New research has found that young people who have more experience of organised sport during childhood may adapt more readily to university life.


The study, conducted by researchers at Loughborough University’s School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, discovered that school leavers from lower social-economic backgrounds enrolled on sport degrees reported a lesser sense of belonging, citing a lack of experience in sporting environments as a key factor.

Findings also showed that people from traditional and established middle class backgrounds, who had more participation opportunities across a multitude of sports, reported stronger relationships with university tutors and found it easier to build connections with peers.

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