Browsing by Subject "kaksoisura"

It can be challenging to combine studies and purposive sports training for a young athlete. However, education facilitates the transition to working life after the sporting career. The objective of this study is to explain the experiences of Finnish top level football players who combine a sporting career and simultaneous studies. In order to be able to research combining top level sport and studies at different levels of school, the development of a footballer to the highest level, should also be understood. For the purpose of the study, seven Finnish football players who have had successful football careers and who also have had varied study experiences, were interviewed. The data was collected using focused interviews. The phenomenographic method of analysis was used in order to analyze the collected data. The results of this study support the early engagement theory. Successful football players started their football career at a young age. They have always participated in high volumes of organized football training as well as participated extensively in non-organized or social football as well as personal football training throughout their career. The top level players were always very motivated with regards to their football training. They also received encouragement and pressure-free support from their families. There is no need for special arrangements when combining sports and studying in elementary school. However, football players who attended sports schools while in elementary school enjoyed having more sports in their curriculum. The sport high schools were excellent institutions for combining upper secondary education and studying in Finland. Purposive sports training and studies can be combined in normal high school as well, if school staff members have the desire to support young athletes. On the contrary, purposive sports training was difficult to combine with studies in the higher education institutions for football players. However, with high motivation as regards to studies, studying alongside a top level football career was possible. Athletes need support for combining a sports career and studies, especially after completing studies at the upper secondary level. The development of sport academies is important, so as to enable an increasing number of athletes to achieve success in fields of sport as well as studies in the future.

Aims. The aim of this study was to examine students’ self-control and academic well-being in the context of Finnish upper secondary sport schools. Self-control and well-being factors were identified and differences between girls and boys, and between general and sports program students in self-control and well-being were examined. One aim was also to study how self-control factors predict school burnout and school engagement. Self-control refers to invidual capacity to regulate immediate responses, behaviors and thoughts. Academic well-being consists of school burnout and school engagement. School burnout is conceptualized as exhaustion, cynical attitudes and sense of inadequacy as a student. The connection between self-control and well-being is internationally well studied, but self-control has been studied less in Finland. This study provides deeper understanding regarding upper secondary school students’ self-control and academic well-being in a specific Finnish context. Methods. The participants were 424 general upper secondary school students from 12 sport-oriented schools around Finland. Students filled in a questionnaire, which consisted of questions about self-control, well-being, studying and sports. Widely used Brief Self-Control Scale was translated into Finnish. Self-control and well-being factors were validated by exploratory factor analysis. T-tests were used to identify differences in self-control and well-being by gender and study program. The effects of self-control variables on the well-being dimensions were examined by means of regression analyses. Results. Three different dimensions of self-control were found: self-discipline, impulsivity and indolence. Results indicate that self-control is not merely inhibiting impulses, but self-control involves also an initiatory dimension. Girls reported less self-discipline but more exhaustion than boys. The results show that sports program students express less indolence and cynicism than general program students. There were no significant differences in the other self-control and well-being variables by gender or program. From self-control dimensions, indolence was the most prominent predictor of well-being dimensions. The findings indicate that studying in the sports program does not lead to more school-related stress than general studies at least in the first two years of upper secondary studies. These findings could be used by student counselling for the detection and early prevention of school burnout.