The Influence of Sports Involvement and Social Adaptation on Perceived Relatedness: Mediating Role of Effective Commitment and Prosocial Behavior

Abstract

One of psychological concepts that are perceived by students related to academic engagement, wellbeing, and retention is perceived relatedness, which includes the sense of belonging by the students. It is said that the participation in sports activities and social integration will increase relatedness by creating shared experiences and perfecting social activities. However, how these two are connected to one another has never been investigated in the case of higher education in Pakistan. The study was cross-sectional survey in students in different academic institutions in Punjab, Pakistan. The respondents were chosen through various faculties in order to get the stronger representation of the experience gender, program and residence locality. The research involved previously tested intersectional measures that involved involvement of participants in sports, social adaptation, affective commitment, prosocial behavior, and perceived relatedness to realize the desired outcomes, reaching the conclusion for making suitable decisions about hypothesized relationships among the research variables with the aim to contribute existing knowledge on variables.  It was empirically found that the measurement model developed was reliable and valid then structural analyses were done that indicated that participation in sports and social adaptation had correlated with positive perception of social relations. The findings of sufficient controls immediate impacts on social adjustment and engagement in sports show to the empirical data of the commitments experienced relationally to institution and to the respective community to which life was enriched with prosocial practices. The practitioners in education should employ an integrated approach which integrates structured sports programming with programs that promote affective commitment, prosocial norms. The included policies will produce spillover effects in belonging, wellbeing, and engagement. This study increases the literature through a dual mediator model in socio-behavioral of perceived relatedness. The model is founded upon self-determination and social capital by describing commitment and prosocial as key factors to boost student relatedness.

Keywords: Perceived Relatedness, Sports Involvement, Social Adaptation, Effective Commitment, Prosocial Behavior, Higher Education, Pakistan, Mediation.