Factors Associated With Sport Development Among Secondary School Students in Ondo State, Nigeria

Abstract

The intendment of the Nigerian national policies on sport and education is that participation in sports is a veritable tool for the overall development of the child, thus, schools are planned to make provision for sporting activities to encourage participation among children and the youth. However, it has been observed that sport development among school children is progressively on a declining course across the contemporary Nigerian society. Therefore, this study investigated the relationship between sport development and four variables among secondary school students in Ondo State, Nigeria. The variables included access to sporting facilities, access to sport personnel, access to finance and students’ interest in sport participation. A self-developed questionnaire was used for data collection among study participants (N=210), Pearson’s correlation revealed moderate positive correlations between sport development and access to sporting facilities, access to sport personnel, access to finance, and students’ interest in sport participation. Implication for practice was discussed and recommendation made for further studies.