Sports and non-sports university students' fear of swimming and swimming skills

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between swimming skill levels and fear of swimming among university students who participate in sports and those who do not, and to determine whether these variables differ according to various demographic characteristics. The study was conducted using a correlational survey model, one of the quantitative research methods. The population of the study consisted of students enrolled at Amasya University during the 2024–2025 academic year, and the sample comprised 528 university students selected through random sampling. Data were collected using a demographic information form, the Swimming Skills Self-Assessment Scale developed by Gosnik et al. (2011) and adapted by Arıkan and İnce (2023), and the Fear of Swimming Scale developed by Bolat and Atasoy (2024). In the analysis of the data, descriptive statistics as well as independent samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation analysis were applied. The findings indicated that male students had significantly higher swimming skill levels than female students. In addition, students who had previously taken swimming lessons were found to have significantly higher swimming skill levels and lower levels of fear of swimming. Moderate and significant negative relationships were observed between swimming skills and fear of swimming and its sub-dimensions. All these findings reveal that fear of swimming is an important factor that negatively affects the acquisition of swimming skills. Furthermore, it is considered important that universities assume a compensatory role for individuals who could not acquire swimming skills at an early age; in this context, the dissemination of structured, safe, and supportive swimming education programs for adults is deemed necessary. It can also be stated that conducting qualitative or mixed-method studies would be beneficial for researchers working in this field in order to examine the multidimensional structure of swimming skills and fear of swimming in greater depth.