Author(s): SAEKO, W., YUKO, T., Institution: KEIO UNIVERSITY, Country: JAPAN, Abstract-ID: 818

BACKGROUND:
The Japanese school system involves a club activity initiative in which students interested in sports participate and are coached by schoolteachers. A wide range of students participate there, from beginners to developing elite athletes. However, the measures to reduce the burden on schoolteachers, who carry out a variety of duties, and to enable students with different needs to participate in meaningful club activities are still under consideration.

OBJECTIVE:
To clarify the current status of club activities at public junior high schools and develop a life-skills program that enhances self-efficacy.

METHODS:
The participants were 40 junior high school students (age range 13–14) in the soft tennis ball and soccer clubs of a public junior high school in Kanagawa Prefecture. The students’ characteristic self-efficacy scale [1] and club activity desire satisfaction [2] were measured.

RESULTS:
Correlation analysis of the two scales in the preliminary survey revealed that the overall correlation coefficient was r=0.43 with r=0.17 for the soft tennis ball club (n=18) and r=0.57 for the soccer club (n=22). Furthermore, the correlation coefficients by grade were r=0.32 for the first grade (n=17) and r=0.53 for the second grade (n=23). The interviews indicated that schoolteachers were aware of the issues of the students’ lack of proactive behavior toward competition and lack of confidence in their play but were confused by the measures for improvement.

DISCUSSION:
There was almost no correlation found for the soft tennis ball team, where the influence of others on competition results is small and differences in ability are pronounced; yet there was a correlation for the soccer team, where students do collaborate with others. However, the correlation was generally weak, suggesting that the participants had few successful experiences in competitions and human relations. Based on these results, we designed a seven-session life-skills program that (1) promotes individual goal setting and achievement, and (2) encourages discussion across grade levels, with the aim of enabling students to experience success both as teams and individually.

REFERENCES:
1. Narita K, J Shimonaka, K Nakazato, C Kawai, S Sato, and Y Nagata. A study of the trait self-efficacy scale. An examination of the trait self-efficacy scale: exploring the possibility of lifelong developmental use. Journal of Educational Psychology, 1995. 43: p. 306-314.
2. Kakutani, Shiori, and Takashi Muto. The significance of junior high school club activities for those who continue club activities: In relation to the sense of fulfillment and satisfaction with school life. Japanese Psychological Association, 2001. 72(2): p. 79-86.