1. The Purpose
Drives the
Methods: A
Kinesiology
Researchers' Path
in Examining Girls'
Barriers with Sport
Participation in
Urban Areas
Dr. E. Missy Wright
Assistant
Professor, Kinesiology

2. Objectives for today…
1.
Provide overview of line of research
1.
2.
2.
Methodology
Results
7 Helpful tips for being a student
researcher

3. Background: Interest and involvement
 Girls
in Sports
 Personal
 Professional

4. What do we know…
 Benefits
of youth sport
 Positive
youth development, increased
competence
 Great
benefit in particular for girls in sport &
PA
 Decreases
in substance abuse and chance of
pregnancy, better mental health (Staurowsky et al., 2009)

5. What do we know…
 Large
gender gap in youth sport
participation


Boys 59% vs. Girls 41%
Boys 66% vs. Girls 34%
(NFHS, 2012)
(NCYS, 2008)
 Girls
start later, dropout earlier, and
overall participate at lower rates than
boys (Sabo & Veliz, 2008; Vilhjalmsson & Kristjansdottir, 2003)

Girls of color and girls in low-income urban
areas lowest participators (Sabo & Veliz, 2008)

6. What do we know…
 Numerous
PA-focused studies with girls
of color (Dwyer, 2006; Grieser et al., 2006; Kimm et al.,
2002; Motl et al., 2004; Taylor, W., et al., 1999)
 Fewer
sport-focused
(Slater & Tiggemann, 2010;
Stewart & Taylor, 2000; Taylor, T. et al., 1999; Wilson Sporting Good
Co., 1988)
 Rural
 Many
US communities, Australia
youths’ PA is in the form of sport
(Weiss, 2008)

7. Line of Research
1.
2010 – Qualitative Examination of
Girls’ Sport Participation in an Urban
Environment

8. Line of Research
1.
2.
2010 – Qualitative Examination of
Girls’ Sport Participation in an Urban
Environment
2011 – Urban Recreational Sport
Program Directors’ Perceptions of
Girls’ Sport Participation

9. Why Qualitative?
 Process
Research
 How & Why vs. What/When/Where/Who
 Knowledge of Experts
 Exploratory Research
 The key is to obtain “rich, thick narrative description”

10. Line of Research
1.
2.
3.
2010 – Qualitative Examination of
Girls’ Sport Participation in an Urban
Environment
2011 – Urban Recreational Sport
Program Directors’ Perception of
Girls’ Sport Participation
2013 – Gender Role Conflict and
Psychosocial Concerns across Race
and School Location as Influences on
Adolescent Girls’ Sport Participation
and Withdrawal

11. Purpose of Study #1
 To
examine in-depth the participation
of adolescent girls in Detroit to gain a
better understanding of aspects
affecting their sport involvement
 Area
1: Barriers and Benefits
 Area 2: Social Support (role of coaches,
family, peers)
 Area 3: Reasons Affecting Participation

12. Method
4
semi-structured focus groups
2
HS and 2 MS aged groups
 43 – 65 minutes in length
 Inductive
hierarchical content analysis
(Côté, Salmela, Baria, & Russell, 1993)

13. Results

14. Barriers

15. 3 Groupings, 11 General Dimensions
1. Personal
Challenges
 Physical
Health &
Safety (34)
 Motivation Concerns
(10)
 Aversion to Sport (20)
 Image Concerns (14)
 Cosmetic Concerns (25)
 Physical Challenges
(16)
2. External Barriers
 Lack
of Available
Resources (29)
 Lack of Support (6)
 Negative Role of Others
(20)
3. Other Demands
 Time
Constraints (26)
 Academic Issues (18)

16. 3 Groupings, 11 General Dimensions
1. Personal
Challenges
 Physical
Health &
Safety (34)
 Motivation Concerns
(10)
 Aversion to Sport (20)
 Image Concerns (14)
 Cosmetic Concerns (25)
 Physical Challenges
(16)
2. External Barriers
 Lack
of Available
Resources (29)
 Lack of Support (6)
 Negative Role of Others
(20)
3. Other Demands
 Time
Constraints (26)
 Academic Issues (18)

17. Image/Cosmetic Concerns
a lot of them, they just like you say,
girly girl and don’t wanna, you know,
really participate. All they care about is
their hair or their nails, their makeup.
All that stuff.” (Older, Non-Participant, P1)
 “Like they (girls) kinda feel that it’s
kinda boyish to even play a sport, even if
it’s like something, cheerleading.” (Older,
 “But
Participant, P4)

18. Where To From Here…
Follow
up study
 Triangulation
Gate
keepers
 Psychosocial
“Girly
Girl”
concerns

19. Study #2 Sport Program Directors
in Urban Areas
1.
Examine their perceptions of
girls’ sport experiences and
barriers girls face
1.
2.
3.
Girly Girl
Barriers PD’s face getting girls
involved
Strategies PD’s use

20. Study #2 Sport Program Directors
in Urban Areas
1.
Examine their perceptions of
girls’ sport experiences and
barriers girls face
1.
2.
3.
Girly Girl
Barriers PD’s face getting girls
involved
Strategies PD’s use

21. Perceived Barriers to Participation
1.
Urban area barriers



3.
Cost
Safety
Transportation
Social barriers




2.
Programmatic/structu
ral barriers


Lack of female coaches
Lack of other participating
girls
4.
Cultural views
Role of others
Social pressures
Image concerns
Personal barriers



Intensity/demand of
sport
Health/safety/injury
issues
Nervous/not confident

22. Perceived Barriers to Participation
1.
Urban area barriers



3.
Cost
Safety
Transportation
Social barriers




2.
Programmatic/structu
ral barriers


Lack of female coaches
Lack of other participating
girls
4.
Cultural views
Role of others
Social pressures
Image concerns
Personal barriers



Intensity/demand of
sport
Health/safety/injury
issues
Nervous/not confident

23. Cultural Views
girls, you know I think maybe
cultural-wise they’re taught not to
participate in programs where they have
to be physical.” PD 1b (Male)
 “Some
it’s culturally, stereotypically,
uh, you know, some of the girls don’t feel
comfortable or their parents, you know,
are traditional families; they don’t feel
that girls should be playing sports.” PD 4
 “Whether
(Male)

24. Role of Others
opt not to come to practice if
they can hang out with their boyfriend.”
 “They’ll
PD 1b (Female)
the time they’re 12 and 13
they might now have to take care of a
family of their own (emphasis) in a way
because mom and dad, they’re either not
around or they’re working three jobs and
so they don’t have time to do things
after school.” PD 7 (Female)
 “By

25. Social Pressures
our community it’s not always cool
for a young lady to be playing sports.”
 “In
PD 3 (Male)
to fit in. You know, there
aren’t a lot of girls that do play, so
wanting to hang out, just be more
socially active, I think kinda keeps
them away from committing to a
sport team.” PD 2 (Male)
 “Trying

26. Image Concerns
if I just got my hair done no I’m
not going in there to play in the gym.”
 “So
PD 13 (Female)
I going to be teased about
sweating? And not only teased but I
think just the mind set; I don’t want
to play softball because it’s dirty.” PD 12
 “Am
(Male)

27. Thoughts on Girly Girl Mentality
you encountered Girly Girl
mind frame in your program”
 “Have
 Yes = 9
 No, but…
 No = 1
 “Any
=5
differences across race/ethnicity”
 Mixed
findings

28. 1. Impact of Society
biggest thing is like…like it’s one of things that
we, we have the least control over…like I could
eventually raise a whole lot of money and then I
could take that money and I could start spending it
on girls’ programming, but, you know that money I
can’t buy the social stigma away. You know once the
money’s gone, the stigma will always be there you
know?” PD 10 (Female)
 “The

29. 2. Impact of Media
stuff that happens in the media. You know
you don’t typically see um a strong female
figure in the media whenever there’s some sort
of advertisement. You know usually it’s a pretty
girl who’s using their sexuality to get
something.” PD 5 (Male)
 “It’s

30. 3. Lesbian stereotype
that was her main thing. “I’m not playing
basketball. I’m not trying to get stereotyped.” So
she looks at basketball as that…” PD 9 (Female)
 “So

31. 1. Girls navigate both girly girl and
athletic roles
this fine line they walk between wanting to
feel like they’re pretty and people seeing them
that way and being an athlete.” PD 6 (Female)
 “It’s

32. 2. PD’s accommodate blend of sport and
girly girl
don’t have to be two different people, you
can simply be you wherever you’re at. You know
and if you want to wear makeup when you play,
then wear makeup when you play, like there’s no
rule that says you can’t.” PD 6 (Female)
 “You

33. Putting it together…
 Many
similar barriers
 With
PA studies
 E.g. safety, cost, self-consciousness with
boys (Dwyer et al., 2006; Leslie et al., 1999)
 Between Girls and PD’s
 E.g. safety concerns, sport intensity, role
of others (Leaper & Brown, 2008; Taylor, T. et al., 1999)
 Programmatic

Girls-only programming, female coaches
& Taylor, 2000)
(Stewart

34.  Girly
Girl - “Balancing act”
(Adams et al., 2006; Krane et
al., 2004)
 Seems
critical that PD’s support this
 Differences
 Hair,
across race
sweating, “beauty cost” (Boyington et al., 2008;
Dwyer et al., 1999; Taylor, W. et al., 1999)
 Not
“cool” or feminine, fear of muscles,
butch sports (Slater & Tiggemann, 2010; Taylor, T., et al., 1999)

35. What next…

36. Quantitative study
 Scale
and scope

37.  Construction
of Girls’ Psychosocial
Concerns with Sport (PSC) instrument
for use in dissertation
 Differences on PSC across race and
school type
 If
their scores predict their current
sport involvement

38. Conclusion
 Flexible
in approach
 The purpose of your research dictates
what methodologies you will use
 And…

39. Helpful tips with being a
student researcher

40. Helpful tips with being a
student researcher
1. Take advantage of available resources


Ask questions
Get involved

41. Helpful tips with being a
student researcher
2. Find what you're interested in
 Won’t feel like “work”
* Consider influence of your biases and
knowledge

42. Helpful tips with being a
student researcher
3. Get involved with a research group!

43. Benefits of a research group
 Do

more with more
Collaborate on projects
 Accountability!

Timelines and goals
 Valuable


feedback
Various backgrounds/knowledge of
literature
Objective viewpoints

44. Helpful tips with being a
student researcher
4. Keep a research “notebook”
 Helps keep track of research ideas

45. Helpful tips with being a
student researcher
5. Develop a method for recording/using
the literature

46. Helpful tips with being a
student researcher
6. Attend conferences and be an active
attendee
 Take notes
 Make connections

47. Helpful tips with being a
student researcher
7. Understand becoming a good
researcher is a process
 Put yourself “out there”
 Attain feedback
 Always look to improve