Sport and Life Skills Development: Examining the Experience from Former Student-athletes in Malaysia

Abstract

This research study explored the former student-athletes perspectives on their life skills development during their sport participation in high school. In Malaysia, sport program had been implement in schools to develop student-athletes at early level. Despite positive outcome in sport achievement, there is more concern nowadays about the life skills that student-athletes as young people can gain through sport participation. For former student-athlete, they have to able to transfer those skills to other life domain. The research findings are based on the analysis through semi-structured interview of eight former student-athletes in high schools (national sport school) Malaysia from four different type of team sports. The findings are organized into three themes based on the research questions of this study. Findings demonstrate many elements of positive developmental experience that participants believe they learned and practiced through sport. However, findings also shows negative experience especially related to academic. There are some life skills that participants learned and practiced in sport that can be transferred to other life domain such as self-esteem/ positive thinking, coping with stress, interpersonal communication and cooperation with other. In their personal development, the coaches were the most influenced them.

Key Words : Student-athlete, sport participation, life skills development.