2 research outputs found
The fun integration theory: towards sustaining children and adolescents sport participation
BACKGROUND: Children cite âfunâ as the primary reason for participation in organized sport and its absence as the number one reason for youth sport attrition. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop a theoretical framework of fun using a novel mixed-method assessment of participants in sport (FUN MAPS) via concept mapping. METHODS: Youth soccer players (n = 142), coaches (n = 37), and parents (n = 57) were stratified by age, sex, and competition level and contributed their âfunâ ideas through: (a) qualitative brainstorming, identifying all of the things that make playing sports fun for players; (b) sorting of ideas; and (c) rating each idea on its importance, frequency, and feasibility. RESULTS: The FUN MAPS identify the four fundamental tenets of fun in youth sport within 11 fun-dimensions composed of 81 specific fun-determinants, while also establishing the youth sport ethos. CONCLUSION: The FUN MAPS provide pictorial evidence-based blueprints for the fun integration theory (FIT), which is a multi-theoretical, multidimensional, and stakeholder derived framework that can be used to maximize fun for children and adolescents in order to promote and sustain an active and healthy lifestyle through sport
Relative Importance of the Fun Factors: Pattern Matched Perceptions among Players, Parents, and Coaches
Background. The FUN MAPS are evidence-based blueprints for the fun integration theory, youth sportâs first-ever stakeholder-derived, theoretical framework for promoting fun through structured skill development and competitive play (Visek et al., 2015). Developed from the direct input of players, parents, and coaches, the FUN MAPS identify and quantify the importance of 81 fun-determinants within 11 factors (i.e., Positive team dynamics, Trying hard, Positive coaching, Learning and improving, Game time support, Games, Practices, Team friendships, Mental bonuses, Team rituals, and Swag). However, the FUN MAPS are based on the combined input from players, parents, and coaches. Efforts to promote the most fun for children requires their priorities to be considered independent of adults and comparatively to one another within and across sex, age, and competition level. Additionally, to elucidate exact points of consensus/discordance between children and adults, playersâ priorities should be considered alongside parents and coachesâ perceptions. Therefore, the purposes of this study were to use pattern matching displays, useful for determining within and between group differences, to identify the extent to which childrenâs (n = 142) reported importance of the 11 factors evolves throughout their development and how their perceptions compares to adults (parents, n = 57; coaches, n = 35).
Methods. The Concept SystemsÂź Global MAX license was used to produce pattern match displays for consensus analysis (r). Mann-Whitney U tests were used to identify the fun-factors on which groups significantly differed; and, the Fisher r-to-z transformation was used to determine whether consensus between pattern matches were significantly different from one another.
Results. Results indicate remarkably high degrees of consensus among children, regardless of sex, age, and competition level comparison (râs = .90-.97). Consensus was also high among children and parents (r = .93); however, it was significantly lower among children and coaches (râs = .68-.93). Pattern matches are displayed using sophisticated, illustrative ladder graphs.
Discussion. Novel findings from this study provide a more complete context for understanding childrenâs fun priorities across all 11 fun-factors. Overall, with respect to players, results support the gender similarities hypothesis, rather than the gender differences hypothesis and the other age and competition level assumptions that have long guided organized youth sport. The discordance observed between older players and coaches is of great concern to childrenâs continued participation into adolescence and may account for the dramatic dropout that occurs around the age of 13. Best practices for optimizing childrenâs fun sport experiences are forwarded