Gender Differences in the Relationship between the Regular Practice of Sports and Physical Exercise, Self-Beliefs and Academic Achievement during Adolescence

The present study examined the associations between self-concept, academic achievement and adolescents’ participation in physical exercise and sports practice. The work extends previous research linking regular physical activity with self-concept by looking in detail at how different dimensions of self-perception may be linked to the regular practice of exercise and also to the adolescents’ school results. In addition, the present study adopted a gender specific approach to explore the relationship between the variables analysed. The sample included 1094 adolescents ranging in age between 12 and 18 years attending four different schools in the south of Portugal. The results suggest some clear gender differences in terms of levels of physical activity and how exercise and sports may shape the mental representations that adolescents develop about themselves in different dimensions of the self. More interesting is the finding that sports and physical exercise can support particular developmental changes in adolescent girls’ domain-specific self-perceptions, self-esteem and levels of academic achievement.