Impact of Diversification on Movement Self-Perception and Movement Performance in University Sports Students.

Purpose: It has been acknowledged that accurate movement self-perception is a crucial prerequisite for reaching high levels of movement expertise in sports. The influence of distinct educational environments (specialization vs. diversification) on movement self-perception has thus far, however, mainly been tested in short-term investigations. Method: Therefore, a longitudinal study spanning two-and-a-half years was conducted with sports students from two conceptually different sports study programs. A total of 72 sports students from a convergent-oriented program (COSP, n = 38) and a diversification-oriented study program (DOSP, n = 34) participated in the standardized BAST® movement analysis at the beginning and end of their studies. Results: While, at the end of their sports studies, COSP showed no significant changes in movement self-perception, DOSP students' movement self-perception increased significantly in five out of eight movement tasks of the BAST®. DOSP students, furthermore, developed a strong relationship between movement self-perception and movement performance at the end of their sports studies. Conclusion: Sports students benefit from engaging in a broad variety of different sports, allowing them to develop an accurate movement self-perception in relation to their movement performance. The influences of divergent learning experiences and diversification on movement self-perception, as well as, practical implications for the development of process-oriented learning environments that promote students' movement performance by refining movement habits or adapting new movement patterns, were discussed.