Sports and recreation-based programs for socially vulnerable youth: A study of meanings, motivations, and impacts

Community-based sport and recreation programs that provide activities to socially vulnerable youth can be an effective setting for social emotional skills development. However, not all sport and recreation programs are successful, and scholars questioned the power of sport and recreation for promoting social emotional learning, particularly for socially vulnerable youth. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the perspectives of youth program participants and practitioners on the meanings, motivational cycle, and social emotional developmental outcomes associated with sport and recreation programs for socially vulnerable youth. This study also aimed to investigate the mechanisms of action underlying the development of the social emotional skills captured by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) model. In-depth interviews with youth and practitioners were conducted and analyzed using constructivist grounded theory. The findings revealed transformations throughout the program participation in the motivations and meanings that youth assign to their program experiences. Moreover, the analysis showed that community-based organizations could strategically implement sport and recreation activities to promote CASEL’s five competencies of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making. This study also identified specific mechanisms of action (i.e., new role, relations with practitioners, program design features, and contextual characteristics) driving the development of the social emotional skills among socially vulnerable youth. This study advances knowledge and practice on the areas of recruitment, retainment, and promotion of social emotional learning through sport and recreation programs for socially vulnerable youth.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Recreation, Sport, and Tourism

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2022

Author dc:creator

• Son, Hwayong

Contributors dc:contributor

• Berdychevsky, Liza
• Stodolska, Monika
• Larson, Reed
• Welty Peachey, Jon
• Tan, Kelvin

• Sport and recreation programs
• Socially vulnerable youth
• Motivation
• Meanings
• Social emotional learning
• Mechanisms of action
• Constructivist grounded theory

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2022 Hwayong Son

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/116056

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F116056