Wi-Young So

Background: This study examined the perceptions regarding the competency of “sports for all” instructors using big data analysis. Given the increasing number of everyday participants in sports in the Republic of Korea, this study aimed to identify sports for all instructor competency requirements and gaps and thus help to develop and foster such instructors’ competence. Methods: This study employed big data analysis, specifically, text mining, opinion mining, term frequency–inverse document frequency analysis, and degree centrality analysis. Semantic network analysis was also performed using Textom and UCINET 6’s NetDraw program. The data collection period was from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2020. This five-year study was initiated following the reorganization of the sports for all instructor qualification system in the Republic of Korea in 2015. Results: First, eight groups were formed by extracting 80 words with the highest frequency and conducting a convergence of iteration correlation analysis. Second, categorization based on the results yielded four factors: certification of sports for all instructors, coaching competency, competency education, and emotions. Conclusions: The analysis of perceptions of the competencies of sports for all instructors revealed a great deal of interest in a qualification system that can develop competencies and in education that strengthens them. To become an effective sports for all instructor, corresponding competencies are required and a qualification system to acquire and strengthen these competencies is necessary. The state should focus continuous attention and effort on the qualification system to nurture such competencies.

Background: As the importance of safety during sports activities continues to gain emphasis socially, the interest in creating a culture of safety and safety education to support this is also increasing. However, no study has examined the willingness of adolescents to complete safety education voluntarily. To identify methods of building a culture of sports safety among adolescents, this study investigated the structural relationship among three related variables: sports activity habits, intention to complete safety education, and sports safety awareness of Korean adolescents. Methods: Data on 3928 adolescents aged 13–18 years old from the 2019 Sports Safety Accident Survey conducted by the Korea Sports Safety Foundation were analyzed. This encompassed frequency analysis, scale reliability, validity verification, descriptive statistics analysis, path analysis, and mediating effect verification. Results: The results indicated that sports activity habits among these adolescents had a positive effect on their sports safety awareness and on their intention to complete safety education; further, their sports safety awareness had a positive effect on their intention to complete safety education. The results also showed that sports safety awareness had a partial mediating effect between sports activity habits and intention to complete safety education. The willingness of adolescents to voluntarily complete safety education is particularly important, as adolescence is a critical period when lifelong safety habits can be formed. Conclusions: Based on the results, discussions on creating safe sports activity habits for adolescents and continuous education on sports safety awareness are needed. Ultimately, we need to improve sports safety awareness by paying attention to the development and implementation of sports safety education programs for adolescents as a national policy and, through this, increase their willingness to complete safety education.