bilişsel esneklik
• akademik başarı
• lise
• spor lisesi
• sporcu öğrenci

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