Positive Youth Development: Impact of a Sports Education Program on Ethnic Minority Students within an Academic Environment of Socio-Educational Exclusion

Objectives: There is a growing global concern regarding mental health and well-being in educational settings, especially in contexts of socio-educational exclusion. Active educational interventions offer an effective approach to enhance students’ mental health and personal and social well-being. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a psychosocial intervention program based on the Sports Education model (SEM) on subjective well-being (positive and negative affect) and externalizing problems (aggressiveness, hyperactivity, and behavioral problems) in youth students from a highly vulnerable socio-cultural community belonging to an ethnic minority with significant socio-educational support needs associated with socio-educational exclusion. Methods: The intervention took place during school hours, consisting of 17 sessions of 45 min each, at a publicly owned school serving disadvantaged communities. The ethnic minority sample, comprising all preadolescent students, consisted of 28 participants (13 males and 15 females) aged 10 to 15 (Mean = 10.19; SD = 1.39), all of whom were part of the experimental group. The present study employed a single-group pre-test/post-test design due to the unique conditions of the school. Results: Subjective well-being was assessed using the PANAS Positive and Negative Affect Scale for Children and Adolescents (PANASN), while the teacher version of the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC-2; TRS) was employed to evaluate externalizing problems. The results suggested significant improvements in subjective well-being, with a significant increase in positive affect (d = 0.80) and a significant decrease in negative affect (d = 1.14), both exhibiting large effect sizes. Similarly, aggressiveness (d = 0.62) and behavioral problems (d = 0.79) showed significant reductions, both reflecting medium effect sizes. Conclusions: These findings suggest the suitability and effectiveness of this Sports Education program for promoting socio-affective improvements in students from socio-culturally disadvantaged backgrounds and academic environments. SEM-based programs are recommended, as they support mental health and social well-being, offer evidence-based benefits for teachers, and foster holistic student development.