Felfe, Christina et al. “Sports and Child Development”. PLOS ONE, vol. 11, no. 5, 2016, pp. 1-23. Web.
The primary purpose of this article was to analyze how participation in sports during preschool and primary school shape children’s education, health, and behavior. The introduction of this article acknowledges that a considerable number of children engage in various sports activities, approximately “65% worldwide”. This study focuses on children aged three to eleven years who participate in sports clubs in Germany. Felfe et al. used the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS) and German Child Panel (GCP) to collect data about impacts sports on children development. Felfe et al. analyzed the collected data to determine the relationship between the study’s variables and conclude its findings.
Felfe et al. main point is that participating in sports positively impacts children’s academic performance and social relations. Felfe et al. used the findings of their study and information drawn from previous studies to support their argument. The results of the study confirmed Felfe et al. point by showing that children who participate in sports have improved health, portray excellent academic performance, and have positive behaviors. Felfe et al. used other research in the discussion section of this article to support their findings and the idea they presented. This research article is closely related to work of Hodge et al., Messner and Musto, and Lee et al. because they focus on the same topic: sports and their impacts on children’s development.
This article is important because it evaluates the impacts of sports participation on children’s academic performance, behavior, and health. These are which vital indicators of a child development are. The findings imply that participating promotes and enhances growth in children. This article will help develop and support my essay by using various points. For example, it will help substantiate my argument that sports participation boosts cognitive development among the schooling kids by showing it improves academic performance.
Hodge, Camilla J. et al. “A Family Thing: Positive Youth Development Outcomes of a Sport-Based Life Skills Program”. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, vol. 35, no. 1, 2017, pp. 34-50. Web.
Hodge et al. conducted a study to document positive youth developments associated with participation in sport-based life skill programs. Additionally, they wanted to explore involved youth’s and parents’ perception of families’ role and influence in those positive youth development outcomes. Family systems theory was used as the theoretical framework for the study. Participants in the research were children aged 7 to 15 years, comprising 27 males and 9 females. The respondents were from different ethnic groups, with the African Americans comprising the most significant percentage, “44.4% of the participants.” Hodge et al used interviews to collect data for the study.
Hodge et al. main points are: sport-based life skill programs positively impact youth development and parents and the youths have optimistic perceptions about behaviors related to those programs. Hodge et al. support their points by analyzing the collected data and findings from other researchers regarding the impacts of sports on youth development. The findings confirmed that sport-based skill programs contribute to desirable behavior and enhanced problem-solving and positive thinking competencies. Additionally, families and their involvement in the programs supported the acquisition and application of the anticipated life skills. Hodge et al. draw findings from other researchers to support their points in the discussion section of this article. The objective of this article is similar to that of Felfe et al., Lee et al., and Messner and Musto’s work because it focuses on showing sports improves youth development.
This article is valuable since it outlines various positive youth development outcomes associated with sport-based skills programs and the role families play in the acquisition and application of those competencies. The findings imply that sports are a powerful tool for promoting positive developments in children. This article will help develop my essay by reinforcing my argument that sports promote social and physical development in children.
Lee, Jung Eun et al. “The Role of Youth Sports in Promoting Children’s Physical Activity and Preventing Pediatric Obesity: A Systematic Review”. Behavioral Medicine, vol. 44, no. 1, 2016, pp. 62-76. Web.
Lee et al.‘s primary purpose was to provide a systematic review on how youth involvement in sports impacts their daily participation in physical activities and pediatric obesity among children ages 6 to 19 years. They used four research questions that guided them through the study. They wanted to find out, first, the relationship between physical activity and youth sports participation. Second, how youth sport contributes to the total amount of energy spent daily. Third, whether levels of physical activities differ within diverse sport context and under various sports policies. Lastly, to evaluate the way participation in youth sports influence status obesity. Lee et al. researched literature to answer all the study questions. They randomly selected peer-reviewed articles from different databases such as Pub Med, PsycInfo, and Google Scholar for the analysis.
The researchers’ main points are participation in youth sports has a positive impact on children’s moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, and involvements in sports have long-term effects on children, which has the potential to transition to adulthood. These two points indicate that children’s sports have numerous benefits ranging from enhanced physical development to preventing and managing certain health conditions such as obesity. Lee et al. support their points using previous studies that evaluate the relationship between various sports and physical activities, health, and development. The ideas, findings, and points presented are connected to the work of Felfe et al., Hodge et al., and Messner and Musto because they show the benefits of sports on children.
This article is helpful since it emphasizes various benefits for children and youths’ sports participation. The findings imply that parents, government, and schools should collaborate to encourage children’s involvement in diverse sports to enjoy the positive outcomes outlined by Lee et al. The article is a valuable resource for developing my essay because it will help show that children’s sports positively impact growth, for instance, motor development.
Messner, Michael A., and Michela Musto. “Where Are The Kids?” Sociology of Sport Journal, vol. 31, no. 1, 2014, pp. 102-122. Web.
This article is an essay that focuses on explaining the significance of research about kids and sports to the sociology of spots. Messner and Musto divided the article three main parts: youth sports, learning from children and studies, and toward a sociology of kids and sports. The first section shows that kids’ sports are considerably ignored even though children participate in various games. For instance, Messner and Musto show that few studies focus on kids and sports. The second part of the article focuses on encouraging sociologists and sports scholars to learn from children instead of studying kids’ sports from adult perspectives. The third part of the essay presents topics and questions for kids and sports sociological studies, such as kids as fans and consumers of sports and health and injuries.
Messner and Musto’s central argument is that the efforts of sociologists of sports to focus on children and games have been significantly slower. They supported their argument by showing that sports scholars are less concerned about kids and sports, although many children participate in different games. For example, Messner and Musto noted that only 1.1% of 757 sport-related research studies evaluated kids and sports. This source is related to the work of Felfe et al., Hodge et al., and Lee et al. because it discusses attention given to kids’ sports even though it does not address the issue of development.
This article is helpful because it emphasizes why sports scholars should give adequate attention to kids’ sports. This article highlights some sociological benefits associated with kids’ participation in sports. For instance, sports prevent violence and promote gender equality among children. I will use the sociological benefits presented in this article to support my argument about the positive impacts of kids’ sports on development. Notably, reduced violence among children shows that participation in kids’ sports promotes desirable behaviors.