Exploring life skills transfer processes in youth hockey and volleyball

ABSTRACT

Sport is often described as a vehicle for promoting positive outcomes among youth, including the adoption of life skills. However, limited research has examined the processes of life skills development and transfer within youth sport contexts. The purpose of this study was to explore the processes of life skills development and transfer in youth hockey and volleyball. Forty-seven youth athletes (M_age= 14.4, SD = 1.74; 32 female) from 16 sport teams completed one semi-structured interview each during the last week of their sport seasons. Using the model for life skills transfer as a guiding framework, inductive-deductive thematic analysis revealed: (a) what skills youth implicitly developed (e.g., emotional regulation, independence) through sport participation and how such skills were acquired; and (b) how youth transferred skills in relation to other sports, the classroom, current or future jobs. Bi-directionality is discussed in regards to youth’s skill development and transfer processes and within the model for life skills transfer. Age and contextual differences were perceived as influencing skills learning and transfer within youth sport. Such transfer experiences were impacted by various contextual and underlying psychological processes. Further, while recognising transfer is a complex process, some youth found it challenging to identify concrete transfer opportunities. Practical implications and future research directions are outlined in relation to structuring the sport environment and associated activities to foster skill development and transfer.

KEYWORDS:

• Life skills
• positive youth development
• qualitative methods
• sport
• transfer

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Acknowledgements

Support for the writing of this manuscript was given through a doctoral research grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (grant number 767-2013-2142) and the Ontario Graduate Scholarship.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

Support for the writing of this manuscript was given through a doctoral research grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada [grant number 767-2013-2142] and the Ontario Graduate Scholarship.