Sport Participation and Self-Esteem as Mediated by Perceived Peer Acceptance and Sport Self-Concept in Taiwanese College Students

Chen, Wen-Ing, Chen, Chen-Yueh, Lin, Yi-Hsiu, Chen, Tien-Tze, Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal

Previous researchers (Larson, 2000; Smith, 2003) have emphasized the importance of sport participation for individuals' self-esteem. For example, some researchers argued that sport promotes positive adjustment by offering opportunities to learn, for example, athletic skills, peer relationships, and nonacademic competency (Larson, 2000; Smith, 2003). While the majority of researchers have focused on adolescents and children, there is a dearth of research on college students. Additionally, researchers (Daniels & Leaper, 2006; Slutzky & Simpkins, 2009) have investigated a variety of variables proposed to mediate the relationship between sport participation and individuals' self-esteem, including sport self-concept and perceived peer acceptance. Therefore, in this study we proposed a model that incorporates the mediating effect of sport self-concept and perceived peer acceptance on the relationship between sport participation and individuals' self-esteem among Taiwanese college students.

In the Exercise and Self-esteem Model (EXSEM) it is proposed that individuals' physical self-concept is a key mechanism through which the time individuals spend on sport is related to their self-esteem (Sonstroem, Harlow, & Josephs, 1994). Moreover, individuals' perceived sport ability is a key sport self-concept and is viewed as a critical correlate of individuals' self-esteem (Slutzky & Simpkins, 2009; Sonstroem, 1998). As a result, we formulated the following hypotheses:

Hypothesis 1: Sport participation will have a positive relationship with sport self-concept.

Hypothesis 2: Sport self-concept will have a positive relationship with self-esteem.

Past researchers have indicated that sport participation makes a positive contribution to individuals' peer acceptance (Jaffee & Ricker, 1993). Furthermore, Daniels and Leaper (2006) …

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Publication information: Article title: Sport Participation and Self-Esteem as Mediated by Perceived Peer Acceptance and Sport Self-Concept in Taiwanese College Students. Contributors: Chen, Wen-Ing - Author, Chen, Chen-Yueh - Author, Lin, Yi-Hsiu - Author, Chen, Tien-Tze - Author. Journal title: Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal. Volume: 40. Issue: 4 Publication date: May 2012. Page number: 699+. © 2009 Scientific Journal Publishers, Ltd. COPYRIGHT 2012 Gale Group.

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