Intersections of Education, Health, and Sport in Positive Adolescent Development within an Extracurricular Program
Adolescent. Positive Development. Extracurricular. Participation Sports. Health Education.
Adolescence is a pivotal period in human development, characterized by significant physical, cognitive, emotional, and social changes that mark the transition from childhood to adulthood. During this stage, individuals undergo bodily transformations driven by puberty while simultaneously reorganizing their ways of thinking, feeling, and positioning themselves; this makes it a particularly favorable time for fostering Positive Youth Development, as skills, values, and life plans take shape. However, the opportunities to experience this development are not distributed equally, as they are shaped by the specific social, economic, cultural, and familial contexts in which the adolescent lives. In this context, the study’s general objective is to understand how adolescents perceive their developmental process in relation to joining and remaining in an extracurricular sports program, considering the intersections of sport, education, and health. To expand knowledge on this topic, a review of existing literature was conducted by surveying dissertations and theses indexed in the CAPES catalog using the keywords: Adolescent, Positive Development, Adolescent Education, Sport, and Adolescent Health. The study employed a qualitative descriptive approach with an exploratory and interpretive focus, involving the analysis of content derived from semi-structured interviews and the characterization of the participants' sociodemographic profiles. Data analysis was performed using content analysis, following three stages: a) pre-analysis; b) material exploration; and c) treatment of results/interpretation. The findings revealed that the adolescents perceived their participation in the sports program as linked to physical, socio-emotional, educational, and relational changes, showing signs of Positive Youth Development. Key highlights included the strengthening of bonds, autonomy, confidence, discipline, health awareness, and the shaping of future prospects, underscoring the interrelationship between sport, education, and health in adolescent development. It is concluded that sport, education, and health constitute interconnected dimensions in the development of the adolescents studied. Participation in sports took on significance by fostering bonds, learning opportunities, health awareness, and future prospects. The findings reinforce that the developmental potential of sport depends on the quality of the experiences and relationships formed, potentially contributing to Positive Youth Development.