Sense of belonging as a pathway to citizenship

and participation?
A critical analysis from the discourses of young athletes in sport contexts.

Teresa Dias (1,2) António Fonseca (2) & Isabel Menezes (1)
teresadias@fpce.up.pt // teresadias@fade.up.pt
(1) Centre for Research and Intervention in Education (CIIE), Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação, Universidade do Porto
(2) Centre of Research, Education, Innovation and Intervention in Sport (CIFI2D), Faculdade de Desporto, Universidade do Porto

ECER Conference 2018:

Inclusion and Exclusion, Resources for
Educational Research?
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK:

Sport, in its different modalities, is associated with an international social phenomenon that assumes a
fundamental dimension in the life of the citizens (in a dynamic of involvement in the sports
communities) and in the socio-financial reality of the countries (by the mobilization of economic and
social resources).

As societal microsystems, they also generate dynamics of involvement in a significant number of civil
society organizations, emerging as the most typical associational context for both young people and
adults in many European countries.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK:
Considering a dimension of empowerment and personal and social development, sports practice has also been
widely associated with the development of competencies of RESPONSIBILITY, LEADERSHIP AND CRITICAL
AWARENESS, RESILIENCE, competence for exposure to development opportunities and support, and
opportunities to develop positive relationships with school and neighborhood networks.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK:

Assuming that the practice of citizenship imply meaningful involvement of pupils in an owned and cooperative
space, they are considered as co-constructors of knowledge, identity and culture, they have agency, they have
a voice and should be taken into account in a democratic dialogue and decision making.
 Main Project:
Dynamics of
organization
(coaches and
managers)
Mission, Vision Values,
The place of SPORTS CONTEXTS, as leadership, training models,
relationship dynamics and
socio-educational systems, in communication with
promoting the exercise of a athletes and parents
Perceptions and
motivations of the
athletes (levels of
training - U12, U14, U16)
club, coaches and
managers, parents, sport in
society, motivations

participatory citizenship of children and

young people - a cross-sectional
analysis from basketball. Parents’ Perspective
organization, relationship and
communication with club (coaches
and leaders); motivations /
expectancies
 Understand perceptions that young athletes have

This Study: about civic and political participation and the

social influence that sport have in society;

Reflect about young athletes’ participation in

sport Contexts (are they call to participate, are
they listened and feel that they have influence in
sports contexts’ life) through their lived/related
experiences;

Reflect how Sports Contexts' promotes personal

and social competences, but also civic and
political competences and participation
Design Research: Mixed Methods Approach
Qualitative Method: 57 Focus Groups
FGD – 6/12 athletes
560 athletes, all male
Basketball players
19 clubs from the North of Portugal
Training Levels: U12, U14 and U16
Ages between 8 and 15 years old
Quantitative Method: Questionnaire
(n=560);
Longitudinal Study
Routines of an athlete
Life self perception
Club and school (characteristics,
involvement and changes)
Political actions
Being citizen
Knowledge of social reality
Participation of young people as citizens
Sample
FGD topics of discussion:
Sport Context
• Sport Context Philosophy
• Experiences / motivations associated with sports
• Sports and social influence

General Perceptions of Civic and Political Participation

• Forms of participation
• Participation in sports and the dynamics of political participation

Experiences of individual or collective participation

• Participation and involvement
• Participation of young people and society
 FGD Challenges:

2nd challenge:
1st challenge:
Imagine that you hold a national
Let's consider that this group
political office - Secretary of State
here today has just established
for Youth and Sports - or take a
itself as a team and receives a
political role in your city related to
new athlete. What do you do,
sport as councilperson, what
how do you integrate him/her,
measures do you propose regarding
what do you tell him/her?
sports, youth, clubs and schools?
Categories: Sport Context:
Sport Context Philosophy;
Experiences / motivations
associated with sports; Positive and
negative contributions of sport to
daily life.

Sports and Society:

Forms of participation;
Participation in sports and
school; Proposal of changes
Codification:
Percentage of referencies in each category
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Sport Context Experiences / Positive and Forms of Participation Proposal of
Philosophy motivations negative participation in sports and changes
associated contributions school
with sports of sport to
daily life
U12 U14 U16
 Sport Context Philosophy
Formal rules (given by the
coach and managers) and
informal rules (the
perceptions and “visions” of
the athletes / team) of the
coach or another players;
Setting goals (individual and
collective);
Accountability of the host
team – being good hostes;
The reception of a new
player depends on the ages
and objectives of the clubs.
“- Well, it depends on the person, on how the person is ... whether he's
boring, cool or funny, if he likes to talk or if he's shy ...
- Yah! But we'll make him feel comfortable ... And not stand away from the
team ...
- Tell him we're here to support him, if he needs it, and we'll try to make him a
better player ...
- We have to show the training space and talk about rules ...
- Yes! He can not dribble the ball when the coach is talking and if he wants to
talk he has to make a sign and wait ...
- And then in the first game, we make a tunnel that he has to go through it
while we hit him on his head or shoulder ...
- Oh! And the best part… we make jokes in the toilet like throw water, fill him
with lots of deodorant and other funny things…” (FCP, U12)
“- The coach introduces him to the whole team and tells him the rules…
- The most important rule is respect others to be respected and know how to work as a team!
- And arrive on time and be responsible.
- Our coach always tell us have fun at the training and in the game but try to win, Ah, Ah…”
(GDP, U14)
 Experiences and Motivations
associated with Sports
Change or stay in a sport context
Beginning in sport
“- If I did not feel part of the team ...

Family - For me it´s important the environment between colleagues and

Friends coaches and the way the coach treats us ... if he hears our opinion, if

Intrinsic and Extrinsic

Motivational factors:
he help us, if he criticize us, if coach just want to win games ... if we
Parents are not an added value for the team... the competitiveness within
Coaches the club ...

Health problems - My evolution goals ... If I feel that a club can help me improve, if it
associated with has the equipment and the technical support
obesity
Socialization - And the time of the game … nobody wants to stays always sitting on
bench… play in one game help us to improve and understand how to
To overcome deal with pressure…”
anxiety (MBC, U16)
Positive and negative contributions of sport to daily life:
“- Improve physical condition and muscle
development… “- Injuries…
- Helps in a healthy life ... helps the person to - My father is always stressed with me because
lose weight… of the time we take to come to practice…
- More friends, fun,… - Less time to study…
- If we want to be players it is not possible in
- Being in a sport of collaboration and team… Portugal…”
- Interaction with colleagues…”
CASS, U12

“- Makes us think together, does not think so

much about us, but think in collaboration...
- Brings us friendships because here we find
people who like the same things as us and want “- Physical and psychological fatigue due to
to achieve the same goals that we have… frustrations in trainings and games…
- Teaches us not to give up on obstacles, teaches - Injuries…
us to persist and try to give more of us, always… - Take us time to study…”
- Yes I think it’ll be important in our profession,
when we have our work and have to deal with
problems every day…” AFC, U16
Forms of Participation:
“- We have we have an acronym – CERTA: C, commitment; E, equipa /team; R,
respect; T, trabalho/ work; A, attitude (…) 1) As athletes and as citizens they have
opinions and feel able to take a critical
- It depends on the coach ... there are some coaches who do not accept that you attitude regarding different social issues.
argue and we just have to accept…
- Most of the athletes get along well with the coaches ... with the president there
2) Although they recognize the potentialities
is no relationship ... it does not exist! He only talks with older athletes, to seniors that as athletes they manifest and their
(…) critical awareness regarding formal
organization of clubs and sport contexts -
- When there is some injustice, I only talk to my parents and colleagues (…) namely about the necessity to professionalize
these institutions -, their participation in this
- In a tournament we have a responsibility to help ... the club does not ask but context is very weak and characterized by a
we want to help ... and we do everything it’s need ... we are staff, we referee the formal, passive and ritualized being.
games, we serve the food, we do "table”…
- For us to propose and organize ... It depends on the president and what we
want to propose ... I think he would not accept, specially if the club spent money 3) They are used to obey to this organization
without arguing or trying to redefine some
and in that way they could not pay the seniors ...
rituals and when they give opinions they do
- Yes, but if it was an solidarity event, money was not spent!...” (JPC, U14) that in a private way, looking for good
moments to be heard.
 Forms of Participation:
just to challenge to reflection…
Sport Context (when I think about my Club...)_1 Sport Context (when I think about my Club...)_2

At the club, everyone cooperates with The opinions of the athletes are taken into
each other. account when there are matters to resolve
in the club
I feel like I belong to this club. The managers and coaches accept the
opinion of the athletes.
Everyone in the club works together to
make things better.
At the club, athletes can give their opinion.
In the club, I believe that if we make a
lot of effort, we can improve things… In the club, there are enough initiatives for
young people.
At the club, everyone (athletes,
parents, coaches, leaders) supports… In the club, athletes, coaches and
managers can change things that are not
At the club, I feel I can share my working well.
experiences and interests with other…
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
0 100 200 300 400 500
never rarely very often often sometimes
rarely very often often sometimes
Participation in sport and school:
“- In principle we know how to manage... if we have a test, we
studied in the day before…
- Yah, I study on the way to training and I review the materials…
- I think that managing the time between school and the basket
becomes a routine...
- Of course that basket can affect my study, but essentially it is
physical fatigue that makes me less concentrated in school…
- The pressure is greater now that we enter on the 10th grade and “- School and basketball is easy for me ... I have
we have averages to achieve and go to the university… classes in the morning and the workouts are more
- The parents put pressure on the school but who is in the basket is late afternoon…
also accustomed to challenges that we have to face… we are used - My math teacher already told me that I should get
to pressure! out of the basketball because I have to improve in
- I have teachers who have no idea of the sport we practice or of math, but I do not agree ... if I always succeeded, now
the effort we make to make sport and be a student…” (VGC, U16) I will also be able to ... (GFC, U14)
Proposals of change:
“- Create other sports for Portugal,
such as ice hockey, or other…
- In school sports, there are schools
that only have one modality and there
should be more variety to allow
students to choose…
- What gives more in the news is
football ... I tried to value more the
other modalities ... all sports valued in
the same way, even in television, in the
newspaper, in the radio ...” (FCG, U12)
“- It is important to increase the technical and relational skills of
coaches and qualify managers and referees…
- I think it should be compulsory at school, should not be alone in
clubs ... so it was free as school sports…
- I change the status of student who practices sport and change
school organization allowing time for students to do other things…
- It is also important to organize more National, European and World
tournaments to give more visibility to Portugal in different sports…
- Yes, the error in Portuguese Sports is the basis of investment at the
political level ... we only invest in football – we have to raise the
money, split equally…
- Invest in infrastructures for other sports and not only football (we
already have many stadiums and they are empty!)…
- I also think there should have a channel where we can watch
various types of games/sports…
- More outdoor spaces for different sports…”
(GDB U16)
Sport and Citizenship:
All groups were able to express some political measures to improve sports in Portugal in an equal way for
different sports and emphasizing the importance of sports as a way of healthy life style and as a way to maintain
individual identity and improve group and societal identity.

These athletes bring to discussion the participation of citizens in the political organization of society, concerning
their area of interests - sports

They refer to democracy, equality and social justice in the development and application of financial investment
in sport (equal opportunities for different sports and different institutions and equal opportunities for younger
children who could benefit with the practice of sports - as school sports, for instance).
Sport and Citizenship:
They consider that it´s important to encourage participation through sports and believe that even these events
seems to be associated to “being fashionable”, they promote moments of sports valorization that are related to
social and political issues.

They consider that schools have an important role in making families and children aware about the importance of
sports as a way to promote health and as a “way of life” where some values and competences are promoted –
and this is important to citizenship education and to form citizens.

They regard sports contexts as “model contexts”; they assume that their practices and attitudes are sources of
reference for young people as citizens.
Sport and Society:
Athletes have a critical
representation of societies,
revealing they are aware of
different concepts of citizenship
and their operationalization:
1) In all groups they show
attitudes and concerns about
2) They have internalized the
human condition and can easily
concept of democracy and are
highlight the need for social
able to make relations between
organization (rules, division of
sports and societal values;
tasks, allocation of
responsibilities, leadership);

“When we play basketball, 3) They emphasize the

the relationship is very importance of sports
important and this is also contexts/teams in their
important when we are at
school and in the
involvement and development of
society.”(FGD, BBP, 12YO) social and personal skills that they
recognize to be fundamental to a
citizen and a society.
“Physical condition,
“Healthy competitiveness
routines, rigor and
... be better to overcome
priority setting (eg, when
ourselves... Later when we
we have a party and a
have a work, this will be
game in the next day we
important ... it gives us
have to choose!)”.
more ability to work.”
(UUAA, 16YO)
(ACA, 14YO)
Conclusions and Directions:
• The practice of sports influences young athletes’ sense of community and belonging to Local, National and European

contexts.

• The practice of sports improve young athletes to be engaged and to participate as citizens.

• It’s necessary for (political) society to look towards sports as a way to improve citizenship and political participation and

not only to improve well being and healthy habits.

• For this it’s important:

• to extend the type of sports that are socially valued,

• make an equitable management of financial and human resources,

• professionalize the sports contexts,

• begin the change of the educational policies in their conception of the sports/school sports and valorization sport as an activity that

develops Values and Competences in each child, which empowers athletes to be better citizens and better professionals in European

societies.
Sense of belonging as a pathway to citizenship
and participation?
A critical analysis from the discourses of young athletes in sport contexts.

Teresa Dias (1,2) António Fonseca (2) & Isabel Menezes (1)
teresadias@fpce.up.pt
teresadias@fade.up.pt

Acknowledgements This work was financially supported by: Project POCI-01-0145-

FEDER-006984 – Associate Laboratory LSRE-LCM funded by FEDER through
COMPETE2020 - Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI) –
and by national funds through FCT - Fundação para
a Ciência e a Tecnologia. Teresa Silva Dias – FCT PostDoc Scholarship Grant
SFRH/BPD/116284/2016