Bethan C. Kingsley

Developing sport-based after-school programmes using a participatory action research approach

This paper is based on a three-year research programme, the overall purpose of which was to develop, implement and evaluate sport-based after-school programmes for students in low-income areas of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. In addition to presenting the results of this study, the other purpose of this paper was to provide an empirical example of participatory action research, depicting when and how community partners were engaged in the research process. Following several years of initial work in low-income communities, a need to create sport-based after-school programming was identified. The first action phase involved the creation and delivery of a multi-sport programme in two schools. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 28 children and two teachers to evaluate programme content and benefits. Inductive analysis revealed that the programme provided children with new opportunities and helped them to learn social and personal life skills. In the second action phase, a revised programme was delivered to 35 children. Fourteen children and three teachers participated in interviews to share their views on programme content, benefits and challenges. There were difficulties relating to the children’s skill level, behaviour and listening during the early stages of the programme. Nonetheless, by the end of the programme, children reported that they enjoyed activities based on creating optimal challenges and ‘adventures’ which engaged their imaginations. Children also learned fundamental movement, sport and life skills, some of which transferred to other areas of their lives.

Pink Ribbons and Red Dresses: A Mixed Methods Content Analysis of Media Coverage of Breast Cancer and Heart Disease

ABSTRACT This research examined media coverage of breast cancer (n = 145) and heart disease and stroke (n = 39) news articles, videos, advertisements, and images in a local Canadian context through quantitative and thematic content analyses. Quantitative analysis revealed significant differences between coverage of the diseases in placement, survivors as a source of information, health agency, human interest stories, citation of a research study, the inclusion of risk statistics, discussion of preventative behaviors, and tone used. The thematic analysis revealed themes that characterized a “typical” breast cancer survivor and indicated that “good” citizens and businesses should help the cause of breast cancer. Themes for heart disease and stroke articulated individual responsibility and the ways fundraising reinforced femininity and privilege. Findings provide insight on how these diseases are framed in local Canadian media, which might impact an individual’s understanding of the disease.

So all kids can play? Looking beyond the rhetoric of an equal playing field

Abstract This paper explores the meaning and experiences of sport for young people living with lower incomes. Using data from interviews with 10 young people (aged 13–18) and six mothers, we engage with the work of Pierre Bourdieu to provide insight into the varied ways young people living with lower incomes were influenced by their social contexts. Narrative inquiry was used to further understand the meanings of sport for participants and the ways these were tied to their material conditions. Using creative non-fiction, research findings were transformed into stories to present the experiences of three teenagers: Joey, Stacey and Nathan. The concepts of habitus, capital and field are used in the discussion to explicitly theorise the similarities and differences between the stories and show the heterogeneity of sport experiences for young people living with lower incomes. Overall, the paper contributes empirical understanding by outlining the ways in which material conditions and family circumstances shaped young peoples’ experiences differently. In doing so, it disrupts the idea that sport is a level playing field and challenges the notion that sport is a worthwhile pursuit for all young people.

Ethic of care and the competitive Ultimate Frisbee playing experiences of young women

Abstract Some young women’s primary reasons for participating in sport (i.e. social interaction and friendship) may not match well with the structures embedded within traditional competitive sport (e.g. winning at all costs, aggression). In response, in this study, we explored if and in what ways these reasons align with an alternative sport – namely, Ultimate Frisbee. We examined how female adolescent players experienced, understood and engaged in Ultimate, in particular, with two unique aspects that help to define the sport’s ethos: Spirit of the Game and self-officiating. Participants were nine female youth athletes who competed for Canada at a World Junior Championships. We used qualitative and interpretive description to examine data in the form of interviews, participant journals and reflective notes. Three themes captured the perspectives and playing experiences of the participants: (a) the Ultimate spirit, (b) the Ultimate sport and community and (c) the Ultimate player. Within these themes, the contextual nature of spirit of the game and players’ sense of responsibility to uphold this ethos, the challenges of self-officiating and the significance of relationships with others in this sport community, were apparent. Ethic of care and previous literature on Ultimate were used to help interpret these findings. Ultimate, in a number of ways, aligned well with young women’s reported reasons for taking part in sport. However, despite its claims as an alternative sport, it was still susceptible to the host of criticisms often associated with traditional competitive youth sport.

‘Pushing the outdoor play agenda’: exploring how practitioners conceptualise and operationalise nature play in a Canadian context

Abstract The purpose of this paper was to examine how practitioners think about and implement nature play in a Canadian context. Using data from interviews with 21 practitioners, we examined two overarching research questions: (1) How do practitioners conceptualise (think about and discuss) nature play? and (2) How do practitioners operationalise (i.e. plan and implement) nature play? The desire to examine how practitioners implement nature play opportunities derived directly from two practitioners who were working in the recreation sector at the time of the study. Their interest in understanding how nature play opportunities were being implemented was due to the increased focus on nature play in Canadian documents. To reflect this ‘practical’ interest, we developed a community-university partnership. We chose interpretive description (ID) as the method to generate applied, contextual knowledge. The findings revealed that despite the nostalgia that surrounds child-led, unstructured nature play, as well as an ever-growing movement to increase opportunities for freely chosen, self-directed nature play, practitioners more commonly supported structured, adult-led activities focused on skill development and risk avoidance. Highlighting a disjuncture between the values and assumptions currently guiding play research, policy, and practice, the discussion aims to destabilise the notion that play must be linked to measurable outcomes. Instead, we propose that the provision of nature play should be judged on whether it actually enables children to spontaneously and creatively play in natural settings, and call on professionals to acknowledge and challenge several opposing values and assumptions that appear to be encroaching on children’s nature play.

Reimagining the Role of Human Services Workers: Staff Experiences of a Social Change Initiative

Abstract Despite recognition that social inclusion is a primary goal within the field of human services, people with disabilities continue to live lives of clienthood, marginalisation, and exclusion and human services staff struggle to make social inclusion a priority. The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of human services staff about their experiences of an organisationally inspired initiative intended to change the focus of their everyday practices to better facilitate the social inclusion of persons with disabilities. A qualitative case study was used to gather observations, field and reflective notes, semi-structured interviews with staff (n = 15), and reflexive journaling. Thematic analysis of the data led to three themes: (a) challenges, old and new, (b) needing (careful) change, and (c) creating, learning and working together. These findings highlight the complexity of how to create change in the field of human services, but also demonstrate how innovative approaches have the potential to shift and reimagine how human services workers can better support people with disabilities in living meaningful lives.