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Research links kid's sports-field ability to social popularity
The Edmonton Journal (Mon 29 Oct 2007 Byline: Chris Zdeb) writes on a University of Alberta study, published in the Journal of Sport Behaviour, which found a connection between athletic skill and social acceptance among elementary school children. Youngsters deemed to be unskilled by their peers often experienced loneliness and social rejection, says lead researcher Janice Causgrove Dunn, associate dean of physical education.On the other hand, kids seen as athletic by their classmates are better liked and less likely to feel lonely.
The findings are based on the self-evaluations of 208 students in grades 4 through 6 at seven elementary schools in an unidentified large Western Canadian city. Students were asked to rate their own athletic competence, rate the athletic competence of other kids in the class and rate their loneliness. Their sociometric status (peer acceptance or rejection) was assessed by asking the students to name the kids they would most like to have in their group on a school trip, and the kids they would least like to have in their group.
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