Moroccan adults´ perceptions of amateur sports as a tool for developing life skills: leadership and decision-making

Abstract

Introduction: In addition to its recreational role, amateur sport is also recognized for its increasingly important educational role, helping individuals develop life skills and providing them with psychosocial well-being. Objective: Investigate how participation in amateur sports contributes to the development of life skills—specifically leadership and decision-making—among Moroccan adults. The research is grounded in the premise that sport can serve as an informal educational setting promoting personal and professional growth. Methods: Quantitative study with a total of 184 Moroccan adults (136 men and 48 women) who are members of amateur sports clubs responded to an electronic questionnaire based on the Life Skills in Sport Scale (LSSS), designed to assess their perceptions of the development of two skills: leadership and decision-making through sport. Results: Participants reported a generally high perception of the role of amateur sports in leadership and decision-making development (mean score = 4), with team and combat sports being the most frequently cited. However, no significant correlation was observed between the number of years of practice and the development of leadership (r = 0.022, p = 0.768) or decisionmaking (r = 0.076, p = 0.307). A statistically significant correlation was found between leadership and decision-making skills. Conclusion: The results of this study show that the Moroccan adults surveyed attribute a significant role to amateur sport in the development of leadership and decision-making skills, particularly through team and combat sports. They also indicate that this positive perception does not vary according to the length of time the sport has been practiced, but that leadership and decisionmaking appear to be closely linked.