Impact of Diversification on Movement Self-Perception and Movement Performance in University Sports Students

Purpose: It has been acknowledged that accurate movement self-perception is a crucial prerequisite for
reaching high levels of movement expertise in sports. The influence of distinct educational environments
(specialization vs. diversification) on movement self-perception has thus far, however, mainly been tested
in short-term investigations. Method: Therefore, a longitudinal study spanning two-and-a-half years was
conducted with sports students from two conceptually different sports study programs. A total of 72
sports students from a convergent-oriented program (COSP, n = 38) and a diversification-oriented study
program (DOSP, n = 34) participated in the standardized BAST® movement analysis at the beginning and
end of their studies. Results: While, at the end of their sports studies, COSP showed no significant changes
in movement self-perception, DOSP students’ movement self-perception increased significantly in five out
of eight movement tasks of the BAST®. DOSP students, furthermore, developed a strong relationship
between movement self-perception and movement performance at the end of their sports studies.
Conclusion: Sports students benefit from engaging in a broad variety of different sports, allowing them
to develop an accurate movement self-perception in relation to their movement performance. The
influences of divergent learning experiences and diversification on movement self-perception, as well
as, practical implications for the development of process-oriented learning environments that promote
students’ movement performance by refining movement habits or adapting new movement patterns,
were discussed