The Impacts of Sports Schools on Holistic Athlete Development: A Mixed Methods Systematic Review

Abstract

Background To understand the multiple and wide-ranging impacts of intensified youth sport, the need for a holistic approach to athlete development has recently been advocated. Sports schools are an increasingly popular operationalisation of intensified youth sport, aiming to offer an optimal environment for holistic development by combining sport and education. Yet, no study has systematically explored the impacts associated with sports schools. Objectives The aims of this mixed method systematic review were to (1) determine the characteristics and features of sports schools; (2) identify the methods used to evaluate sports school impacts, and (3) evaluate the positive and negative holistic athlete development impacts associated with sports school programme involvement. Methods Adhering to PRISMA guidelines, eight electronic databases were searched until the final return in February 2021. Forty-six articles satisfied the inclusion criteria, were analysed thematically, and synthesised using a narrative approach. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Results Findings indicated (1) sports school student-athletes receive considerable support in terms of academic and athletic services, more intensified training and competition schedules with high-level training partners, but regularly miss school; (2) multiple methods have been used to evaluate student-athlete impacts, making comparison across studies and developing consensus on the impacts of sports schools difficult; and (3) there are a multitude of immediate, short- and long-term positive and negative impacts associated with the academic/vocational, athletic/physical, psychosocial and psychological development of sports school student-athletes. Conclusions This study is the first to systematically review the research literature to understand the impacts associated with sports schools in terms of holistic athlete development. Practitioners should be aware that they can promote (positive) and negate (negative) health impacts through the design of an appropriate learning environment that simultaneously balances multiple training, academic, psychosocial and psychological factors that can be challenging for youth athletes. We recommend that practitioners aim to design and implement monitoring and evaluation tools that assess the holistic development of student-athletes within their sports schools to ensure they are promoting all-round and healthy youth athlete development.

Successful in Sports but Worse in School? Adolescent Student-Athletes’ Development of Scholastic Performances

“…Jonker et al (2009) assessed the performance based on career choices whereas the present study used scholastic tests and grade points. The findings of the present study are, however, in line with the findings by Thompson et al (2022) who found that attending a sport school does not have a positive effect on academic success. Two reasons can be identified for the previously mentioned difference in the development of ESS students vs. non-studentathletes in the present study.…”

“…As a result, athletic demands interfered less with academic tasks (Storm and Eske, 2022). Additionally, the support service in the present study allowed student-athletes with AA to receive more similar results to their peers at comprehensive schools which has previously been defined as problematic (Thompson et al, 2022). However, the support service AA seems to be selective as it only allows athletes in individual sports to participate.…”

“…Two reasons can be identified for the previously mentioned difference in the development of ESS students vs. non-studentathletes in the present study. On the one hand, ESS students have less time and energy in order to fulfill demands of both the athletic and academic career (Emrich et al, 2009;Thompson et al, 2022) even before they enter the Abitur phase, thus, leading to generally worse developments of school performances. On the other hand, ESSs do not and/or cannot provide the same level of education to their students as comprehensive schools due to their dual mission of achieving successful results in the academic and athletic area, a reduced sense of entitlement toward ESS students, as well as other imposed educational policies.…”

“…Besides individual opportunity costs, expenses made for an athletic career might result in a less successful academic career (Emrich et al, 2009). The comprehensive review by Thompson et al (2022) highlights that the research on academic success in a DC is inconclusive. Although student-athletes at sport schools receive considerably more support in academia and athletics, student-athletes suffer from missing school and attaining higher education access (Thompson et al, 2022).…”

“…The comprehensive review by Thompson et al (2022) highlights that the research on academic success in a DC is inconclusive. Although student-athletes at sport schools receive considerably more support in academia and athletics, student-athletes suffer from missing school and attaining higher education access (Thompson et al, 2022). This review even identified that there is no positive impact of attending a sport school on academic success.…”