A Comparison Study of Perception Social Support and Educational Well-being among Athletic and Non athlete Students in the Second Period of Elementary School

The present study was set out to compare perceived social support and educational well-being amongst athlete and non-athlete students in the second elementary school. To this end, 140 students of the second elementary school who were members of the school sports teams and studying fourth, fifth and sixth grades in Beyza district were selected. According to the variables of the grade and gender, then 140 students who were not members of any sports group were also selected implementing matching method. The research instruments included Perceived Social Support Questionnaire (Zimet et al, 1998) and Educational Well-being Questionnaire (Tuominen-Soini, et al,2012). Data were analyzed through multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and regression analysis. The results demonstrated that the total score of perceived social support and perceived social support of friends corresponded to athlete students were significantly higher than that of non-athlete ones. Regarding academic well-being among athlete and non-athlete students, no significant difference was showed. Also, the school value and school burnout were significantly predicted by friends’ support and family support among athletic students. Educational satisfaction and school task involvement were also significantly predicted by the factor of family support. Regarding the non-athlete group, only the support of well-known individuals predicted the factor of school value. A significant relationship among the dimensions of social support and educational well-being in athlete, non-athlete students and the whole sample was also affirmed. Eventually, the findings of this research showed that in comparison with non-athlete students, athlete students who enjoy the supports of family and friends are more successful in terms of educational well-being. Given the undeniable role of social support, it innovates the internalization of physical exercises among students implementing appropriate training programs to increase the support of families and friends who are in touch with students.