Abstract
The present study had 3 objectives. First, we aimed to categorize the effectiveness of participation in school athletic clubs in accordance with findings from preceding studies (study 1). Second, studies on the effectiveness of athletic club activities were to be organized by generation with the changes observed in each generation also described with a view towards clarifying research tasks (study 2). Third, we aimed to clarify the effectiveness of athletic club activities that had not yet been demonstrated in previous research (study 3).
In study 1, when we categorized the effectiveness of athletic club activities, we confirmed the construct, the subscale, and the observable variable that determined effectiveness in each study. Each concept was grouped based on similarity and made types having higher degree. The categories we derived were "school adjustment"; "scholastic ability"; "character"; "stress and mental health"; "psychosocial development"; "physical growth and development"; "sport as a habit"; "attitude towards sports"; "fatigue"; "lifestyle"; and "others".
In study 2, when we investigated the transition of studies on the effectiveness of athletic club activities, we focused on the problem establishment in these studies. This was considered while examining the association between each problem establishment and social background or policies of the day. As a result, at first, researchers continued selecting students who participated in athletic clubs as appropriate subjects for examining the effectiveness of physical exercise or sports activity. Second, researchers are also interested in the negative effectiveness of participation in athletic clubs. Positive trends are particularly strong for "school adjustment" and "stress and mental health" studies conducted after 1998. Third, studies that demonstrated significance or effectiveness of athletic club activities increased after 1983, and the effectiveness that were determined diversified since that time. Researchers found out various significance and effectiveness of athletic club activities, and recognition of the potential for athletic club activities to address issues also increased. It can be said that we researchers don’t reach a common understanding on the significance and effectiveness of athletic club activities.
In study 3, we brought attention to the effectiveness of athletic club activities that had been overlooked in previous studies by comparing effectiveness as determined in empirical studies how it had been determined in theoretical studies. Unnoticed effectiveness of athletic club activities was the acquisition of abilities and attributes necessary for developing sports society and culture.
