ScholarWorks@중앙대학교

초록

This study aimed to explore the meaning of senior care practice mediated through physical activity by analyzing the reflective journals of university students who participated in the community-based <Community Sportcare (CS)> course. Forty students enrolled in the 2025 academic year at a large-sized university in Seoul, and participated in a 12-week intergenerational physical activity program. A total of 240 reflective journals were analyzed using the narrative inquiry framework proposed by Clandinin and Connelly (2000). Through iterative reading and thematic coding, meaningful units related to events, emotions, and relationships were extracted. The analysis identified three interrelated themes: (a) discovery of senior care, (b) expansion of relationship, and (c) growth of citizenship. Students redefined senior care not as a unidirectional act of help but as an attitudinal practice within reciprocal relationships. Physical activity functioned as an embodied medium for mutual understanding and practical empathy, while participation in the community enabled students to broaden their civic responsibility and transform themselves from learners to active citizens. The findings indicate that physical activity can serve as a social space for relational learning, empathy, and civic growth, extending beyond individual health benefits. The Community Sportcare program highlights the potential of higher education to evolve into an experiential model of “caring in motion” that bridges the body, relationships, and community.

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