Study on the relationship between participation in sports extra-curriculum activities and academic performance and well-being of senior elementary school students: Social support and multi-extra curriculum activities as the interference variables

[[abstract]]This research was to explore the impact of joining in sports extra-curriculum activity on student’s school academic achievement and sense of happiness towards school. The goal of the research was (A) to discover the relationship between school children’s attitude towards joining in sports extra-curriculum activities and their specialization and happiness. (B) to reveal the influence of student’s learning attitude on his academic achievement and sense of happiness at school. (C) to analyze the co-relation of joining in sports extra-curriculum and student’s academic achievement. (D) to analyze the effect of social support and multi-extra curriculum activities on student’s activity participation and academic achievement. This research used questionnaires, leading to six scales – scale of attitude towards joining sports extra-curriculum activity, scale of sports extra-curriculum activity participation specialization, scale of learning attitude, scale of sense of happiness at school, scale of social support and scale of multi-extra curriculum - after the pilot. According to school size, 5th and 6th graders who took sports extra-curriculum activities in Miaoli County were sampled as research subjects. The results showed participation attitude and involvement of sports extra-curriculum had significant positive correlation to student’s sense of happiness at school. Regression analysis revealed degree of specialization had partially mediating role in participation attitude towards sports extra-curriculum activity and sense of happiness. Learning attitude, compared with attitude toward extra-curriculum activity and degree of specialization, had more impact on student’s sense of happiness at school. However, there was no positive correlation between academic achievement and sense of happiness. Social support and multi-extra curriculum activity would interfere with the relationship between student’s activity participation and academic performance have received partial support. In order to implement more diversified learning and get more social support, authorities may adapt sports extra-curriculum into formal curriculum, so that students can reach the maximum of physical and mental balance