The Impact of a Basketball Intervention Program Among High-Risk Adolescents in Remedial Education: The Case of Taiwan

Context: This chapter evaluates the CTBC Youth Basketball Project, a sports-based intervention for high-risk adolescents in Taiwan’s residential classes. These youth often face Adverse Childhood Experiences and chronic toxic stress, leading to learned helplessness. Drawing on Positive Youth Development and Larson’s theory of initiative, the project uses basketball as a structured third space to foster self-efficacy and social belonging. Methods: A mixed-methods approach compared an intervention group (N = 49) with a control group (N = 63). Qualitative data consisted of 12 interviews with 7 homeroom teachers, 2 project assistant teachers, 4 coaches, and a project specialist from CTBC. Result: Quantitative findings indicate that the intervention group had significantly lower depressive symptoms and higher subjective well-being. Additionally, the project accelerated the reduction of substance use willingness. Qualitative data from educators and coaches revealed positive physiological transformations, including improved physical fitness and autonomous harm reduction, such as proactive smoking cessation to enhance performance. The structured nature of the sport cultivated discipline and focus that positively spilled over into classroom attitudes. Through team participation, youth reconstructed their social identities, transitioning from “academic failures” to valued “teammates” and “conflict mediators,” thereby enhancing their school belonging. Conclusion: Basketball functions as a strategic medium for rebuilding self-efficacy in marginalized youth. Implications for child and family social work include a paradigm shift toward development-based practice and the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration to sustain gains beyond the “court boundary.” Despite limitations such as the lack of baseline pretests, the project provides a viable model for fostering resilience in high-risk populations.