Web Master: Alan Bastien .Copyright © 2010 Seneca Taekwondo & Martial Arts. All rights reserved.01/04/10.
Article from: “Journal of Research in Education”
The Effects of Martial Arts Instruction on
Preadolescents’ and Early Adolescents’ Self-Esteem
William C. Martin, University of West Florida
Janet K. Pilcher, University of West Florida
The purpose of this study was to determine whether changes in attitudes toward self occurred after
preadolescents and early adolescents participated in the first level of Taekwondo instruction.
The sample included students enrolled in Taekwondo classes in 100 martial arts training centers
across the United States . Two surveys were administered: one to students and another to the
instructors.
Introduction
This investigation attempted to determine whether changes in attitudes toward the self occurred after
preadolescents and early adolescents participated in the first level of Taekwondo instruction. Findings from a pilot
study that indicated both students and instructors believed student’s attitudes about themselves were more positive
after receiving Taekwondo instruction prompted this study (Martin, 1991). This study, therefore, included both
students’ and their instructors’ ratings of each student’s self-esteem level.
Coopersmith (1990) defines self-esteem as a judgement of worthiness that is expressed by the attitudes a person
holds towards self, and found that students with high self-esteem approach tasks with the belief that they will
succeed. Gwin (1990) claims that true self-esteem means more than teaching students to feel good about
themselves. She believes that students earn self-respect when they are in instructional settings that support the
idea that effort will lead to success.
Method and Results
A simple random sample of 150 nine- to fifteen-year-old students enrolled in Taekwondo classes throughout the
United States was selected. Two surveys were administered to students and their instructors: one at the beginning
of training and another eight months later. Eight months represented the first complete cycle of Taekwondo
instruction.
The martial arts training centers administered to Taekwondo students the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory
(School Form) which measured students’ attitudes toward their social, academic, and personal selves (Coopersmith,
1990). Students were asked to determine their level of self-esteem at the beginning and ending of the first
instructional cycle. An F of 6.79 was computed using ANOVA and with 1,112 degrees of freedom was found to be
significant at the .01 level.
The Behavioral Academic Self-Esteem Rating Scale was administered to the students’ martial arts instructors who
rated students on five self-esteem factors; student initiative; social attention; success/failure; social attraction; and
self-confidence. Student initiative represented how often a student participated in instructional activities. Social
attention measured how well a student exhibited behaviors that facilitated learning. Success/failure assessed how
well a student coped with corrective feedback from instructors. Social attraction measured how compatible students
were with peers. Self-confidence represented the degree to which a student verbally expressed his/her
accomplishments.
Conclusions
Students’ self-esteem was higher after the first instructional cycle of Taekwondo training. The instructional
emphasis was on teaching students to take control of themselves in a highly structured and ritualistic environment.
Teacher instructions, expectations, and assessments were clear. Students, therefore, gained confidence to
master defined goals – that is, students intrinsically valued the instructional process of Takewondo, and thus,
applied the necessary effort to achieve. Learning environments that promote students’ taking control of their own
learning through structured and ritualistic activities create for students an intrinsic purpose for learning. In the
Taekwondo learning environment students increased their feelings about themselves and reduced fear of failing
after applying effort.
