1
Adult and Child Perceptionsof Childrens
Motivations to Participate in Youth Sports

• Daniel Frankl, Ph.D.
• Department of Kinesiology and Nutritional science
• California State University, Los Angeles

2
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?

3
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.

4
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 .

5
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 childs
  motivations.
• Children will differ in their motivations to
  participate in youth sports based on age, gender,
  length of involvement, and type of activity.

6
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 childrens
  motivations to join, participate
  enthusiastically, and/or drop out.
• A number of studies probed childrens 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)

7
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 defeat your opponent or the other team
  (winning orientation)
• 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)

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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
9
American Youth and Sport Participation
StudyEwing Seefeldt (1990)

• The Athletic Footwear Association commissioned
  Drs. Martha Ewing and Vern Seefeldt of the Youth
  Sport Institute at Michigan State University to
  investigate childrens reasons for participation
  and/or dropping out from nonschool youth
  programs.
• Boys and girls (N10,000) were asked
• Why they participate?
• Why they quit?
• How they feel about winning?

10
American Youth and Sport Participation
StudyEwing 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.

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CHILDRENS 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 TO HAVE FUN 01 I LOST INTEREST
• 02 TO IMPROVE MY SKILLS 02 I WAS NOT HAVING FUN
• 03 TO STAY IN SHAPE 03 IT TOOK TOO MUCH TIME
• 04 TO DO SOMETHING 04 COACH WAS A POOR
• IM GOOD AT TEACHER
• 05 FOR THE EXCITEMENT OF 05 TOO MUCH PRESSURE
  (WORRY)
• COMPETITION
• 06 TO GET EXERCISE 06 WANTED NON-SPORT ACTIVITY
• 07 TO PLAY AS PART OF A 07 I WAS TIRED OF IT
• TEAM
• 08 FOR THE CHALLENGE OF 08 NEEDED MORE STUDY
  TIME
• COMPETITION
• 09 TO LEARN NEW SKILLS 09 COACH PLAYED
  FAVORITES
• 10 TO WIN 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.

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THE 12 MOST IMPORTANT REASONS I PLAY MY BEST
SCHOOL SPORT

• BOYS GIRLS
• 01 TO HAVE FUN 01 TO HAVE FUN
• 02 TO IMPROVE SKILLS 02 TO STAY IN SHAPE
• 03 FOR THE EXCITEMENT 03 TO GET EXERCISE
• OF COMPETITION
• 04 TO DO SOMETHING 04 TO IMPROVE SKILLS
• IM GOOD AT
• 05 TO STAY IN SHAPE 05 TO DO SOMETHING I'M
• GOOD AT
• 06 FOR THE CHALLENGE 06 TO BE PART OF A TEAM
• OF COMPETITION
• 07 TO BE PART OF A TEAM 07 FOR THE EXCITEMENT
  OF
• COMPETITION
• 08 TO WIN 08 TO LEARN NEW SKILLS
• 09 TO GO TO A HIGHER 09 FOR THE TEAM SPIRIT
• LEVEL OF COMPETITION
• 10 TO GET EXERCISE 10 FOR THE CHALLENGE OF
• COMPETITION
• 11 TO LEARN NEW SKILLS 11 TO GO TO A HIGHER
  LEVEL

13
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 01 PRACTICES WERE
• MORE FUN MORE FUN
• 02 I COULD PLAY MORE 02 NO CONFLICT WITH
  STUDIES
• 03 COACHES UNDERSTOOD 03 COACHES UNDERSTOOD
• PLAYERS BETTER PLAYERS BETTER
• 04 NO CONFLICT WITH 04 NO CONFLICT WITH
  SOCIAL
• STUDIES LIFE
• 05 COACHES WERE BETTER 05 I COULD PLAY MORE
  TEACHERS
• 06 NO CONFLICT WITH 06 COACHES WERE BETTER
• SOCIAL LIFE TEACHERS
• Reproduced from Ewing, M. E., Seefeldt, V.
  (1990)

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METHOD

• Subjects (N566)

Mothers (N108), fathers (N105), boys (N170),
and girls (N171) from the Los Angeles area were
surveyed during the 1996-97 youth leagues season
(Total 554 or 97.88).
Ethnic Distribution
African American (N16 2.87) Asian (N105
18.85) Latino/Latina (N313 56.19) Caucasian
(N90 16.16) Pacific Islander (N5
0.90) Native American (N7 1.25) Filipino
(N21 3.77) TOTAL 557 (99.99 / 98.4)
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Youth Sports (N509 89.93)
Fem. Male

• Baseball/Softball 32 53 16.7
• Basketball 48 48 18.8
• Football 07 31 07.5
• Soccer 25 73 19.2
• Volleyball 31 07 07.5
• Drill team 39 00 07.6
• Swimming 30 11 08.0
• Track 07 07 02.7
• Tennis 33 08 08.0
• Other 07 12 03.7

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Parent Income (N213 84.04)
N

• Under 10,000 11 06.14
• 10,000-14,999 05 02.79
• 15,000-19,999 06 03.35
• 20,000-24,999 07 03.91
• 25,000-29,999 15 08.38
• 30,000-34,999 13 07.26
• 35,000-39,999 22 12.29
• 40,000-44,999 18 10.06
• 45,000-49,999 24 13.41
• Over 50,000 58 32.40
• Total 179 99.99

15
17
Instrument

• Child and parent forms each including 18
  statements about participation in ones 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
18
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 non-readers 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
19
Procedures

• Parents completed a Blue form and were
  instructed to, without consulting with their
  child, indicate what ...to their best knowledge
  their childs 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).

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RESULTS
DAD BOY
MOM GIRL 01 Q14 (6.30) Q14
(6.14) Q14 (6.22) Q14 (6.19) 02 Q07
(5.84) Q01 (5.81) Q07 (5.99)
Q04 (6.00) 03 Q01 (5.65) Q07 (5.68)
Q05 (5.87) Q01 (5.88) 04 Q05 (5.65)
Q09 (5.66) Q11 (5.86) Q07 (5.87) 05
Q18 (5.52) Q06 (5.64) Q08 (5.62)
Q18 (5.83)
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

• 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

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RESULTS
DAD BOY MOM
GIRL 10 Q03
(5.52) 11 12 13 Q02
(4.88) Q03
(4.78) 14
Q16 (4.70) Q16 (4.71) 15 Q16 (4.60)
Q10 (4.76) Q13 (4.56) Q12
(4.56) 16 Q03 (4.38) Q16 (4.56) Q10
(3.91) Q02 (4.40) 17 Q10 (3.92) Q12
(4.49) Q03 (3.87) Q10 (4.27) 18 Q17
(3.83) Q17 (4.44) Q17 (3.58)
Q17 (3.64)

• Q2 -- To be with her/his friends
• Q3 -- To win
• Q10 -- For trophies and recognition
• Q12 -- To feel important

Q13 -- For the challenge of competition Q16 --
He/she likes the coaches Q17 --To be popular by
being a good athlete
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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.

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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.

24

• 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).

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Conclusions

• If it aint fun children wont play.
• For kids to have fun they must improve their
  skills.
• Parents seem to want what we the experts
  consider appropriate. So lets work together.
• Fun, improving skills, playing as a team,
  getting in shape, are all universally endorsed
  by all levels of analysis. So lets concentrate
  on the content of the programs and not the
  ethnic, social, and or economic factors.
• Coaches seem to try too hard. Lets get involved
  and show them the way!

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• Questions
• Comments

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List of Reasons for Participation

1. To improve her/his skills
2. To be with her/his friends
3. To win
4. To stay in shape
5. To play as part of a team
6. For the excitement of competition
7. To learn new skills
8. To meet new friends
9. To do something he/she is good at

28
List of Reasons for Participation

1. For trophies and recognition
2. To get exercise
3. To feel important
4. For the challenge of competition
5. To have fun
6. To get to a higher level of competition
7. He/she likes the coaches
8. To be popular by being a good athlete
9. For the team spirit

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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
• ____________________________
• ____________________________

30
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
• ____________________________
• ____________________________

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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.

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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.

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References

• Orlick, T. (1974). The athletic dropoutA 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.

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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.

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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.