EFFECTS OF A SPORT PERSISTENCE TRAINING PROGRAMME ON THE PSYCHOLOGICAL RESOURCES OF ADOLESCENT FEMALE DANCERS

Abstract

Sport persistence is essential for sustained participation in sport, yet evidence regarding targeted interventions among adolescent dancers remains limited. This study examined the effects of a sport persistence training programme on persistence, future orientation, and sport anxiety, with particular attention to competitive female show dancers and the mode of programme delivery. A quantitative pretest-posttest design was applied to 138 athletes aged 14–25 years, including 47 competitive show dancers aged 14–16 years. Participants completed the Sport Persistence Questionnaire, the Self in the Future Scale, and the Sport Anxiety Scale-2. The intervention addressed self-awareness, anxiety management, self-management and time management, communication, attachment to sport, and social support through hybrid or home-based delivery. Following the programme, sport persistence, positive future orientation, perceived control over the future, and time management improved significantly, while future-related uncertainty decreased. No significant overall change was observed in sport anxiety. Improvements in sport persistence and several future-orientation indicators were greater among dancers than among athletes from other sports. The hybrid format was also more effective than the exclusively home-based format across several outcomes. Regression analysis indicated that dancer status, changes in lack of self-efficacy, and somatic anxiety significantly predicted changes in sport persistence. Mediation analyses further suggested that concentration-related and somatic anxiety were indirectly associated with sport persistence through lack of self-efficacy and future-related uncertainty. These findings support the use of structured psychological training, particularly in hybrid formats, to strengthen persistence and reduce dropout risk among adolescent dancers.