The Effects of Weight Training on the Self-Esteem of College Students

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of a weight training program on the self-esteem of college students. Subjects enrolled in a Beginning Weight Training course, a Beginning Golf course and an Introduction to Sociology course were administered the Tennessee Self Concept Scale (TSCS) at the beginning and end of an eight-week period. A subscale of the TSCS, the Total Positive (TP) score, served as the focal point of this study. The statistics used to analyze the data included ANOVA for between group comparisons and a matched pair t test for within group differences. The subjects in the Weight Training class significantly increased their TP scores; such was not the case for the Golf and Sociology subjects. There were no statistically significant differences among the three groups at the end of the eight-week period.