Abandono da prática competitiva na transição para o ensino superior Estudo realizado com estudantes da Universidade do Porto

Abstract

Young people's interests change from adolescence to adulthood, when they may also alter or abandon competitive sport. Lack of time, dedication to other activities unrelated to sport, and fatigue are the main factors that cause young people to give up sports. Part of this abandonment occurs at the time of entry into higher education, and it is essential to know the nature and scale of this abandonment and the reasons that triggered it at this specific time. This study aimed to quantify the drop-out rate from sport when entering higher education and to identify the reasons behind it, taking into account the gender of the athletes and the field of study. The sample consisted of 216 first-year students from three faculties at the University of Porto (Sports, Engineering, and Fine Arts). The students answered a questionnaire developed as part of the international project 'How Young People in Europe Move?' (HYPEM). Within the variables that make up the original questionnaire, gender, age, height, body mass, and competitive practice were considered for analysis, as well as the answers to two open questions that were added to the questionnaire (sporting discipline from which the student withdrew at the time of entering university and the reasons for this). The analysis revealed differences between faculties. The Sports Faculty had the highest percentage of competitive sports practitioners on entry to higher education (41.6%), while the Fine Arts Faculty had the highest dropout rate (100 and 90.91% for males and females, respectively). There were no associations between gender and dropping out. The main reasons for dropping out were 'lack of interest', 'lack of time', and 'relocation.' The results suggest the need to prepare for entry to higher education, resolving some problems that students may see as barriers to reconciling their sporting and academic careers, which may lead them to give up before trying.