<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Over the last 20 years, sport for development (SFD) has become an increasingly used tool to tackle education-related challenges around the world and has even become recognized by major international institutions such as the United Nations and the Commonwealth. In spite of this, evidence on the effectiveness of SFD programs on educational outcomes is limited. Through a Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA), this paper seeks to begin addressing this gap. Literature is included if it quantitatively examines the relationship between participation in a SFD program and educational outcomes, namely academic performance, school attendance, or attitudes and behaviors related to school. Results are then organized and presented according to these aforementioned areas. The identified literature paints a mixed picture of SFD’s impact on educational outcomes related to academic performance and school attendance, though the data related to improved attitude and behavior is more positive. Overall, the lack of research on this topic and the deficiencies in some of the identified studies do not allow for the conclusion that SFD generates positive education-related outcomes. This paper concludes by proposing potential solutions to address this gap in research.</p></abstract>

Over the last 20 years, sport for development (SFD) has become an increasingly used tool to tackle education-related challenges around the world and has even become recognized by major international institutions such as the United Nations and the Commonwealth. In spite of this, evidence on the effectiveness of SFD programs on educational outcomes is limited. Through a Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA), this paper seeks to begin addressing this gap. Literature is included if it quantitatively examines the relationship between participation in a SFD program and educational outcomes, namely academic performance, school attendance, or attitudes and behaviors related to school. Results are then organized and presented according to these aforementioned areas. The identified literature paints a mixed picture of SFD’s impact on educational outcomes related to academic performance and school attendance, though the data related to improved attitude and behavior is more positive. Overall, the lack of research on this topic and the deficiencies in some of the identified studies do not allow for the conclusion that SFD generates positive education-related outcomes. This paper concludes by proposing potential solutions to address this gap in research.

Can sport for development programs improve educational outcomes? A rapid evidence assessment

Physical Culture and Sport. Studies and Research

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Over the last 20 years, sport for development (SFD) has become an increasingly used tool to tackle education-related challenges around the world and has even...

Can sport for development programs improve educational outcomes? A rapid evidence assessment

Published Online: Jul 06, 2020

Page range: 56 - 69

Received: Feb 27, 2020

Accepted: Apr 03, 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/pcssr-2020-0019

Keywords
sport for development, education, grades, rapid evidence assessment

© 2020 Louis Moustakas, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Can sport for development programs improve educational outcomes? A rapid evidence assessment

Published Online: Jul 06, 2020

Page range: 56 - 69

Received: Feb 27, 2020

Accepted: Apr 03, 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/pcssr-2020-0019

Keywordssport for development, education, grades, rapid evidence assessment

© 2020 Louis Moustakas, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
sport for development, education, grades, rapid evidence assessment