At-Risk Boys' Self-Efficacy in a Summer Sports Camp

Background/Purpose: Summer sports camps can provide valuable opportunities for school-aged children, especially for at-risk boys, to be physically active and engage in positive social behaviors during the summer months (Jago & Baranowski, 2004). However, whether campers experience these social and physical benefits is largely determined by their social self-efficacy (SS-E) and physical activity self-efficacy (PAS-E). SS-E refers to beliefs in one’s capabilities to form and maintain social relationships and work cooperatively with others, while PAS-E concerns beliefs in one’s capabilities to learn and perform physical activities (PA). Few studies have simultaneously examined how SS-E and PAS-E impact children, particularly at-risk boys, socially and physically in summer sports camp settings. Therefore, this study examined at-risk boys’ SS-E and PAS-E profiles in relation to their positive social behaviors, effort, and intention for future leisure time PA participation (intention) in a summer sports camp.

Method: Participants were 97 boys (M age = 12.04 years, SD = 1.26) enrolled in a summer sports camp located in the southern U.S. During regularly scheduled camp activities, participants completed a package of previously validated questionnaires assessing SS-E, PAS-E, positive social behaviors, effort, and intention on 5-point scales, ranging from 1 (not at all true for me) to 5 (very true for me).

Analysis/Results: Boys reported high levels of PAS-E (M = 4.27, SD = .59) but moderate levels of SS-E (M = 3.83, SD = .64). A paired sample t-test confirmed that this difference is significant, t (96) = 7.25, p < .001, Cohen’s d = .71. Multiple regression analyses revealed SS-E and PAS-E together explained 26.2%, 26.3%, and 18.2% of the variance for positive social behaviors (F (2, 94) = 16.73, p < .001), effort (F (2, 94) = 16.81, p < .001), and intention (F (2, 94) = 10.46, p < .001), respectively. Specifically, SS-E positively predicted positive social behaviors (β = .37, t = 3.47, p < .01) and PAS-E positively predicted effort (β = .37, t = 3.53, p < .01) and intention (β = .44, t = 3.92, p < .01).

Conclusions: Consistent with the research literature, SS-E was predictive of at-risk boys’ positive social behaviors, while PAS-E was predictive of their effort and intention. These findings support the view that self-efficacy is essential to educational outcomes. We recommend that summer sports camp program designers develop effective strategies to enhance at-risk boys’ self-efficacy to help them maximize benefits from camps socially and physically.