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“Everybody's looking at you!”: Girls negotiating the “femininity deficit” they incur in physical ... |
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...education
There is a growing awareness of the complex and largely negative attitudes many girls in the UK hold towards physical activity in general and Physical Education (PE) in particular. This research in the UK involves a qualitative study of six Year 9 girls' experiences and motivations in PE.
Reflexive interpretation and biographical analysis of in-depth interviews are utilized to explore the themes of the relationship between “sportiness” and heterosexual desirability; and the polarized images of “tomboy” and “girlie.” Work by Connell [Connell, R.W. (1987). Gender and power. Cambridge: Polity Press.] on the gender order, and theories arising from the cultural analysis tradition on teenage girls' subcultures and identity formation are drawn on in order to make sense of the girls' narratives.
The findings of this research reveal that images of teenage girls and young women being physically active are non-congruous with the traditional ideologies of acceptable femininity. This paper describes how these girls negotiate the contradictions and the tensions caused by the “femininity deficit” incurred in PE by creating “double identities” and living “split lives.”
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A Changing Culture? Interrogating the Dynamics of Peer Affiliations Over the Course of a Sport ... |
...Education Season
This article focuses on the effects of pupils’ social involvement goals and the peer culture on behaviour and participation in physical education (PE). The extent to which sport education (SE) disrupted peer power relations and reconfigured dominant social groupings is examined and the potential of SE to establish a culture in PE where pupils of both genders value participation in PE and sport is discussed. The article draws on data gathered during a seven-month case study with Year 7 pupils (age 11–13 years) in mixed and single-sex PE classes in one secondary school in the East Midlands as pupils followed their traditional PE curriculum for a term and followed an SE season for an additional term. It explores how peer interaction, acceptance, and rejection contribute to the development of team affiliation. Analysis of the data suggests that the social goals pupils bring to the PE class are important determinants of participation in PE, and that over the course of an SE season the salience of particular goals were gradually modified.
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The emotional abuse of elite child athletes by their coaches |
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This study investigates the prevalence of emotional abuse of elite child athletes by their coaches in the UK. Previous research has focused primarily on the parent-child relationship, with little attention given to date on the sports environment. Participants were 12 former elite child athletes who competed as internationals in their respective age groups. All participants had been identified as elite athletes between the ages of 8 and 16 years (M = 13.1 yr, SD = 2.4 yr) and had competitive careers of between 6 and 10 years. Participants were from the sports of diving (N = 2), football (N = 3), gymnastics (N = 4), hockey, netball and track and field athletics (N = 1 each). The study was a retrospective analysis of their experiences as elite child athletes. (Age at interview: M = 22.9 yr, SD = 0.9 yr. male = 4, female = 8.) Thus, participants were reflecting on experiences from about 10 years previously, so their responses represented the residual impact of their experiences that had survived over this period. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and response-coding techniques. Abusive behaviours were categorized under eight headings: belittling, humiliating, shouting, scapegoating, rejecting, isolating, threatening and ignoring. Results showed that all (N = 12) of the participants reported experiencing belittling and shouting by their coach, nine athletes reported frequent threatening behaviour, nine reported frequent humiliation, seven reported scapegoating, six reported rejection or being ignored and four reported being isolated when they were elite child athletes. All participants reported that the behaviour of their coaches changed and became more negative after they were identified as elite performers. Participants reported feeling stupid, worthless, upset, less confident, humiliated, depressed, fearful and angry as a result of the behaviour of their coaches. The results provide tentative evidence that the behaviour of some coaches is a threat to the psychological well-being of elite child athletes.
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References: Sport & Crime Reduction |
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Baldwin, C. K. (2000). Theory, program and outcomes: Assessing the challenges of evaluating at-risk youth recreation programs. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 18(1), 19-33.
Carter, V. L. (1998). From the neighborhood to the nation: The social history of midnight basketball, unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Oklahoma, Department of Sociology, Norman.
Coakley, J. (2002). Using sports to control deviance and violence among youths: Let's be critical and cautious. In M. Gatz, M. A. Messner, & S. J. Ball-Rokeach (Eds.), Paradoxes of youth and sport (pp. 13-30). Albany: State University of New York Press.
Correira, M. E. (1997). Boot camps, exercise and delinquency: An analytical critique of the use of physical exercise to facilitate decreases in delinquent behavior. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 13(2), 94-113.
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Fighting back works: The case for advocating and teaching self-defense against rape |
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This article is designed to encourage physical educators to teach their students selfdefense skills applicable to rape resistance. Sexual assault is a serious problem, particularly for the young, and forceful resistance can be effective in preventing rape. Self-defense training can also contribute to psychological health. We believe that physical educators can have a significant role in preventing sexual assault through the promotion of self-defense training.
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References: Eating Disorders & Sport |
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Patel, D.R., Greydanus, D.E., Pratt, H.D. and Phillips, E.L. (2003) ‘Eating Disorders in Adolescent Athlete’ , Journal of Adolescent Research 18: 280-296
Stoutjesdyk, D. and Jevne, R. (1993) ‘Eating Disorders among High Performance Athletes’ , Journal of Youth and Adolescence 22: 271-282 .
Sundgot-Borgen, J. (1994a). Eating disorders in female athletes. Sports Medicine, 17, 176-188.
Sundgot-Borgen, J. (1994b). Risk and trigger factors for the development of eating disorders in female athletes. Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise, 26, 414-419.
Thompson, R.A. and Sherman, R.T. (1993) Helping Athletes with Eating Disorders. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics .
Tinning, R. (1991) ‘Physical Education and the Cult of Slenderness’ , ACHPER National Journal 107: 10-13 .
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References: “Sports & Identity, incl: Athletic Identity” |
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Barber, B., Eccles, J. and Stone, M. ( 2001) ‘Whatever Happened to the Jock, the Brain, and the Princess? Young Adult Pathways Linked to Adolescent Activity Involvement and Social Identity’, Journal of Adolescent Research 16: 429-55
Brewer, B., Van Raalte, J. and Linder, D. ( 1993) ‘Athletic Identity: Hercules’ Muscles or Achilles Heel?’, International Journal of Sport Psychology 24: 237-54.
Curry, T.J. and Weaner, J.S. ( 1987) ‘Sport Identity Salience, Commitment, and the Involvement of Self in Role: Measurement Issues’, Sociology of Sport Journal 4: 280-8.
Donnelly, P. and Young, K. ( 1988) ‘The Construction and Confirmation of Identity in Sport Subcultures’, Sociology of Sport Journal 5: 223-40.
Dunning, E. ( 1986) ‘Sport as a Male Preserve: Notes on the Social Sources of Masculine Identity and its Transformations’, Theory, Culture and Society 3: 79-90.
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Personal empowerment through sport and physical fitness activity: Perspectives from male college ... |
..students with physical anhd sensory disabilities
Opportunities and encouragement to develop qualities and skills that can personally empower individuals with disabilities are limited. One possible means to remove this "empowerment deficit" is through participation in sport and physical fitness activity. The purpose of the study was to examine the empowering capability of this activity context. Indepth, tape-recorded interviews were conducted with 28 male college students with physical or sensory disabilities. Questions focused on experiences and perceived outcomes related to their involvement in sport and physical fitness activity. Responses indicated activity participation was associated with three empowerment outcomes that individuals with disabilities often have limited opportunities to achieve: (a) perceived competence as a social actor, (b) facilitation of goal attainment, and (c) social integration. Participants were empowered at the individual level as these outcomes enhanced perceptions of their effectiveness as social actors and provided a greater sense of control in their lives.
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