Examining Children’s Experiences
in Summer Sport Camps using
Photo Elicitation
Leisha Strachan
Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, Canada
NASPSPA 2011
umanitoba.ca
One university. Many futures.
Mini-University:
o Entering 33rd year of sport
programming for children and
youth
o Year-round programs
o Summer camp welcomes
approximately 6,000 campers
to the U of M every year
o Largest summer day camp in
North America
One university. Many futures.
Introduction
o Canadian stats indicate that approximately 76% of
children and youth participate in organized sport
(Guèvremont, Findlay, & Kohen, 2008)
o Three objectives of sport participation
(Côté & Fraser-Thomas, 2007; 2011):
o Improve physical health
o Develop motor skills
o Encourage psychosocial growth
One university. Many futures.
Introduction continued…
o 92% of Canadians believe that sport can be an avenue
for positive growth and development (Mulholland, 2008)
o Participation in sport can be valued as a crucial
context for positive development
One university. Many futures.
Positive Youth Development…
o Positive Youth Development (PYD) advanced the idea
that youth are resources to be cultivated (Benson, Scales,
Hamilton, & Sesma, Jr., 2006)
o Core constructs of PYD focus on contexts involving
youth, personal characteristics, and developmental
outcomes (Lerner, 2003)
One university. Many futures.
Positive Youth Development continued…
o Sport participation linked to higher rates of initiative,
teamwork, & emotional regulation when compared to
other structured activities (Larson, Hansen, & Moneta, 2006)
o Sport participation also linked to lower rates of
identity work, positive relationships, and adult
network experiences
One university. Many futures.
Sport Programming…
o Different experiences within sport may lead to distinct
developmental outcomes (Strachan, Côté, & Deakin, 2009)
o Great diversity in sport programming
o Continued work is needed to explore how to properly
structure sport programs for children and youth
One university. Many futures.
Setting Features Framework…
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Physical & Psychological Safety
Appropriate Structure
Supportive Relationships
Opportunities to Belong
Positive Social Norms
Support of Efficacy and Mattering
Opportunities for Skill Building
Integration of Family, School, and Community Efforts
o Sport programs have a key role in promoting these
features (Côté et al., 2008; Perkins & Noam, 2007; Strachan et al., 2011)
One university. Many futures.
Children/Youth Perceptions…
o Need to explore not only contextual factors but also a
young person’s personal perspective
o Informed our understanding of enjoyment,
motivational climate, and peer relationships
(Wiersma, 2001; Vazou et al., 2006; Weiss & Smith, 2002)
One university. Many futures.
Photo Elicitation…
Our culture is “a visual culture in which the image
has become more powerful than the word as a form
of communication” (Power, 2003, p. 9)
o Photo methodology where individuals take
photographs within a specific context in order to
explore the environment
o Photo Methods (Harper, 2003; Power, 2003) :
o De-centers the researcher
o Allows for different interpretations
o Increases the attention of the interviewee
o Children/Youth’s perceptions are separate and
different from adults
o Recognition of children as collaborators (Cook & Hess,
2007)
One university. Many futures.
Research Questions…
o Is photo elicitation an appropriate strategy to use
within sport settings for children?
o What are children’s experiences in the Mini-University
sport camps?
One university. Many futures.
Methods
o 16 children (Mage = 9.4 yrs)
o Minimum of 4 sport camps over the course of the
summer
o Data collected after being in at least 3 camps
Orientation/
Thinking about
what is
meaningful in
sport
Taking pictures (people
or objects)
Selection /
Focus Group or Interview
One university. Many futures.
Cook & Hess, 2007
Results…
o Physical (12) and Psychological
Safety (12)
o Environment, Equipment,
Safety considerations (i.e.,
signs)
o Close Friendships
“My friend.
There’s only like,
you know, people
you even know
and I have a ton
of good times
with him”
K2, 11
One university. Many futures.
Results…
o Appropriate Structure (12)
o Schedule, Rules, Equipment, Play
“…shows that,
like, it’s important
to me because I
get to play games
instead of just
doing drills the
whole time”
M2, 11
One university. Many futures.
Results…
o Supportive Relationships (25)
o Instructors (teaching skills, humorous, role models,
friend)
“He’s my best
friend adult”
T6, 8
One university. Many futures.
Results…
o Opportunities to Belong (5)
o Partner for Play
“…this is
meaningful to me
because, um, he’s
my friend and I
have somebody to
play with”
N6, 8
One university. Many futures.
Results…
o Positive Social Norms (6)
o Teamwork, Healthy Lifestyle
“This picture is
playing games. Um, I
took a picture of this
because…we’re
getting active again
and we’re having
fun”
N9, 7
One university. Many futures.
Results…
o Support of Efficacy and Mattering (14)
o Enjoyment, Recognition, Pride
“Uh, this is a
picture of a soccer
ball…I really like
soccer. It’s fun”
P1, 11
One university. Many futures.
Results…
o Opportunities for Skill Building (14)
o Maintaining Skill, Learning New Skills/Games
“This is the actual wall
we climb on with
harnesses…so, the
bouldering wall is just
to help you practice so
you can actually climb
to the top of this wall”
B7, 12
One university. Many futures.
Results…
o Integration of Family, School, and Community (9)
o Family – Sibling Influence
o School – Instructor Presence
o Community – Club Sport in Venues
“This picture is of,
um, my sister and
she’s meaningful
to me because she
helps me on stuff”
N4, 8
One university. Many futures.
Discussion
o Setting Features framework may be applied to sport
camp settings
o All features were present
o Emphasis on Supportive Relationships (Instructors)
(Smith and Smoll)
o Lacking in experiences related to Positive Social
Norms and Opportunities to Belong (Allen, 2003)
One university. Many futures.
Implications and Future Directions…
o Photo methodology gave insight into children’s
summer sport camp experiences
o Methodology shows potential
o Additional research is needed to focus on experiences
of girls
o Attention needs to be given to instructors and how
they are being trained to improve service delivery
o Deliberate PYD sport programming may help to make
experiences more meaningful
One university. Many futures.
Thank you…
o
o
o
o
Dr. Jane Watkinson
Kristin Davies
Jay Gamey
Staff, Parents, and Children of Mini U
o strachal@cc.umanitoba.ca
One university. Many futures.