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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychol.
Sec. Sport Psychology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1455877
This article is part of the Research Topic The Intersection of Psychology, Healthy Behaviors, and its Outcomes View all 15 articles

Enhancing career adaptability in college students: A Tai Chi-based sports intervention study

Provisionally accepted
Le Wang Le Wang 1Yuanyan Zhai Yuanyan Zhai 1*Qichao Sun Qichao Sun 2*
  • 1 Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
  • 2 Guangdong Justice Police Vocational College, GuangZhou, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    This research explores the impact of Tai Chi, a traditional Chinese martial art, on the career adaptability of college students, utilizing a quasi-experimental design. With the increasing complexities in the transition from school to work, effective interventions that address both psychological and vocational needs are essential.The study involved 70 senior college students, randomly assigned to either an intervention group that participated in an organized 8-week Tai Chi program based on positive youth development (PYD) or a control group with no intervention.Results indicated significant improvements in the intervention group in terms of both career adaptability and satisfaction of basic psychological needs, compared to the control group. Mediation analysis revealed that the increase in career adaptability induced by intervention was mediated by the satisfaction of basic psychological needs, underscoring the effectiveness of Tai Chi as a holistic intervention tool.This study contributes to the field by demonstrating that physical activity, particularly one embedded with deep cultural and philosophical significance like Tai Chi, can effectively enhance the career adaptability of college students. It advocates for the inclusion of PYD-based physical practices in developmental interventions aimed at preparing youth for the challenges of the modern workforce.

    Keywords: Career adaptability, Tai Chi sports, basic psychosocial needs, Sports intervention, College student

    Received: 27 Jun 2024; Accepted: 13 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Wang, Zhai and Sun. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Yuanyan Zhai, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
    Qichao Sun, Guangdong Justice Police Vocational College, GuangZhou, China

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