ANALYSING THE EFFECT OF INVOLVEMENT IN SPORTS ON STUDENTS’ INVOLVEMENT IN ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES AT UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1       BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Sports, according to Coakley (1994), are an institutionalized competitive activity that involves vigorous physical exertion or the application of relatively complex physical skills by individuals whose participation is motivated by a combination of intrinsic satisfaction associated with the activity and external rewards earned through participation.

Wuest and Bucher described sport in 1999 as "recreation," which they described as "a socially acceptable and non-profit oriented activity conducted during leisure hours that offers participants with immediate and intrinsic satisfactions." Sport is defined by the United Nations (2003) as any type of physical exercise that promotes physical fitness, mental well-being, and social engagement. The Olympic ceasefire in Ancient Greece established the link between sport and peace. This was the idea behind a seven-day truce before and after the Olympic Games to allow athletes and fans to securely travel to and from the contests (International Olympic Truce Centre, 2004).

Despite the fact that sport seems to be incompatible with development and peace in general, UN agencies, International Federations (IFs), and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) have used sport as a tool for development and peace for decades (Galtung, 1996). Sport for Development and Peace is a new idea that recognizes that well-designed sport projects may be successful, practical, and cost-efficient methods for promoting development and peace (United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on Sport for Development and Peace, 2003). Individual development, health promotion, disease prevention, gender equality, social integration, peace building, conflict prevention, post-disaster intervention, psychosocial nurture, economic development, communication, and social mobilization are all areas where sport has been considered by the United Nations (2005). “Sport and peace are binomial,” says Mario Pescante, the IOC's Permanent Representative to the United Nations. Sport seems to be able to eliminate political barriers that other policies are unable to do so via the discourse it generates in the current Olympic Games. Sport, for example, has fostered conversation between nations that are at odds, such as the United States and China, Pakistan and India, or the South and North Koreas (United Nations Office on Sports for Development and Peace, 2010). Sport cannot end conflicts, but it can bring people together. Sport has evolved into a global language, a shared denominator that has broken through all frontiers.

1.2       STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Today's universities are in the effort to contribute to university student's socialization process by providing sports opportunities. These activities, which are a part of university education, should be seen as activities that aim at develop people's social aspects and social awareness.

At the University of Lagos, sports activities were introduced to contribute to students' well-being via character development, a healthy physique, mental alertness, and discipline, among other traits that were thought to improve students' academic success. However, has students’ involvement in these sports become a hindrance to students’ involvement in academic activities?

This study seeks to analyse the effect of Involvement in Sports on Students’ Involvement in Academic Activities.

1.3       OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The primary aim of this study is to analyse the effect of Involvement in Sports on Students’ Involvement in Academic Activities. Thus, the following objectives;

1. To determine the kinds of sports that most students get involved in at the University of Lagos.

2. To determine the effects of students involvement in sports on their involvement in academic activities.

3. To decipher whether students’ involvement in sports has hindered their involvement in academic activities.

1.4       RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research questions guide this study;

1. What kind of sports do students mostly get involved in at the University of Lagos?

2. What are the effects of students’ involvement in sports on their involvement in academic activities?

3. Does students’ involvement in sports has hindered their involvement in academic activities?

1.5       SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study will be significant to the University of Lagos as it will create awareness on how students who attend there get involved in sporting activities and how it affects their involvement in academic activities. It will also help students understand the need to create a balance between sports and their academics which will give a better increase in their academic performance. This study will also be an addition to the academic world as it will provide materials for other researchers to either delve deeper or change the scope of the study.

1.6       SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study will only cover the University of Lagos and its student’s involvement in sporting activities and how it affects their involvement in academic activities. It will also look at the certain sports students mostly indulge in.

1.7       LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

This study was limited by only insufficient time.

1.8       DEFINITION OF TERMS

1. SPORTS: an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment

2. ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES: any assigned work or project used to determine academic credit, including (but not limited to) an examination, writing project, take- home test, or other project;