| Summary: | All adults involved in childrenâs sport affect the nature of the sporting experience,
and to a large extent determine whether or not it is a positive experience for
children. Of all adults involved, the parents are perhaps the most important and
play the most significant role in childrenâs sport.
The purpose of this study was to examine how a group of competitive and
professionally trained adolescent swimmers perceived parental involvement and
how it affected their total sport experience.
Participants in the study were 93 (45 male and 48 female) competitive adolescent
swimmers between the ages of 13 and 22 years, who received professional
coaching for 1 to 15 years, and trained for 5 to 11 months per annum.
Respondents completed the parental involvement in sport questionnaire (PISQ).
The questionnaire consists of three multi-item scales. The three scales measured
Directive behaviour (DB), Active involvement (AI), and Praise and understanding
(PU). A single item of Pressure (P) was included as a dependent variable.
The questionnaire was designed to elicit responses about the behaviour of parents
with regard to their childrenâs swimming activities. Respondents identified the
frequency with which certain behaviours were (a) exhibited by, and (b) desired of
their parents. Discrepancies between exhibited and desired behaviour indicated
the extent of respondentsâ satisfaction with these behaviours. Single sample t-tests showed that respondents perceived insufficient levels of DB,
and satisfactory levels of PU, AI and P from their mothers. The results revealed
that swimmers perceived satisfactory levels of pressure from their mothers, which
leads to the conclusion that they find the amount of pressure acceptable.
Single sample t-tests to determine the behaviour of fathers, showed satisfactory
levels of DB, which suggests that fathers exhibit an appropriate level of directing or
controlling of their childrenâs sporting experience. This is in contrast with the
excessive levels of PU, AI and P that the respondents perceive from their fathers.
Respondents may feel pressured by disproportionate praise as this might be
accompanied by efforts to take control to an unacceptable degree.
A second questionnaire was distributed to assess participantsâ enjoyment of their
swimming. This questionnaire consists of three questions measuring the
enjoyment of sport. The data revealed that the majority of the respondents (92%)
were very satisfied with their swimming experience in general and indicated that
they enjoyed it to a large extent. The data suggests that the current level of
pressure the swimmers experienced did not have any affect on their level of
enjoyment.
The study indicates that parents who express satisfaction with childrenâs sport
performance, who interact positively with them, and who are generally positively
involved and supportive in the childrenâs sport experience may enhance the
enjoyment they derive from their sport participation. Optimal parental involvement in sport could be achieved by having well-organised,
well-run programmes, and by providing parents with an opportunity to receive
some education about the sport programmes in which their children are involved.
A proposed document, âPractical Guidelines for Swimmersâ Parentsâ, was
prepared in order to provide parents with a course of action to maximise their
involvement. It is recommended that the above-mentioned document be
distributed to the parents of the participants in this study.
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