Parental involvement in competitive youth sport settings

Objectives: Based on ecological systems theory [Bronfenbrenner, U. (2005). Making human beings human: Bioecological perspectives on human development. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage], the purpose of this study was to examine parents' involvement in competitive youth sport settings. Design: Data were collected through two distinct phases of fieldwork. Phase 1 involved longitudinal data collection with four families. Phase 2 involved observations of youth soccer settings. Method: Data were collected from four families via individual interviews and audio-diaries and were; supplemented through 120 h of observation. Data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using grounded theory methodology. Results: Parents' verbal reactions to their children's sport performance behaviors were placed on a continuum moving from more supportive to more controlling comments. These comments were categorized as praise/encouragement, performance contingent feedback, instruction, striking a balance, negative; comments, and derogatory comments. Parents experienced empathy in that they perceived sharing the; emotions their children felt in sport, and these emotions appeared to change in relation to dynamic game and contextual circumstances. Parents also thought that they possessed knowledge and expertise of sport, which they perceived enabled them to make comments to their children. Conclusion: A series of reciprocal and bi-directional relationships were central to parents' involvement in competitive youth sport. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.