Transcript Training

“Adult and Child Perceptions
of Children’s Motivations to Participate in
Youth Sports”
Daniel Frankl, Ph.D.
Department of Kinesiology and Nutritional
science
California State University, Los Angeles
INTRODUCTION
Describing the Problem
 What has already been done and
what have we learned from it?
 Why was there a need for another
study on attitudes about youth
sports programs?

The Problem



Adult supervised non-school youth sports
programs are rapidly growing and cater to
some 25 million kids.
Almost 50% of the children ages 5-16
participate in youth sports.
90% of parents encourage their children to
engage in sports.
The Problem (continued)



60% of parents are involved in youth
sports programs.
85% of parents have concerns about youth
sports programs
Physical education professionals have
voiced serious concerns about non-school
adult supervised youth sport leagues .
HYPOTHESES



Over all children, regardless of income or
ethnicity, will rank self-regulated items (e.g.,
“fun,” “learning new skills,” “improving,” and
“team work”) ahead of other- controlled items
(e.g., “winning,” “trophies,” “be popular,” and
“get to a higher level of competition”).
Overall parents, regardless of income or
ethnicity, will closely predict their child’s
motivations.
Children will differ in their motivations to
participate in youth sports based on age,
gender, length of involvement, and type of
activity.
What has already been done and
what have we learned from it?
A common sense approach to studying the value of youth
sports has been to examine children’s motivations to join,
participate enthusiastically, and/or drop out.
A number of studies probed children’s motivation to
participate in youth sports programs:
Ewing & Seefeldt (1990)
Gill, Gross, & Huddlestone (1981)
Gould, Feltz, Weiss, & Petlichkoff (1982)
Griffin (1978)
McElroy & Kirkendal (1980)
Sapp & Haubenstricker (1978)
Swell (1992)
Wankel & Kreisel (1985)
McElroy and Kirkendal (1980)
2,000+ children, average age 11.9 selected one of the
following as their most important reason for
playing a sport:




to play as well as you can (personal performance)
to play fairly, by the rules at all times (fair play)
everyone on the team should get to play (total
participation)
to defeat your opponent or the other team (winning
orientation)
McElroy and Kirkendal (1980)
Most Important Reason for Playing Sports
Males
Females
Winning
13.5%
04.6%
Personal Perform.
51.0%
48.3%
Fair Play
24.4%
37.6%
Total Participation
11.0%
09.4%
American Youth and Sport Participation
Study
Ewing & Seefeldt (1990)
The Athletic Footwear Association commissioned Drs.
Martha Ewing and Vern Seefeldt of the Youth Sport
Institute at Michigan State University to investigate
children’s reasons for participation and/or dropping
out from nonschool youth programs.
Boys’ and girls’ (N=10,000) were asked:
 Why
they participate?
 Why they quit?
 How they feel about winning?
American Youth and Sport Participation
Study
Ewing & Seefeldt (1990)
Highlights of the Study:




Sport participation, and the desire to participate in sports,
decline sharply and steadily between ages 10 and 18.
“Fun” is a pivotal reason for being in a sport, and lack of fun
is a leading reason for dropping out.
Young participants do not consider winning as a major
benefit of sport competition.
Motivations to participate differ greatly within and in between
athletes.
CHILDREN’S RANK ORDER OF THE MOST IMPORTANT
REASONS FOR PLAYING THEIR BEST SCHOOL SPORT OR
DROPPING OUT FROM YOUTH SPORTS
REASON FOR PLAYING
REASON FOR DROPPING OUT
01
02
03
04
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
TO HAVE FUN
TO IMPROVE MY SKILLS
TO STAY IN SHAPE
TO DO SOMETHING
I’M GOOD AT
FOR THE EXCITEMENT OF
COMPETITION
TO GET EXERCISE
TO PLAY AS PART OF A
TEAM
FOR THE CHALLENGE OF
COMPETITION
TO LEARN NEW SKILLS
TO WIN
I LOST INTEREST
I WAS NOT HAVING FUN
IT TOOK TOO MUCH TIME
COACH WAS A POOR
TEACHER
05 TOO MUCH PRESSURE (WORRY)
06 WANTED NON-SPORT ACTIVITY
07 I WAS TIRED OF IT
08 NEEDED MORE STUDY TIME
09 COACH PLAYED FAVORITES
10 SPORT WAS BORING
11 OVER-EMPHASIS ON WINNING
Reproduced from Ewing, M. E., & Seefeldt, V. (1990). American youth sports
participation: A study of 10,000 students and their feelings about sport. North Palm
Beach, FL: Athletic Footwear Association.
THE 12 MOST IMPORTANT REASONS I PLAY MY BEST
SCHOOL SPORT
BOYS
GIRLS
01 TO HAVE FUN
02 TO IMPROVE SKILLS
03 FOR THE EXCITEMENT
OF COMPETITION
04 TO DO SOMETHING
I’M GOOD AT
05 TO STAY IN SHAPE
01 TO HAVE FUN
02 TO STAY IN SHAPE
03 TO GET EXERCISE
06 FOR THE CHALLENGE
OF COMPETITION
07 TO BE PART OF A TEAM
08 TO WIN
09 TO GO TO A HIGHER
LEVEL OF COMPETITION
10 TO GET EXERCISE
04 TO IMPROVE SKILLS
05 TO DO SOMETHING I'M
GOOD AT
06 TO BE PART OF A TEAM
07 FOR THE EXCITEMENT OF
COMPETITION
08 TO LEARN NEW SKILLS
09 FOR THE TEAM SPIRIT
10
11 TO LEARN NEW SKILLS
11
12 FOR THE TEAM SPIRIT
12
FOR THE CHALLENGE OF
COMPETITION
TO GO TO A HIGHER LEVEL
OF COMPETITION
TO WIN
THE 6 MOST IMPORTANT CHANGES I WOULD MAKE
TO GET INVOLVED AGAIN IN A SPORT I DROPPED
“I would play again if…”
BOYS
GIRLS
01 PRACTICES WERE
MORE FUN
02 I COULD PLAY MORE
03 COACHES UNDERSTOOD
PLAYERS BETTER
04 NO CONFLICT WITH
STUDIES
05 COACHES WERE BETTER
01 PRACTICES WERE
MORE FUN
02 NO CONFLICT WITH STUDIES
03 COACHES UNDERSTOOD
PLAYERS BETTER
04 NO CONFLICT WITH SOCIAL
LIFE
05 I COULD PLAY MORE
TEACHERS
06 NO CONFLICT WITH
SOCIAL LIFE
06 COACHES WERE BETTER
TEACHERS
Reproduced from Ewing, M. E., & Seefeldt, V. (1990)
METHOD
Subjects (N=566)
Mothers (N=108), fathers (N=105), boys (N=170),
and girls (N=171) from the Los Angeles area were
surveyed during the 1996-97 youth leagues season
(Total = 554 or 97.88%).
Ethnic Distribution
African American (N=16; 2.87%)
Asian (N=105; 18.85%)
Latino/Latina (N=313; 56.19%)
Caucasian (N=90; 16.16%)
Pacific Islander (N=5; 0.90%)
Native American (N=7; 1.25%)
Filipino (N=21; 3.77%)
TOTAL = 557 (99.99% / 98.4%)
Youth Sports (N=509; 89.93%)
Fem. Male %
Baseball/Softball
Basketball
Football
Soccer
Volleyball
Drill team
Swimming
Track
Tennis
Other
32
48
07
25
31
39
30
07
33
07
53
48
31
73
07
00
11
07
08
12
16.7
18.8
07.5
19.2
07.5
07.6
08.0
02.7
08.0
03.7
Parent Income (N=213; 84.04%)
N
Under $10,000
$10,000-$14,999
$15,000-$19,999
$20,000-$24,999
$25,000-$29,999
$30,000-$34,999
$35,000-$39,999
$40,000-$44,999
$45,000-$49,999
Over $50,000
Total
11
05
06
07
15
13
22
18
24
58
15
179
06.14
02.79
03.35
03.91
08.38
07.26
12.29
10.06
13.41
32.40
99.99%
%
Instrument
Child and parent forms each including 18
statements about “participation in one’s best
sport outside school” were used (adapted from
the AFA 1990, landmark study). Participants
checked each item on a 1-7 (not at all
important /.../ of utmost importance) Likert
scale.
Participants were also asked to select the “one
MOST important reason…” from the 18 original
statements (see handout).
16
Procedures



A uniform format explaining what needs
to be done was used
Data was collected from children and their
parents whenever possible
Yellow forms were handed out to children
5-18 (investigator read statements to nonreaders; a Spanish translation was
available when needed). Children were
instructed to establish a “quick gut
feeling about each item” and then
proceed and carefully mark their choice.
17
Procedures



Parents completed a “Blue” form and were
instructed to, without consulting with their
child, indicate what “...to their best
knowledge their child’s choice would have
been for all items.”
Participants were instructed to simply “copy
the ONE statement they felt was MOST
important, or add a new reason.
Data was collected “court-side” on practice
days and forms were coded for parent/child
match pairing (no names).
RESULTS
DAD
01 Q14 (6.30)
02 Q07 (5.84)
03 Q01 (5.65)
04 Q05 (5.65)
05 Q18 (5.52)
BOY
Q14 (6.14)
Q01 (5.81)
Q07 (5.68)
Q09 (5.66)
Q06 (5.64)
Q14 -- To have fun
Q7 -- To learn new skills
Q1 -- To improve her/his
skills
Q4 -- To stay in shape
Q5 -- To play as part of a
team
MOM
Q14 (6.22)
Q07 (5.99)
Q05 (5.87)
Q11 (5.86)
Q08 (5.62)
GIRL
Q14 (6.19)
Q04 (6.00)
Q01 (5.88)
Q07 (5.87)
Q18 (5.83)
Q11 -- To get exercise
Q6 -- For the excitement of
competition
Q8 -- To meet new friends
Q9 -- To do something he/she is
good at
Q18 -- For the team spirit
RESULTS
DAD
10
11
12
13
14
15 Q16 (4.60)
16 Q03 (4.38)
17 Q10 (3.92)
18 Q17 (3.83)
BOY
Q03 (5.52)
MOM
Q02 (4.88)
Q10 (4.76)
Q16 (4.56)
Q12 (4.49)
Q17 (4.44)
Q16 (4.70)
Q13 (4.56)
Q10 (3.91)
Q03 (3.87)
Q17 (3.58)
GIRL
Q03 (4.78)
Q16 (4.71)
Q12 (4.56)
Q02 (4.40)
Q10 (4.27)
Q17 (3.64)
Q2 -- To be with her/his friends
Q13 -- For the challenge of
competition
Q3 -- To win
Q10 -- For trophies and recognition Q16 -- He/she likes the coaches
Q17 --To be popular by being a
Q12 -- To feel important
good athlete
Discussion



“To have fun” was the clear first choice for Moms,
Dads, Girls and Boys.
“To learn new skills” was the second choice for
Dads & Moms, and 3rd & 4th for Boys and Girls
respectively. The findings by earlier studies (e.g.,
Ewing & Seefeldt, 1990; McElroy & Kirkendal,
1980) were replicated in this study.
“Winning came in 10th place for Boys, 13th for
Girls, 16th for Dads and 17th for Moms. This
finding is very consistent with the existing
literature.
Discussion

“To stay in shape” and “To get exercise”
were top choices for Girls and Moms.
When asked to indicate what they liked
least about their best sport, many Girls
indicated their dislike of exercising,
sweating, and getting tired. It appears that
Girls in this study felt pressured to choose
“To stay in shape” but did not like to
engage in activities that lead to improved
physical fitness. Societal pressures on
girls to look a certain way are apparent.

Over all children, regardless of income
or ethnicity, will rank self-regulated
items (e.g., “fun,” “learning new skills,”
“improving,” and “team work”) ahead of
other- controlled items (e.g., “winning,”
“trophies,” “be popular,” and “get to a
higher level of competition”).
Conclusions





If it ain’t fun children won’t play.
For kids to have fun they must improve their
skills.
Parents seem to want what we the “experts”
consider appropriate. So let’s work together.
“Fun,” “improving skills,” “playing as a team,”
getting in shape…,” are all universally endorsed
by all levels of analysis. So let’s concentrate on
the content of the programs and not the ethnic,
social, and or economic factors.
Coaches seem to try too hard. Let’s get involved
and show them the way!
Questions
&
Comments
List of Reasons for Participation
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
To improve her/his skills
To be with her/his friends
To win
To stay in shape
To play as part of a team
For the excitement of competition
To learn new skills
To meet new friends
To do something he/she is good at
List of Reasons for Participation
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
For trophies and recognition
To get exercise
To feel important
For the challenge of competition
To have fun
To get to a higher level of competition
He/she likes the coaches
To be popular by being a good athlete
For the team spirit
Overall Reason for
Participation in Youth
Sports
Of all the reasons listed above, what is the
MOST important reason for your child playing
in her/his best sport outside of school?
Please write the reason on the lines below:
____________________________

____________________________
Strongest Reason for not
Participating in Youth
Sports
What do you like least about playing in your
best sport outside of school? Please write
the reason on the lines below:
____________________________

____________________________
References

Ewing, M. E. & Seefeldt, V. (1990). American youth
and sports participation: A study of 10,000 students
and their feelings about sport. North Palm Beach, FL:
Athletic Footwear Association. (Sponsored by: Athletic
Footwear Association __ AFA, 200 Castlewood Drive,
North Palm Beach, Florida 33408; Gregg Hartley,
Executive Director, phone # 407 840_1161).

Gill, D., Gross, J. B., & Huddlestone, S. (1981).
Participation motivation in youth sport. International
Journal in Sport Psychology, 14, 1-14.
References

Gould, D., Feltz, D. L., Weiss, M., & Petlichkoff, L. M.
(1982). Participating motives in competitive youth
swimmers. In T. Orlick, J. T. Partington, & J. H.
Salmela (Eds.) Mental training for coaches and
athletes (pp. 57-58). Ottawa: Coaching Association of
Canada.

Griffin (1978). Why children participate in youth
sports. Paper presented at American Alliance for
Health, Physical Education and Recreation
(AAHPER) Convention, Kansas City, Missouri.
References

Orlick, T. (1974). The athletic dropout–A high
price of inefficiency. CAHPER Journal, Nov.Dec., 21-27.

Pooley, J. (1981). Dropouts from sports: A
case study of boys’ age-group soccer. Paper
presented at American Alliance for Health,
Physical Education, Recreation and Dance
(AAHPERD) Convention, Boston,
Massachusetts.
References

Sapp, M., & Haubenstricker, J. (1978). Motivation for
joining and reasons for not continuing in youth sports
programs in Michigan. Paper presented at American
Alliance for Health, Physical Education and
Recreation (AAHPER) Convention, Kansas City,
Missouri.

Teenagers’ motivations for sports participation help
predict lifelong habits. (1990). North Palm Beach, FL:
Athletic Footware Association.
References

Wankel, L. M., & Kreisel, P. (1985). Factors
underlying enjoyment of youth sports: Sport
and age group comparisons. Journal of Sport
Psychology, 7, 51-64.