The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of cross-age tutoring upon
leadership style and self-esteem for the tutors, and children's attitudes toward physical activity
and motivation to participate in sport for primary school children. Although the process of
peer tutoring and/or cross-age tutoring is not a new concept, this form of transmission of
information and skill within the educational sporting environment in Australia, and particularly
in the A.C.T, is relatively new, and is an area which has received very little empirical attention.
Comparisons between the three cross-age tutoring programs were made in terms of primary
school students' attitudes toward physical activity and motivation to participate in sport, as
well as leadership style and self-esteem for the tutors.
Four hundred and eighty-eight primary school students (7 to 12 years of age) were
administered an adaptation of Gill, Gross, & Huddleston's (1982) Participation Motivation
Questionnaire; and Schutz, Smoll, & Wood's (1985) Children's Attitudes Towards Physical
Activity Inventory, both before the program and again at the end of the program.
Further, one hundred and twenty-six secondary students (from Years 9 & 10) were
administered an adaptation of Coopersmith's (1967) Self-Esteem Inventory; and a modified
version of Chelladurai's (1980) Leadership Scale for Sports.
A modified questionnaire from Clough & Traill's (1992) Sportsfun program evaluation was
designed and implemented to measure attitudes about participating in sporting activities, as
well as to obtain ideas about changes or benefits for each group from their viewpoint. This
evaluation sheet was given to the tutors and tutees following the completion of the program
Statistical analyses revealed that involvement in cross-age tutoring programs in the field of
sport and physical education did not provide significant results in the areas of self-esteem or
leadership style for the tutors, or in the areas of attitudes towards physical activity or
participation motivation for the tutees. In other words, these results indicated that the act of
participation in a cross-age tutoring program in sport and physical activity did not enhance and
develop these attributes for either the tutors or the tutees. Conversely, though, the results did
not reveal significant outcomes to indicate that participation in a cross-age tutoring program
would lower or negatively affect the existing levels of self-esteem, leadership behaviour,
attitudes towards physical activity or motivation to participate in sporting activities for the
tutors or tutees.
However, from the qualitative data obtained during the interview questionnaire following
participation in the cross-age tutoring programs, it could be concluded that cross-age tutoring
programs in the area of sport and physical education have merit because they seem to serve
different needs for the different groups of people involved in them, including the tutors, tutees,
teachers and participating schools. By providing cross-age tutoring programs in sport, children
and tutors have the opportunity to develop sports skills and enhance leadership/coaching
abilities which are consistent with the participant's individual personalities and aspirations.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/218824 |
| Date | January 1999 |
| Creators | Campbell, Heather, n/a |
| Publisher | University of Canberra. Sports Studies |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | ), Copyright Heather Campbell |
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