Thesis (Ph. D.)--Dept. of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism, University of Utah, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [122]-133).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Utah, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [122]-133). Also available online (PDF file) by a subscription to the set or by purchasing the individual file.

This study focused on student athletes' perceptions of sport and education. The following research question was used to establish a framework for this thesis: Is there a significant difference in athletes' perceptions of sport and education between 4A varsity basketball players and midget AAA hockey players in Alberta? The independent variable was the sport category (hockey or basketball) and the dependent variable was the athletes'responses to the survey. A self-developed survey instrument entitled Sport and Education Survey (ESS) was utilized to gather information. The survey drew upon thirteen statements that were grouped according to their relevance to each hypothesis. Five additional statements were included for the purpose of categorization, description and discussion. The survey was administered to a sample of 158 males who played either hockey or basketball and were currently in grades 10, 11 or 12. An approximate equal representation was reached by surveying four hockey teams and eight basketball teams. Three hypotheses were examined and tested: H1) There is a significant difference in perceptions of education between 4A varsity basketball players and midget AAA hockey players in Alberta. H2) There is a significant difference in perceptions of sport between 4A varsity basketball players and midget AAA hockey players in Alberta. H3) There is a significant difference in perceptions of post-secondary education between 4A varsity basketball players and midget AAA hockey players in Alberta. Testing the hypotheses required the used of the Chi-square test in cross tabulations. H1 and H3 are rejected: the findings indicate that both groups are concerned about their performance in education and they plah to attend post-secondary education. H2 is supported: 76.3% of hockey players at the midget AAA level were planning to become professional athletes, while only 35.4% of 4A basketball players were planning to become professional athletes. Upon high school graduation most midget AAA hockey players' choose to apprentice in the junior hockey ranks in hopes of becoming a professional athlete or to receive an athletic scholarship. Whereas the priority most 4A basketball players is to immediately attend college or university on a failure basis with or without an athletic scholarship. / x, 85 leaves ; 29 cm.

The purpose of this study was to examine parents' achievement goal orientations, attitudes about winning, and game behaviors between a youth basketball league that kept score and a youth basketball league that did not keep score. Specifically, this study sought to answer four research hypotheses. First, this study hypothesized that parental achievement goal orientation would have a significant positive relationship with type of league. Second, parents' attitudes about winning would have a positive significant relationship with type of league. Third, a significant difference would emerge between attitudes about winning and achievement goal orientations in each league. Finally, it was hypothesized that the scoring league would demonstrate significantly more negative parental behaviors than parents in the non-scoring league.A sample of 69 parents/guardians in the non-scoring league, and 42 parents/guardians in the scoring league, participated in this study. Parents' behavior was observed and recorded over four games in each league. During the final games in each league, parents were given a series of questionnaires assessing descriptive information, achievement goals, and attitudes about winning.Results using Pearson Correlations (p<.05) suggested there was no relationship between parent's achievement goals and league type, but a significant relationship did exist between parents' attitudes about winning and league type. These results indicate that although both leagues were primarily task oriented, the scoring league parents valued the concept of winning more than the non-scoring league. Additionally, a 2 x 2 x 2 Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) revealed a significant main effect (F=7.836, p<.0001) between parents' attitudes about winning, achievement goals, and league, confirming a difference in parental responses between each league. Because the behaviors observed in both leagues was overwhelmingly positive, parental behavior in this study did not differ according to positive or negative behaviors. Parents in both leagues demonstrated overwhelmingly positive behaviors throughout the recording process. The non-scoring league, however, displayed significantly more positive nonverbal behaviors than the scoring league. From these results, it would appear that keeping score does matter in terms of its relationship to parents' values and behaviors. / School of Physical Education