Decision-makers’ interactions that co-determine Positive youth development through sport: a critical realist examination

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the present study was to examine Portuguese coaches, coach developers, and sport administrators’ (i.e. decision-makers) interactions that co-determine positive youth development through sport. A critical realist approach was adopted using Elder-Vass’s framework on the causal power of social structures. A total of 47 Portuguese decision-makers from provincial and national sport organisations were interviewed, leading to 2350 minutes of interview data. The findings provide insights into how participants varied in their perspectives on the place of performance and positive youth development in the youth sport system. Coaches and sport administrators believed performance was the main priority and their discourses were shaped by (inter)actions with norm circles influencing their dispositions and beliefs about the purpose of youth sport. Conversely, coach developers challenged the status quo and were much more deliberate in wanting to change the priorities of the youth sport system. Coach developers were in a privileged position to ‘broker’ change by using their individual agency to work to further include positive youth development. Considering the pressures imposed by norm circles and the active role of individual agency, practical and theoretical implications are offered to develop a youth sport system where positive youth development can become a legitimate and worthwhile pursuit.

KEYWORDS:

• Social influence
• coaching
• youth
• sport
• social justice

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by National Funds through the FCT-Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., under the scope of the project UIDB/05198/2020 (Center for Research and Innovation in Education, inED).

Notes on contributors

Fernando Santos

Fernando Santos is an associate professor at the School of Higher Education of the Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Portugal and a member of the Center for Research and Innovation in Education. His interests lie in positive youth development, coaching and coach education.

Martin Camiré

Martin Camiré is a full professor at the University of Ottawa’s School of Human Kinetics, Canada. His interests lie in examining how positive youth development can be facilitated in the context of sport.

Dany J. MacDonald

Dany J. MacDonald is a full professor at the University of Prince Edward Island, Canada whose interests lie in the development of youth in sport.

Leisha Strachan

Leisha Strachan is a full professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management at the University of Manitoba, Canada. Her research is focused on positive youth development through sport, positive coaching behaviors and parent involvement.

Marta Ferreira

Marta Ferreira is a Ph.D. student at the University of Vigo, Spain and an assistant professor at the School of Higher Education of the Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Portugal whose interest lie in positive youth development, coaching and parent involvement.

Scott Rathwell

Scott Rathwell is an associate professor in the Faculty of Arts & Science Kinesiology and Physical Education at the University of Lethbridge, Canada. His interests lie in positive youth development, masters athletics, aging and physical activity and university athlete development.