Effects of extracurricular sports participation on students’ sense of belonging and academic performance in Spain
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v85.119817Keywords:
Academic performance, education policy , equality of educational opportunity, sense of belonging, sports participationAbstract
Introduction: Sports participation is generally associated with higher academic performance. However, excessive levels may prove counterproductive.
Objective: This study examines the association between the self-reported weekly frequency of extracurricular sports participation, academic performance, and sense of belonging at school among 15-year-old students.
Methodology: We used a representative sample of 30,800 students in Spain, with data drawn from the PISA 2022 international assessment. Linear regression models with school fixed effects were estimated, controlling for socioeconomic status, grade repetition, age, gender, and body mass index.
Results: The relationship between sports participation and academic performance is not linear but follows an inverted U-shaped curve. Moderate sports participation, one to three times per week, is associated with higher average academic performance than that of students who spend no time on sport in a typical week. Sense of belonging maintains a positive association with sports participation at every level. Boys and girls differ markedly in how much they participate, with boys reporting a higher frequency of sports participation. However, no gender differences are detected in the direction or magnitude of the effects of sports participation on either outcome.
Conclusions: These findings support the promotion of moderate, regular, and inclusive sports participation. Opening schools in the afternoon as a space for sport is proposed, beyond its health value, as an instrument of educational equity.
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