Program theory of sport-related intervention: a multiple case study of sport-related youth violence prevention programs
Year: 2007
Type: dissertation
Abstract: The present study examines the utility of sport as a tool of social intervention programs. \nThe central objective of this study is to find a systematic and theoretical way to design, \nimplement, and evaluate sport-related violence intervention programs. Since little \nresearch is available for this investigation, this study attempts to evaluate a type of sportrelated \nviolence prevention programs and, as a result of the evaluation, it derives \nnormative ways to improve sport-related social intervention programs and explanatory \nways to enhance sport-related violence intervention programs. \n Guided by Lipsey’s (1983) theory-driven approach and Eisenhardt’s (1989) \ntheory building process, this study identifies common patterns existing in each stage and \nin the entire process of the 2 most successful Teacher-Student-Together programs. These \ncommon patterns are further examined by comparison to those of the 2 least successful \nTeacher-Student-Together programs. \n The results of this study indicate that not all sport-related intervention activities \nare effective at preventing at-risk youths from involvement in violent behaviors. The \nmost successful sport-related violence prevention programs had more structured and \nstronger intensity, treated more risk factors, combined one type of program activities \n(e.g., sport) with others (e.g., education and other experiences) synergistically, and \ngenerated more mediating variables and outcomes. With regard to the use of sport in \nsport-related violence prevention programs, this study suggests that sport could be \neffectively manipulated to reduce constraints (e.g., reduce labeling), develop a positive \nsense of self (e.g., as a medium for providing a social setting to empower at-risk youths), \ndevelop positive social relationships (e.g., as a medium for bringing various school \nstakeholders into the activities), improve social skills (e.g., by providing a natural social \nspace to learn and acquire positive social skills), and create new, positive group norms \nand identity (e.g., by providing alternatives for antisocial group norms and identity). \nOverall, this study suggests that sport as an element of multiple-services programs could \nbe effectively and efficiently combined with other activities to generate the salient \nattributes necessary to affect the identified risk and protective factors. \n The present study contributes to future sport-related intervention research and \npractices. The method used here would be useful to design, implement, and evaluate the \nincreasing number of sport-related intervention programs, showing the application of \ntheory- and evidence-based approaches to sport-related intervention. More specifically, \nthis study contributes to reducing at-risk youth violence in school contexts by explaining \nwhen and how we can utilize sport as a valuable, powerful vehicle for youth violence \nprevention.
Author: Namsu Kim
Language: English
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2106211331