Affiliations 

  • 1 Faculty of Sports and Exercise Science, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 2 Faculty of Sports and Exercise Science, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. eezazainal@um.edu.my
  • 3 Department of Educational Psychology & Counselling, Faculty of Education, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 4 Department of Sport Studies, Faculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43300, Seri Kembangan, Selangor, Malaysia
BMC Psychol, 2024 Feb 22;12(1):89.
PMID: 38388547 DOI: 10.1186/s40359-024-01584-1

Abstract

BACKGROUND: This research examines the nuanced challenges confronting Chinese university students within the dynamic milieu of Chinese education. The study comprehensively investigates factors encompassing educational progress, social development, cognitive focus, and Psychological Well-being (PWB), specifically emphasizing the role of sports participation.

METHODS: To scrutinize the moderation-mediation nexus between cultural context and social development, a distribution of 500 questionnaires was administered to Chinese university students, yielding 413 responses, corresponding to an 82.6% response rate. Methodologically, this study employed moderation and mediation analyses, incorporating statistical techniques such as a principal component matrix, factor analysis, and hierarchical regression.

FINDINGS: Prominent findings underscore the significant impact of age on educational progress, shaping the trajectory of academic advancement. Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) emerges as a promising metric, establishing a link between academic performance and educational progress. Active involvement in sports and physical activities (PSPA) positively affects academic performance and study habits. Participation in sports teams and clubs (ISTC) enriches social development by nurturing interpersonal relationships, teamwork, and leadership skills. Sports activities (ESA) correlate with enhanced cognitive focus and improved psychological well-being. Significantly, the findings unveil a nuanced association between Perceived Social Development Through Sports (PSDTS) and educational progress.

CONCLUSIONS: Cultural Context (CC) moderates PSDTS, Sport-induced Cognitive Focus (SICF), and PWB, influencing educational progress. This study emphasizes the need for enhanced support systems-academic guidance, awareness, sports programs, and cultural competence training-to advance student well-being and academic achievement in China, fostering an empowering educational environment for societal progress.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.