TEAM COMPETITION 1

Team Competition in Middle School Gym Classes: Using Rugby to Strengthen Mental

Health and Resilience

Carolyn McKee

University of Lethbridge

Professional Semester III

Professional Inquiry Project

Fall 2020
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It is a culturally accepted fact that middle school is a difficult time in anyone’s life.

Social, physical, academic, and family changes culminate in a tumultuous three years that has the

potential (or even guarantee) to shake any individual’s previously set foundation. A key aspect

that has proven to be beneficial through the rocky years of grades six to eight is participation in

team sport and group exercise. I have chosen to focus on specifically on the positive relationship

between mental health and team sport, as well as self-perception and team sport. In the last few

months, COVID-19 has taken away many of those benefits, and there is a high need for it to be

implemented back in schools once it is safe to do so. Once it is physically safe to do so, the

mental and emotional benefits will greatly improve students’ mental health and self-concept.

My Professional Inquiry Project entails finding evidence to support a team-based

competition platform in middle school gym classes through the sport of rugby, as well as

creating a unit wherein this can be implemented in a typical middle school gym class. Within this

unit, students will learn individual skills and compete in various games that require team work

and collaboration, requiring them to develop their team skills as well as potentially finding a new

sport to engage with.

There is a wide range of mental health issues that may be connected with participation in

team sports, specifically focusing on anxiety and depression. Emily Pluhar et al. (2019)

conducted a study that focused on the extent of anxiety and depression in individual sport

athletes compared to team sport athletes. In general, the study suggests, concurrent with other

studies that “youth who engage in sports have lower levels of self-reported diagnoses of anxiety

and depression than those reported by the general population” (2019, p. 493). This study

specifically found “that 8% of athletes reported suffering from physician-diagnosed anxiety or

depression, a statistic be- low the national [American] average” (2019, p. 493). Pluhar et al. go

on to suggest that team sport athletes use the social component of their sport to cope with mental

stress and personal struggles. Additionally, team sport athletes reported a key focus of

participating in team sports was simply for “fun”, a factor that also contributes to strengthened

mental health. These factors suggest that team sports are an efficient tool to implement in times

of severe stress and anxiety, two tolls on mental health that are seen throughout the transitory

years of middle school.

The issues that teenagers face are issues that they can overcome more easily through the

support of others, support that can come through team participation and camaraderie. Adverse

childhood experiences are prevalent in certain schools, and the toll on mental health is one that is

continually seen within middle school institutions. A teenager’s self-esteem and self-concept are

also greatly affected by one’s participation in team sports. D’Anna et al. (2015) found that “both

females and males who were physically involved in the practice of sports at competitive level

(indifferently whether individual or team sport) have considerably highest level of self- esteem”

(p. 427). This research points toward the essential use/set up/use of sports, both team and

individual. D’Anna et al. measured six different areas of self-esteem, including interpersonal

relationship, competence, emotionality, school, family, body image. In these six areas,

competitive athletes had considerably higher scores than non-athletes, suggesting that students’

mental health and self-esteem both can benefit from healthy, competitive environments. Finally,

D’Anna et al. suggest that “those who practice sport at a competitive level reinforces self-esteem,

due to constant reinforcements, that sports results have on all dimensions of self-esteem” (p.

494), providing support to the recommendation that young adolescents use team sports to

strengthen and improve their self-esteem and self-concept. The research done by D’Anna et al.
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suggests that team sports be used to develop and strengthen an adolescent’s perception of their

self.

Resiliency and mental health are tied together, two concepts which together contribute to

a stronger and more stable perspective toward all the issues that one faces in middle school and

beyond. A study was conducted that analyzed the connection between the unity experienced in

team sports and the effect it has on mental health as well as resiliency. Kai Yamada et al. (2017)

found evidence that indicated that “a positive correlation was found between team unity and

resilience. Results indicated that the more united team members are the more resilient” (60)

while “a negative correlation was found between team unity and mental health (61)”. The

research found that the more unified a team and its members were, the more resilient the

individuals were. Additionally, they found that “the more united team members are the sounder

mental health” (2017, p. 61). This conclusion supports the idea of creating situations for students

to develop those connections with others. As they do this they can increase their resilience and

improve their mental health, both components that contribute to a healthier, more well balanced

life styles.

In order to find my own evidence on the importance of team sport and group exercise I

conducted a short survey to two separate groups of grade eight students. There were three main

sections to this survey; the first section gathered information on the universal’s preference for

group or individual activities. There was a clear preference in favour of participating in group or

competitive activities, speaking to the clear preference students have in participating in a

competitive setting. The second section of the survey asked the students to share their favorite

activities to compete in, and the majority again wrote activities that involved competition with

and among peers, rather than individual competitions. Finally, the third section asked students to
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share the feelings, mood, and mental state they typically feel after engaging in team sport or

group competitions. The possible moods or feelings to choose from were: happy, more energetic,

frustrated, angry, sad, sleepy, focused, more alert, distracted, excited, worried, and productive.

Out of these twelve options, most of the students circled words that contribute to a more positive

state of mind and focused intentions. This survey served its intended purpose of gathering a

general statement of students’ personal opinions and perspective of group exercise and the

evidence suggests that students are aware of the benefits of competition and group something.

The institution and application of team sports and group exercise are two areas that were

greatly missed out on upon the onset of COVID-19. The benefits of such programs are incredibly

important in supporting young adolescents’ journeys through middle school and the adolescent

years. My Professional Inquiry Project provides the ways and the means for schools to increase

the ability for students to generate those connections and reap the benefits of participating in

team sport activities. Using my PIP will capitalize on students’ preferences for positive

competition within the learning environment, strengthen mental health and resiliency, and

improve self-esteem, all components which generally need development, particularly in the

defining years of middle school.

References

D’Anna, C., Rio, L. & Paloman, F.G. (2015). Competitive sport and self-concept in

adolescent. Journal of Human Sport & Exercise, 10, 425–429.

Pluhar, E., McCracken, C., Griffith, K.L., Christino, M.A., Sugimoto, D., & Meehan III, W.P.

(2019). Team Sport Athletes May Be Less Likely to Suffer Anxiety or Depression than

Individual Sport Athletes. Journal Of Sports Science and Medicine,, 18, 490-496.

Yamada, K., Kawata, Y., Kamimura, A., & Hirosawa, M. (2017). The Effect of Unity in Sport

Teams on Athletes’ Mental Health: Investigating the Mediating Role of

Resilience. International Journal of Sport & Health Science, 15, 55–64.