This thesis investigates the developmental socialisation process of the expert performer into sport, and considers the influence of significant others such as the family, coaches and peers within this process. The study complements existing research in the field of youth sport such as Cote and colleagues' Developmental Model of Sport Participation (DMSP) by using life story interviews to explore retrospectively the experiences of senior expert sport performers (defined in this study as international level performers age 18 years and over) in both team and individual sports. The participants were 36 expert performers (male (n = 16) and female (n = 20)) in rugby union, field hockey, track and field athletics, swimming and taekwondo. Qualitative research forms the basis of the study and life story interviews were employed as the primary tool to generate data. The four main analysis chapters present the key themes generated from the data, which include: 'The developmental socialisation process of expert performers'; 'The family'; 'Coaches'; and 'Peers'. In broad terms the data reported in this study support the concept of developmental socialisation proposed by Cote and colleagues' DMSP model, as well as raising some further questions around, for example, the nature of transition through the three phases of sampling, specialising and investing, early specialisation, the role of deliberate play and deliberate practice, and the so-called '1 0 year rule'. The findings also provide clear evidence of the complexity of the process with no two individuals sharing identical experiences of socialisation. Additionally, evidence from this study showed that most experts sampled a range of sports before specialising, suggesting . that delaying specialisation to a later age can be beneficial to the young performer. The family, coaches and peers all play a key part in the expert performers' socialisation into sport, although their influence varied at different phases of the developmental socialisation process. The thesis concludes that a developmental socialisation perspective on youth sport provides a robust means of conceptualising the pathways many young people follow to become experts in specific sports and provides a basis for policy development in youth sport.

The role of the outdoor play settings in children's play has long been of interest to the field of planning and design of the built-environment. While a vast body of research has been dedicated to understanding the nature and implications of the design of formal play spaces, such as playgrounds and play centres, very little is known about the characteristics of informal play spaces such as streets that are conducive to quality play. The aim of this study is to develop an evidence-based understanding of the effects of informal play spaces on quality outdoor play. Quality play is determined by the frequency, duration and intensity of play, as well the opportunities available for social interaction and independent mobility. This study proposes a conceptual framework that provides a structure to examine the interaction between three spheres (the built environment characteristics, societal issues, and economic conditions) believed to be critical to help transform the quality of child outdoor play. In this study, recent technology based on accelerometers and tracking devices, together with questionnaire surveys, friendship network mapping exercises, and the built- environment audit, have allowed an accurate, comprehensive and revealing picture of the relationship between the built-environment characteristics and quality of outdoor play. The finding of this study suggests that informal outdoor play spaces support a range of spontaneous, freely chosen, child initiated play activities. The finding reveals that playing in informal spaces, which are not necessarily allocated or designed for play, tends to be associated with longer and more frequent playtime in outdoors, higher levels of physical activity, more interaction between children and extended independent mobility compared with playing in formal spaces. The investigation determined that connectivity of the street networks for pedestrian, natural on-site supervision, and parents' perceptions of neighbourhood safety are positively associated to children's levels of physical activity. Children play more in watched spaces and their levels of sociability are higher in these spaces. The results reflect that the accompaniment of children by adults adversely affects the duration and frequency of their outdoor play.

This thesis investigated pupil and staff experiences of a curricular sports programme known as the Scottish School of Sport (SSoS). Participation in these types of sports programmes is a promising avenue to foster what is known as Positive Youth Development (PYD; Holt, 2008). PYD is based on a strengths-based model, in which youth are seen as having the ability to develop and enhance socially desirable characteristics. As greater responsibility is placed within the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) for enhancing aspects commonly associated with PYD such as social and emotional well-being, it is essential to understand how school provision may develop these characteristics. The majority of research involving sport and youth development is cross-sectional and quantitative in nature, with very few studies drawing on qualitative evidence. In addition, research involving curricular sports programmes such as the SSoS, and their ability to foster aspects of PYD is limited. This research employed a sequential multi-phase mixed methods design consisting of three phases (QUAL→QUAN→QUAL). The three phases of research began with an exploratory design, which sought to understand the research context through documentary analysis and semi-structured interviews with associated SSoS staff (Phase 1) and then to investigate pupil PYD reports with a longitudinal quantitative design that was comprised of two survey questionnaires (Phase 2). The final phase (Phase 3) was explanatory in nature and utilised semi-structured interviews with pupils both enrolled and not enrolled in the SSoS; these interviews sought explanations for the results which emerged from the previous two phases. A further extension phase, which analysed Tweets and the physical environment of the school, was devised to add further depth to findings from the earlier data collection. Findings overall indicated that while participation in the SSoS was a positive and engaging experience for most pupils, it was unclear if the pupils perceive the positive outcomes to be transferrable to other contexts, which was a key overarching aim of the SSoS. Programme ‘selection’ appeared to be a self-validating factor for increases in pupils’ confidence in their athletic ability. With recent requirements such as ‘playing for the school team’ added to the programme documentation, the SSoS has, perhaps unwittingly, taken on a ‘sports-plus’ approach, where the developmental aims have become secondary to sport performance. This research adds to the continuing conversation regarding the possible developmental nature of sport programmes and the continued search for positive avenues in which to enhance social and emotional development and HWB in the school context.

This thesis examines the impacts and legacy of the Champion Coaching Scheme of the National Coaching Foundation, focusing on three case studies of implementation from 1996-1999, on Merseyside and North Wales. As one of the most significant and longrunning programmes of the 1990s, Champion Coaching represented a national blueprint for the development of youth sport and coaching. The evaluation uses a 'realist' approach, drawing upon the scientific realism of Pawson and Tilley (1997). Outcomes are derived from the programme theory developed for Champion Coaching in a multi-method approach. Central to this analysis is the need to examine the context, mechanisms and outcomes from programmes. It draws together evidence from a range of primary and secondary sources; participants, parents, coaches, sport Development practioners, teachers; young people; Census and deprivation statistics. Using a range of techniques, including face to face and telephone interviews, survey and geographical analysis, context- mechanism-outcome configurations of each case study were produced, in order to draw out how the programme 'worked', and contribute to building the evidence base for sport development interventions. The results demonstrate that the blueprint was flexibly interpreted and delivered resulting in particular patterns of outcomes in the different cases. Champion Coaching represented a successful approach to the development of 'perfon-nance pathways', as the level of club membership in participants was higher than suggested by national surveys. In contributing to coaching development, the Scheme had some clear impacts on the human capital involved in sport. However, results were not uniform and show how the sporting infrastructure and attitudes of schools or Governing Bodies to such programmes, can influence whether gains in such capital can be sustained. At the meso-level of analysis of policy for youth sport and coaching, the research shows how Champion Coaching contributed to the policy development in this increasingly salient policy area and points to its legacy in school-aged sport. The conclusions point to some of the lessons learned for future policies and the implications for outcome-oriented evaluations, including the need to plan such evaluation at the stage of programme design.