Canterbury research investigating adolescent girls in sport   25 Feb 2015

Canterbury research investigating adolescent girls’ sport involvement

February 25, 2015

A University of Canterbury doctoral sports student is investigating what factors make sport enjoyable enough for adolescent girls to keep them involved in sporting activity.

Portuguese international PhD student Ricardo Pimenta will conduct his PhD thesis on the complexity of playing sport in the social setting of a club and how it influences the participants’ enjoyment of basketball and their desire to continue playing.

The study, supervised by the university’s Head of Sport and Physical Education, Professor Richard Light, should provide valuable information on how to reduce the drop-out rate and improve the experiences of these athletes in this age group. Pimenta will talk with Canterbury Basketball and the Canterbury Rams organisations.

“The basic right of young athletes to have fun participating should not be neglected. One of the quickest ways to reduce fun is for adults to begin treating children as if they were professional athletes,” he says.

“Coaches and parents need to remember young athletes have the right to play as children. Youth sports are first and foremost a play activity and youngsters deserve to enjoy sports in their own way.

Sports coaching and support should not become adult dominated.

“My study will focus on a basketball club in Christchurch investigating girls 13 to 16 where the drop-out rate in this age group increases. Girls are less tolerant of poor sports behaviour than boys and teenage girls can experience a crisis of confidence.

As sport has become more highly organised, parental involvement has increased and their role has attracted serious attention from sport scientists. Participation in youth sports can yield many benefits. Some are psychological, such as developing leadership skills, self-discipline, respect for authority, competitiveness, cooperativeness, sportsmanship, and self-confidence.

“Youth sports are also an important social activity in which children can make new friends and acquaintances and become part of an ever-expanding social network. I will explore the complexity of playing sport in the social setting of a club and how it influences the participants’ enjoyment of basketball and their desire to continue playing.

“Children’s involvement in sport can bring families together and we have to make it fun for the children and while playing sports.”

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