PARENTAL EXPECTATIONS & MIDDLE-AGED ATHLETES

Parental Expectations & Middle-Aged Athletes

Abstract

The objectives of this research were;

a) to explore the applicability of 'parental expectations' research to early career athletes under the age of twenty,

b) to re-examine the concept of 'parental expectations' in the light of recent scientific developments, and

c) to concurrently study the expectations of coaches, parents and peers on athletic motivation.

Using a qualitative design, 40 participants (15-20 years of age) from various extracurricular athletic activities will be interviewed in focus groups, using a semi-structured format to investigate the roles played by coaches, parents, and peers in influencing athlete motivation to meet parental expectations to meet parental expectations. An inductive content analysis was conducted to determine which behaviours among these social agents' expectation key motivational outcomes.

The analysis will indicate that high school athletes experience a parental expectations which shows consistencies with existing models of motivation; suggesting this population is worthy of further study. The expectations of coaches related most strongly to the manner in which they perform their roles of instruction and assessment, whereas parents' expectations were most salient in terms of the way they support the child's participation and learning. Both parents and coaches exerted expectations through their leadership styles, affective responses and pre-performance behaviours. Peers expectation participants' motivation through competitive behaviours, collaborative behaviours, evaluative communications and through their social relationships.

This study will provide an insight into the parental expectations experienced by high school athletes and helps to delineate the different roles of social agents in influencing their motivation at this early stage of development.

Table of Contents

ABSTRACT2

PARENTAL EXPECTATIONS & MIDDLE-AGED ATHLETES5

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION5

Background5

Parental expectations and achievement goal theory9

Middle-Aged Athletes' Motivation & Achievement in Sports13

CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW17

Theoretical developments: approach and avoidance goals18

Social goals in achievement contexts20

Parent and Sport Socialization: Views from the Achievement Literature21

Acceptance25

Modeling27

Expectations30

Rewards and Punishments33

Directiveness37

Case Study44

Introduction45

Initiation phase48

Developmental phase49

Mastery phase49

Method50

Participants51

Materials52

Design and procedure54

Results55

Regression analysis of the PISQ scales55

Family position and career phase55

Follow-up data59

Discussion62

Theoretical developments: is the construct of parental expectations broadening?83

CHAPTER III:METHOD88

Participants88

Data collection: procedure89

REFERENCES92

Parental Expectations & Middle-Aged Athletes

Chapter I: Introduction

The concept of an athletic triangle was expanded by Hellstedt (1987) in his discussion of the types of parents encountered by coaches. He recognized that good relationships with parents would increase the probability of a successful athletic program, while poor relationships could destroy it. Coaches do not just coach individual athletes or teams, but are involved in a whole family process. Failure to recognize and accept that total family involvement would virtually insure increased problems for the coach and the program. To minimize the chances for conflict, coaches should learn to identify and relate to the different types of parents they will encounter in various families.

Background

B.L. Sisley, S.A. Capel and G. D. Desertrain (1987) acknowledged that conflict between parents and coaches can occur when there are different perceptions of expected performances and behaviors or when the values advocated by the two groups are not in concordance. Proactive planning, that is, the recognition of the causes of coach/parent conflict and the development of specific strategies would assist the coach in preventing ...