PERCEPTION DU DEVELOPPEMENT PSYCHOSOCIAL DES ENFANTS DE L ECOLE DU SPORT DE L UNIVERSITE GASTON BERGER DE SAINT-LOUIS SELON LES PARENTS

This study investigates parents’ perceptions of the impact of organized sports participation on the psychosocial and cognitive development of children attending the Sports School of Gaston Berger University (UGB), Saint-Louis, Senegal. The study is grounded in the growing interest in sport as a tool for children's holistic development. An explanatory sequential mixed-method design (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2006) was adopted. Quantitative data were collected from parents of 48 children, including 25 involved in organized sports and 23 engaged in informal sports activities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five experts in sport sciences and physical education.Findings indicate that children involved in organized sports demonstrate higher levels of self-confidence (69%), emotional regulation (73%), autonomy (62%), academic concentration (73%), and memory improvement (46%) than children practicing informal sports.Parents also emphasized the role of sport in socialization, discipline, and cognitive skills development. Qualitative findings confirm that structured sports programs provide educational environments conducive to the acquisition of psychosocial and cognitive competencies transferable to school and daily life.