Pm. Averill et Tg. Power, PARENTAL ATTITUDES AND CHILDRENS EXPERIENCES IN SOCCER - CORRELATES OF EFFORT AND ENJOYMENT, International journal of behavioral development, 18(2), 1995, pp. 263-276
To examine the relation between parental childrearing attitudes and ch
ildren's experiences in sport, 49 families of 6- to 8-year-old male so
ccer players were studied. Mothers and fathers completed questionnaire
s about their childrearing practices; children, coaches, fathers, and
mothers provided information on the child's enjoyment, effort, ability
, competitiveness, and/or co-operativeness. Mothers and fathers showed
very different patterns of involvement in their child's soccer experi
ence: Whereas maternal support and expectations were positively associ
ated with the level of child enjoyment, paternal expectations and dire
ctiveness were highest when child ability or effort was low. Moreover,
regardless of the actual nature of reported parental behaviour, mothe
rs and fathers showing the highest levels of involvement had children
showing the lowest level of co-operation with the coach. The findings
suggest that fathers and mothers differ in the responsibility that the
y feel for helping the child who is experiencing difficulty in sport,
and that, in some cases, fathers' attempts to help may actually underm
ine the child's effort and enjoyment.