The Effect of Basic Instruction for Improving Parent Perception of Acceptable Conduct at Youth Sports Events
Date of Award
Spring 2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Professional Studies in Instructional Design Leadership (DPS)
Committee Chair
Matthew Barclay
Committee Member
Joel Gardner
Committee Member
Jennifer Harris
Abstract
The purpose of youth sports is to teach the fundamentals of various sports, good sportsmanship, and the essential function of participating on a team. The observation of poor sportsmanship and aggressive acts of violence have become common sights to on-looking adults who attend youth league sporting events (Tremblay, 2003). Poor parental conduct may cause an uncomfortable relationship between the parent and their student athlete(s) and discourage the child from participating (Jeanfreau, Holden, & Esplin, 2020). Parental misconduct at youth league sporting events gained much attention recently. Among other issues, parental misconduct has led to a shortage of qualified referees willing to officiate youth and high sports (Eilerson, 2017). Parental misconduct can be found in all forms of social media and news articles, ranging from verbal to physical aggression.
This study tested whether brief instruction on parental misconduct at youth sporting events has any effect on the perceptions currently held by parents of youth league athletes. The parents were surveyed to determine their views about behaviors and what is considered acceptable at youth league events as well as what is viewed as aggression at such events. Participants were given examples of good and bad cases of parental conduct at youth league sporting events and asked to consider how each person involved in the scenario might feel or perceive the situation. The parents were then given a post-survey which helped measure if the instruction had any effect on their perceptions of parental misconduct at youth sporting events. At the conclusion of the study, there were findings that suggested that it was possible that the instruction had some impact on the participants’ perceptions of parental misconduct.
Recommended Citation
Bice, Amanda L., "The Effect of Basic Instruction for Improving Parent Perception of Acceptable Conduct at Youth Sports Events" (2025). All Doctoral Student Dissertations. 197.
https://fuse.franklin.edu/docpub/197
