Effects of Past Exercise Experience on Life Skills : A Cross-national Study of Chinese and Japanese University Students

要旨

This study aimed to compare the relationship between exercise experience from primary school to the present and current life skills among Chinese and Japanese university students. The participants were 331 Chinese university students (n=181 men ; n= 150 women) and 327 Japanese university students (n=156 men ; n= 171 women). The cross-sectional survey included a questionnaire with items regarding participants' exercise experience from elementary school to the present and the Daily Life Skills Scale (Shimamoto and Ishii, 2006). A t-test was used to examine the between-group differences in the scores of daily life skills between Chinese and Japanese students. The results showed that Chinese students reported higher scores in the life skills used mainly in personal situations, while Japanese students reported higher scores in the skills used generally in interpersonal situations. Further, the positive correlation between exercise experience and life skills was larger in Japanese students than Chinese students. Specifically, the correlation demonstrated that the number of exercise experiences during high school was positively correlated with the affinity, etiquette to others, and skills used in interpersonal situations, which is a subscale, and the total score of the Life skills. This result suggests that the extracurricular activities that target exercise in Japanese school have a beneficial impact on the development of daily Life skills.

主題