Sport-Based Policy and Development: Integrating Life Skills through Basketball as a Strategy for Positive Youth Development in University Students

Sport is increasingly recognized not only as a medium for physical development, but also as a strategic platform for fostering educational, social, and psychosocial outcomes among youth. In recent years, policy and research have emphasized the role of sport in promoting Positive Youth Development (PYD), particularly through the intentional integration of life skills such as leadership, emotional regulation, and goal setting. Within this context, structured sport-based interventions have gained attention as effective approaches to support holistic youth development in educational settings. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a basketball training program that integrates explicit life skills to enhance PYD in university students. A pretest-posttest control group design under a quasi-experimental framework was applied. The sample consisted of 93 undergraduates, divided into an experimental group (n = 47) and a control group (n = 46). Eight sessions of structured basketball training were given to the experimental group, with embedded instruction on leadership, goal setting, emotional regulation, and time management. Life skills were measured using the Life Skills Scale for Sport at both pre- and post-intervention. Results from the Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) indicated a statistically significant effect of the intervention on the combined life skills outcomes, with Wilks' Lambda = .328, F(9, 80) = 18.195, p < .001, and a large effect size (partial η² = .672). Univariate tests revealed significant improvements in all eight life skill dimensions, with effect sizes ranging from η² = .257 to η² = .625. There was no significant interaction between group and gender (p > .05), indicating that the intervention was equally effective for both male and female participants. These findings provide strong empirical support for integrating structured life skills instruction into sport programming. The results suggest that intentionally designed sport-based interventions can significantly enhance youth competencies and inform policy development that positions sport as a strategic tool for holistic education and personal development.