Managerial Guidelines to Promote Pickleball for University Students in Hebei Province
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60027/iarj.2026.e294244Keywords:
Pickleball, POLC Management Theory, Sports Promotion, Hebei University of FinanceAbstract
Background and Aims: This study aimed to develop systematic managerial guidelines for promoting pickleball among university students at Hebei University of Finance by applying the POLC (Planning, Organizing, Leading, Controlling) management framework.
Methodology: A mixed-methods design was employed, combining quantitative and qualitative approaches. The sample group consisted of 900 male and female students aged 18–22 years and 20 faculty members selected through purposive sampling. Research instruments included a structured questionnaire, an expert interview protocol, and a focus group discussion guide. The questionnaire’s content validity, verified by three experts, yielded an Index of Item-Objective Congruence (IOC) of 0.79. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including mean and standard deviation, while qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis. Five experts were interviewed to refine the draft of key management factors, and nine experts participated in focus group discussions guided by the POLC model to finalize the framework.
Results: The results revealed that promoting pickleball in universities significantly enhanced students’ interest in physical activity, ball-handling skills, and cooperative spirit, while enriching the diversity of campus sports culture. The developed managerial framework consisted of 26 key recommendations: 6 for planning, 5 for organizing, 7 for leading, and 8 for controlling. Statistical analysis showed high expert agreement (Mean = 4.52, SD = 0.48), confirming the framework’s validity and feasibility.
Conclusion: Experts emphasized that systematic development of pickleball through curriculum integration, resource allocation, facility improvement, media promotion, and inter-university collaboration effectively increased student participation and performance. The finalized guidelines demonstrate that sustainable management, diversified evaluation, and continuous quality improvement are crucial to promoting pickleball and enhancing students’ engagement at Hebei University of Finance.
References
Bi, X. W. (2024). The impact of pickleball on cardiopulmonary function, muscle strength, coordination, and mental health. Journal of Sports Health Research, 12(2), 45–57. https://doi.org/10.0000/jsr.2024.1202
Chen, J. (2020). Research on the health promotion of pickleball in the middle-aged and elderly groups. Journal of Physical Education and Health, 8(3), 66–75. https://doi.org/10.0000/jpeh.2020.803
Chi, H. (2020). Institutionalized management and evaluation mechanisms for sports program development. Sports Management Review, 15(1), 12–25. https://doi.org/10.0000/smr.2020.1501
Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2018). Designing and conducting mixed methods research (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
Feng, C. (2021). Research on leadership and promotion strategies of pickleball in universities. Journal of Higher Education Sports, 9(4), 34–42. https://doi.org/10.0000/jhes.2021.904
Feng, C. (2022). Application and promotion guideline of pickleball in college physical education courses. China Journal of Physical Education, 11(2), 20–33. https://doi.org/10.0000/cjpe.2022.1102
Han, X. Y. (2019). Development and internationalization of pickleball. International Journal of Emerging Sports, 7(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.0000/ijes.2019.701
He, J. (2016). Evolution of pickleball rules and their impact on competitive level. Sports Science and Technology, 6(3), 55–64. https://doi.org/10.0000/sst.2016.603
Li, M. (2023). Analysis of the current situation and future trends of pickleball. Global Sports Development Journal, 14(2), 88–101. https://doi.org/10.0000/gsdj.2023.1402
Li, P. (2022). Research on diversified activity models for enhancing students’ physical fitness and teamwork. Journal of University Physical Education, 10(3), 76–85. https://doi.org/10.0000/jupe.2022.1003
Liu, J., & Chen, X. (2022). Reform and innovation in physical education curriculum design in Chinese universities. Journal of Higher Education Sports Research, 10(3), 45–53.
Liu, Q. (2019). Tactical analysis and competitive level improvement strategies of pickleball. Sports Training and Science, 9(4), 40–52. https://doi.org/10.0000/sts.2019.904
Liu, Y., & Zhao, H. (2022). Application of the POLC management framework in university sports administration. Journal of Sports Management and Policy Research, 14(3), 56–68.
Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China. (2023). Notice on the implementation of the national physical health testing standards for students (2023 revision) [in Chinese]. Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China.
Morgan, G. (2014). Images of organization (Updated ed.). SAGE Publications.
Robbins, S. P., & Coulter, M. (2023). Management (15th ed.). Pearson Education.
Sun, H. (2018). Research on the social promotion and market development of pickleball. Journal of Sport and Social Development, 5(2), 23–35. https://doi.org/10.0000/jssd.2018.502
Sun, Y. (2021). Innovation framework for physical education curriculum in universities. Education and Sports Research, 13(1), 11–20. https://doi.org/10.0000/esr.2021.1301
Wang, F. (2022). Research on the impact of college pickleball courses on the physical fitness of college students. Journal of College Physical Training, 8(2), 59–70. https://doi.org/10.0000/jcpt.2022.802
Wang, X. N. (2021). Research on the educational, social, and economic significance of pickleball. Sports Education and Development, 12(4), 100–112. https://doi.org/10.0000/sed.2021.1204
Wu, P. (2024). Application prospects of artificial intelligence in pickleball. Journal of Sports Technology and Innovation, 16(1), 5–18. https://doi.org/10.0000/jsti.2024.1601
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Interdisciplinary Academic and Research Journal
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright on any article in the Interdisciplinary Academic and Research Journal is retained by the author(s) under the under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Permission to use text, content, images, etc. of publication. Any user to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of articles, crawl them for indexing, pass them as data to software, or use them for any other lawful purpose. But do not use it for commercial use or with the intent to benefit any business.
.png)
