Parents in youth sport: what happens after the game?

Characteristic issues surrounding parents in youth sport include examples of negative verbal and non-verbal behaviour demonstrated during competition. Numerous studies have done well to highlight while parents possess a great potential for positively influencing the sport experience, they can also exert a considerable negative influence by engaging in a range of non-preferred and inappropriate behaviours. There is certainly a need to further understand the nature of the sport-parenting paradigm given that encouraging and supportive parental involvement is a critical factor in promoting enjoyment and intrinsic motivation among participants. This is particularly important given that children's preferred parental behaviours are temporally dependent. That is, different types of parental involvement are preferred before, during and after competitive sport. However, one aspect of parental involvement in youth sport which has been largely overlooked is the post-game setting. Drawing on qualitative data derived from focus groups and individual interviews with 86 parents and children involved in junior Australian football, this paper reveals an aspect of the sport-parenting role which can further enhance or undermine the youth sport experience. Specifically, it reveals an intriguing insight into the way that parents engage in ‘debriefing’ children's performances—representing a challenge for parents who strive to engender a positive and supportive influence in youth sport. While the concept of sport-parenting receives much attention within the competitive setting, this paper argues that in order to enhance the quality of parental involvement in youth sport, much can be learnt from exploring ‘what happens after the game’.     

Truncation error for the generalized Bessel type sampling series

Numerous upper bounds for the truncation error of the Shannon sampling expansion associated with the Fourier transforms are available in the literature. In this paper we derive an upper bound for the truncation error of the generalized sampling expansion associated with the Hankel (Bessel) transform. A clear example of the application of such series is in the analysis of optical systems with circular symmetry. A lower bound for the Bessel function J_m(j_?,N+iy), which agrees with the known asymptotic one and is necessary to this analysis, is derived. The method, which employs complex contour integration, can be applied to other generalized sampling expansions.     

Personality source traits of intermediate elementary students selected as emotionally handicapped and their nonhandicapped peers

Ninety-eight students in grades four through six in a rural Maine school were administered the Children's Personality Questionnaire (CPQ). Following a brief review of Bower's (1961) characteristics of emotionally handicapped children, the teachers of these students were asked to list the students in their classroom who they felt might be emotionally handicapped. Analysis of variance on the 14 CPQ factor scores between selected and nonselected groups indicate five significant differences: Factor A (Reserved vs. Warmhearted), C (Affected by Feelings vs. Emotionally Stable), G (Expedient vs. Conscientious), Q₃ (Undisciplined Self-Conflict vs. Highly Controlled) and Q₄ (Relaxed vs. Tense). Implications of this study were for preservice and in-service teacher training and future research on comparisons of teacher, student, peer, and parent perceptions of emotional handicaps to learning.     

Personality variables of children nominated as emotionally handicapped by classroom teachers

Ninety-nine children in grades one through three in a rural Maine school were administered the Early School Personality Questionnaire (ESPQ). The teachers of these children were asked to list the children in their classroom who, in their judgement, demonstrated emotionally handicapping conditions which interfered with achievement and/or adjustment. The teachers had been involved, prior to the nomination task, in an in-service training session on the characteristics of emotionally disturbed children suggested by Bower (1961). “T” tests were used to compare the differences in the ESPQ factors between children selected as emotionally handicapped by their teachers, and those not selected. Differences were found on three factors: B (Dull vs. Bright), H (Shy vs. Venturesome) and O (Placid vs. Apprehensive). Implications of this study were for in-service education of teachers and future research on screening processes.     

Multiple predictors of self-concept in children

This study was designed to assess the relative contributions of selected personality characteristics, school achievement, intelligence, sex, and ethnic background to self-concept in a fourth-grade sample. Fifty-two percent of the variance was accounted for with ten variables contributing at statistically significant levels. Personality variables were found to be more predictive than achievement ability or demographic factors.