Sports Sense of Community among Adolescent Athletes in India
Authors : Manoj, T.I*., Bipin, G**., & Ajith Mohan, K. R***
*Department of Physical Education, Kerala Agricultural University
**SKV College, Thrissur
***Department of Physical Education, CUSAT
*Correspondence Author.
Manoj T I
Professor, Department of Physical Education, Kerala Agricultural University
Thrissur, Kerala, India
Email address:manoj.ti@kau.in
Article Received: 21.05.2021
Article Accepted: 13.08.2021
Article E-Published: 24.09.2021
Abstract
McMillan & Chavis (1986) defined “Sense of community is a feeling that members have of belonging, a feeling that members matter to one another and to the group, and a shared faith that members’ needs will be met through their commitment to be together”. The aim of the study was to measure the status of sports sense of community among adolescent athletes in India. A population of 215 Indian adolescent athletes, 126 male and 89 females voluntarily participated in this study. To measure sports sense of community among adolescent sports persons, “Sport Sense of Community in Adolescence Questionnaire” (SSCAQ) constructed by Silvia, et al.,(2017) was used. The mean scores indicate that, the participants scores were ranged between 75.02 to 80.2 percentages of the maximum possible score in all five variables of SSCAQ. Moreover, the dimension of athlete’s emotional connection with peers was lowest among international athletes and high among state/ inters collegiate athletes. All other variables, no differences were observed at gender, sport and level of participation
Key Words : sports sense of community, adolescence, social participation
