The Effect of Sports on Life Skills: A Descriptive Study on Parents

Aims: The aim of the study was to examine the effect of sports on life skills of parents who send their children to sports activities in sports clubs.

Study Design: In the study, the “Scale of the Effect of Sports on Life Skills” developed by Açak and Düz was applied. The information was provided on a voluntary basis, and the “Personal Information Form” and “The Effect of Sports on Life Skills” scale questionnaire were sent via Google form.

Place and Duration of Study: The research was conducted with the participation of 242 volunteer parents who sent their children to sports activities in sports clubs in the Marmara Region, Istanbul, Izmit and Yalova in Türkiye between 2022 and 2023.

Methodology: A descriptive study was conducted on the effect of sports on life skills by determining the parents' license status, sports branch, individual or team sports category, sports year and activity hours and days. In the analysis of the data, independent groups t-test for variables, one-way analysis of variance, ANOVA and Post Hoc tests were used for more than two group analysis.

Results: In the study, significant differences were found in the categories of leadership (p=0.012), teamwork (p=0.020), emotional skills (p=0.011) and goal setting (p=0.003) among licensed parents. A significant difference was found in the categories of communication (p=0.014), leadership (p=0.003) and goal setting (p=0.005) among those with 4-6 years of sport experience compared to those with 1-3 years of sport experience. There was a significant difference in time management (p=0.029), time management (p=0.014) and communication (p=0.001) between those who do sports 4 days or more and those who do sports 1 hour a day, between those who do sports 2-3 hours a day and those who do sports 1 hour a day.

Conclusion: As a result, it can be said that sports activities significantly affect life skills of the parents who participated in the study, considering that they have athlete licenses and years/weeks/days of participation in sports. It is thought that sports activities can positively affect individuals in terms of time management, leadership, teamwork, emotional skills, social skills and goal setting at every stage of their lives.