DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN KINECTICS AND SPORT SCIENCE

This study investigated gender disparities in sports participation and its influence on academic performance among secondary school students in Edo State, Nigeria. The research make use of a descriptive survey design to examine the extent of gender differences in sports involvement, the relationship between sports participation and academic outcomes, the perceived benefits of sports, and also the barriers uniquely affecting female students. The population comprised 470 students from two secondary schools—Ekosodin Secondary School and OSA Osula Secondary School—from which a sample of 100 students was selected using stratified random sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire titled “Gender Disparities in Sports Participation and Academic Performance Questionnaire (GDSP-Q).” Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) were used to answer the four research questions, while inferential statistics (independent samples t-test and Pearson product moment correlation) were employed to test four null hypotheses at the 0.05 significance level. The findings revealed a significant gender disparity in sports participation, with male students having higher involvement than their female counterparts. A strong positive correlation was found between sports participation and academic performance, indicating that students engaged in sports tend to perform better academically. Respondents also strongly agreed that sports participation offers substantial physical, psychological, and social benefits. Also, female students perceived significantly greater barriers to sports participation, including cultural norms, lack of parental support, and fear of social stigma, compared to male students. All four null hypotheses were rejected. It was then concluded that gender-based inequities in sports participation exist in Nigerian secondary schools and that these disparities have academic and developmental implications on the students. The study recommends the implementation of gender inclusive sports policies, increased parental and community sensitization, provision of adequate sports facilities and female coaches, and the integration of sports into the academic curriculum as a strategy for enhancing the students holistic development.

This study was carried out to assess the outdoor recreational behavior and preference of residence in Ikpoba – Okha Local Government area of Edo State. The descriptive survey research method was adopted for the study. The instrument for data collection was structure questionnaire; the simple random sampling technique was used to select a total of four hundred (400) residents from Ikpoba – Okha LGA. The data obtained were analyzed using frequency count and simple percentage, based on the
analyzed data and review of related literatures the following major important points were summarized as follows; only a few of the residence in Ikpoba – Okha LGA regularly go for picnics with friends as a form of recreational activity. They do not played much of tennis as a sport for recreation during their leisure time but rather did more of football. A handful of the residence go for camping activities as a recreational activity. Based on the findings of the study, the following recommendations were made; to increase the level of participation in outdoor recreation activities, there should be increased level of advertisement and public enlightenment by those who operate recreational centers and the government, entry fees to various recreational facilities should be made as affordable as possible so individuals at the different levels of social stratification participate, measures should be put in place to prevent harassment of any kind that may occur on recreation grounds.