Investigation of the multifaceted effects of swimming in children attending summer sports camp

Aim: In this study, it was aimed to analyze the effects of children's participation in swimming in summer sports schools on their developmental characteristics. Methods: Quantitative study design was used in this research. The research was conducted on children between the ages of 9-12. The children who participate in the study were divided into two groups as experimental and control groups. The children in the experimental group consisted of 34 girls and 39 boys who attended the summer sports school. The control group consisted of 40 women and 36 boys. In the data collection process, 'Trait Anxiety Scale', 'Social Tests', 'Social Skills Scale' and 'Bourdon Attention Test' were used. Wilcoxon test and Mann Whitney U test were used in the SPSS 22.0 program to analyze the data obtained. Results: At the end of the study, it was found that there was a significant increase in the post-test attention scores of the children in the experimental and control groups when compared to their pre-test scores (p <0.05). When compared with the pre-test scores of the children in the experimental group, it was determined that there was a significant decrease in the post-test trait anxiety levels (p<0.05), whereas there was no significant difference between the pre-post-test trait anxiety levels of the children in the control group (p>0.05). In addition, at the end of the study, it was determined that there was a significant improvement in the social skill levels of the children in the experimental group (p<0.05), and that there was no significant difference between the pre-post test social skill levels of the children in the control group (p>0.05). Conclusion: As a result, it can be said that the swimming exercise program applied to children in the 9-12 age group within the scope of the summer sports school improves the level of attention and social skills, and also contributes to the reduction of the level of constant anxiety.