An examination of the changes on facilitators and constraints during lifelong participation in surfing
Abstract
Research question: Continued sport participation hinges on facilitators and constraints, which may change throughout an individual’s life. The research question for this study was: ‘How do facilitators and constraints change over time in the pursuit of lifelong participation in sport?’ Research methods: Interviews with 16 participants who commenced surfing as a child and continued to surf at middle adulthood revealed the facilitators and constraints that affected their commencement and continuation of surfing. Results and findings: Findings showed that social factors (e.g. friends and family) facilitated surfing as a child ...
View more >Research question: Continued sport participation hinges on facilitators and constraints, which may change throughout an individual’s life. The research question for this study was: ‘How do facilitators and constraints change over time in the pursuit of lifelong participation in sport?’ Research methods: Interviews with 16 participants who commenced surfing as a child and continued to surf at middle adulthood revealed the facilitators and constraints that affected their commencement and continuation of surfing. Results and findings: Findings showed that social factors (e.g. friends and family) facilitated surfing as a child and continued to do so in middle adulthood. However, a significant shift was noted in middle adulthood towards participants’ mental wellbeing as a strong facilitator for continued participation. Furthermore, middle-aged adults used other activities to develop competencies that would compensate for any loss of functional capacity and help them continue surfing. Implications: The results offer an application of social ecology in sport which contributes to understanding facilitators and constraints within a sport-specific context over lifetime participation.
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View more >Research question: Continued sport participation hinges on facilitators and constraints, which may change throughout an individual’s life. The research question for this study was: ‘How do facilitators and constraints change over time in the pursuit of lifelong participation in sport?’ Research methods: Interviews with 16 participants who commenced surfing as a child and continued to surf at middle adulthood revealed the facilitators and constraints that affected their commencement and continuation of surfing. Results and findings: Findings showed that social factors (e.g. friends and family) facilitated surfing as a child and continued to do so in middle adulthood. However, a significant shift was noted in middle adulthood towards participants’ mental wellbeing as a strong facilitator for continued participation. Furthermore, middle-aged adults used other activities to develop competencies that would compensate for any loss of functional capacity and help them continue surfing. Implications: The results offer an application of social ecology in sport which contributes to understanding facilitators and constraints within a sport-specific context over lifetime participation.
View less >
Journal Title
European Sport Management Quarterly
Note
This publication has been entered in Griffith Research Online as an advanced online version.
Subject
Commercial services
Strategy, management and organisational behaviour