What Young Children Identify as the Outcomes of their Participation in Sport and Physical Activity

Cope, E, Bailey, R, Kirk, B and Parnell, D (2018) What Young Children Identify as the Outcomes of their Participation in Sport and Physical Activity. Health Behavior and Policy Review, 5 (1). pp. 103-113. ISSN 2326-4403

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Abstract

Objective: We investigated what young children considered as being the outcomes of their participation in sport and physical activity. Methods: This study adopted a drawing elicitation method with 80 children (42 boys and 38 girls) aged 7-10 from 2 primary schools in the North of England. Results: Regardless of sex, 'getting fitter' was considered a main outcome of participation in sport and physical activity. Boys also identified 'becoming muscular' as a main outcome, while girls considered 'making new friends' as a main outcome. Conclusions: Parents, teacher, and coaches who are responsible for constructing sport and physical activity experiences for children need to ensure children are given opportunities to learn about the outcomes of sport and physical activity.