University Sports in Moldova—A Means of Integration for Foreign Students: Challenges and Opportunities in the Context of Migration

Victoria Leșco, Mihail Onoi, Victoria Razmireț, Irina Volcu, Dan Iulian Alexe () and Ecaterina Lungu ()
Additional contact information
Victoria Leșco: Institute of Physical Education and Sport, Moldova State University, MD-2024 Chisinau, Moldova
Mihail Onoi: National Agency for Quality Assurance in Education and Research, MD-2028 Chisinau, Moldova
Victoria Razmireț: Institute of Physical Education and Sport, Moldova State University, MD-2024 Chisinau, Moldova
Irina Volcu: Institute of Physical Education and Sport, Moldova State University, MD-2024 Chisinau, Moldova
Dan Iulian Alexe: Department of Physical and Occupational Therapy, “Vasile Alecsandri” University of Bacău, 600115 Bacău, Romania
Ecaterina Lungu: Institute of Physical Education and Sport, Moldova State University, MD-2024 Chisinau, Moldova

Societies, 2025, vol. 15, issue 3, 1-17

Abstract: This article aims to analyze to what extent university sports can serve as an effective means of integration for foreign students and the main challenges and opportunities they encounter in the integration process in the context of migration. In this study, “integration” is defined as the process of adapting foreign students to their new academic and social environment, involving the development of interpersonal relationships and active participation in university life. “University sports” refer to the set of physical activities organized within higher education institutions, facilitating student interaction and supporting their psycho-social development. This study aims to analyze the role of university sports activities in facilitating the integration of foreign students. A quantitative analysis was conducted based on data collected through a survey applied to a sample of 134 foreign students enrolled at a university in Moldova. Among them, 25.4% were from Ukraine, 15.7% were from Romania, 17.9% were from Greece, 14.2% were from Russia, and 26.9% were from regions of the Middle East and India. Additionally, 20 interviews with foreign students were conducted to gain a more detailed understanding of their experiences regarding participation in sports competitions. Furthermore, self-assessment questionnaires on well-being were applied. Statistical results showed significant increases in the average scores on all three scales: general well-being (from 2.00 to 2.60, p < 0.001, d = 1.2—large effect), activity (from 1.80 to 2.10, p < 0.05, d = 0.75—moderate effect), and mood (from 2.10 to 2.80, p < 0.001, d = 1.4—large effect). These results highlight that sports activities contribute significantly not only to improving the psychological well-being of foreign students but also to their integration into the university community.

Keywords: university sports; integration; foreign students; migration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A13 A14 P P0 P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 Z1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/15/3/60/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/15/3/60/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsoctx:v:15:y:2025:i:3:p:60-:d:1603929

Access Statistics for this article

Societies is currently edited by Ms. Farrah Sun

More articles in Societies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().