A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Psychological, Social and Environmental Influences on Sport Identity and Sport Participation Among Second-Generation South Asian Immigrant Adolescents in Hong Kong

Background: Sport was supposed to integrate them. Second-generation South Asian adolescents in Hong Kong, though born locally, participate in sport 20 to 40 percent less than Chinese peers. This exclusion undermines health equity and social cohesion. Ecological models of sport identity assume universal pathways yet were validated in Western contexts and never tested in collectivistic, high-density Asian cities where academic pressures dominate.

Purpose: This study overturns the universality assumption of Western-validated ecological models by testing whether ecological models transfer equivalently to South Asian immigrant adolescents or require cultural adaptation. It examines: (1) effects of psychological (task orientation, perceived sport competence, relative autonomy), social (peer, coach, physical education teacher support), and environmental (school, community, home resources) factors on sport identity and sport participation; (2) sport identity as mediator between these predictors and participation; and (3) whether pathway strengths differ between South Asian and Chinese adolescents.

Methods: A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design integrates cross-sectional survey data from 700 adolescents (350 South Asian immigrants; 350 Chinese peers aged 12 to 15), structural equation modeling with multi-group invariance testing, and focus group interviews. The bioecological identity model synthesizes ecological systems theory with sport identity theory. Multi-group SEM will determine equivalence of pathways across groups, identifying universal versus culturally specific mechanisms.

Results: Multi-group SEM with invariance testing will establish the degree of pathway equivalence across ethnic groups. Focus groups will illuminate lived experiences of cultural negotiation in sport settings, revealing mechanisms that quantitative models cannot capture.

Conclusions: Findings will guide culturally adapted school and community programs to narrow participation gaps and advance health equity for ethnic minority youth. This work establishes sport as infrastructure for multicultural integration in diverse urban societies, with implications for education policy and social cohesion in post-colonial Asian metropoles and global cities.