An evaluation of the effect of sport on the integration of West Indian schoolchildren.

Hypotheses deduced from the sociology of sport were conceived in terms of their cultural, normative, communicative and functional aspects for the integration of West Indian schoolchildren. The hypotheses were assessed in an investigation in two London secondary schools. Questionnaires were given to 645 English boys, 635 English girls, 144 West Indian boys and 188 West Indian girls. 249 English and 60 West Indian boys were asked retrospectively about their primary school careers. The questionnaires were supplemented by observation, interviews and the analysis of school records and other data. The West Indian children investigated were found, as a group, to be failing academically but over achieving in sport. School factors appeared to be crucial in explaining this over-achievement. Sport based peer groups appeared amongst the West Indian children but there were no indications that sport facilitated communicative integration between them and either English children or academic teachers. Functional interdependence in school teams of West Indian and English children did not appear to effect functional integration. There were indications that West Indian children desired academic success and that sport may function as an accomodation mechanism to academic failure. Normative integration, as measured by attendance rates and the desire to stay on at school and enter further education, appeared to be high amongst West Indian children who had represented the school at sport. Cultural integration appeared to be strong, especially where sport affected life styles. Sporting success did not raise the self esteem of West Indian children