Study on the Effects of Sports on Education Intentions of Grade Eleven Students in Government Schools: With reference to Gampaha District

Competitiveness in the field of education in a competitive lifestyle has created a knowledge-based education. Various factors influence the achievements of these educational intentions and this study probed the impact of sports on the education intentions of grade eleven students in government schools. The objectives of this study were to measure the level of students’ educational intentions, to identify the difference in the educational intentions of students who engage in sports and those who do not and to identify the relationship between sports participation and educational satisfaction. The study captured all grade eleven students in four government mixed schools selected from four selected divisions in the Gampaha District by using the multi-stage cluster sampling method. The Questionnaire method was used to collect data and 182 students responded. Univariate analysis, two-sample t-test, and chi-square test were used to derive the inferences. The findings of the study revealed that students’ overall education intentions were at a moderate level, and the levels of attitudes and skills of students were higher than the knowledge of the students. Furthermore, the findings showed that students who participated in sports had developed more knowledge, attitudes, and skills than students who did not participate in sports. Moreover, the study found that the students who engaged in sports obtained higher marks than the other students in the subjects of Science, Mathematics, English and History. When considering sports participation and satisfaction of education, the students who participated in sports were more satisfied with the existing education system, while students who did not participate in sports were less satisfied. The overall conclusion was that sports enabled students to achieve better knowledge, attitudes, and skills that are the intentions of the education. It can be suggested that it is essential to decide to further develop the existing school sports in Sri Lanka.