The effect of the 12-week judo physical activity program on the self-esteem of secondary school students during the COVID-19 period

Background and Study Aim. During the COVID-19 period, participation in physical activity decreased, and at the same time, many psychological problems occurred in children and adolescents. Therefore, this study examines the impact of secondary school students’ participation in regular exercise on their self-esteem. Material and Methods. The research was carried out with an experimental method and sequential design. The study, carried out in 2 sessions, started with the first measurement in November 2021 and ended with the last measurement in January 2022. 46 volunteer students forming the study sample were divided into experimental and control groups. Students in both groups completed the ‘Personal Information Form’ and the ‘Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory’ in the first week and the end of the 12th week. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 17.0 was used for data analysis. First, a descriptive statistical test was conducted to indicate the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants. Then, normality tests (Skewness and Kurtosis) were applied to determine whether the data showed normal distribution, and it was determined that the data showed normal distribution. Finally, the independent sample t-test and Paired Samples t-test were applied because the data met the assumption of normal distribution. The significance level was determined as p<0.05. Results. A statistically significant difference was found between the self-esteem values of the experimental group before the physical activity program and after the exercise sessions. There was no significant difference in the self-esteem levels of the control group pre-test and post-test. Conclusions. In conclusion, this study reveals that participation in 12 weeks of regular exercise significantly increases middle school students’ self-esteem.