A qualitative investigation of previously disadvantaged adult men's psychological experiences of a sport development programme

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Considering the growing poverty and unemployment in South Africa, there is clearly anurgent need for development, particularly among the historically disadvantaged communitieswhere the level of inequality is the highest. Sport has been viewed by a number of scholars asa possible vehicle for developing communities. In this regard, involvement in sport andexercise has been linked to psychological wellbeing, capacity building and skillsdevelopment among adolescents, which leads to the empowerment of individuals. This studyinvestigates the functioning of a Sport Development Academy, which uses canoeing as amechanism to improve the quality of lives of people living in a rural community in TheValley of a Thousand Hills in Kwa-Zulu Natal. This qualitative investigation targeted a groupof seven young men, between the ages of nineteen and twenty-nine years old, who wereinterviewed in order to examine their lived experiences as a result of participating in theAcademy and the extent to which the Academy impacted positively on their lives. ThePositive Youth Development Paradigm, Bronfenbrenner's Eco-Systems Theory and theAthlete-Coach relationship view, was used as a lens through which the research findingswere examined. The Athletes in the Academy learnt a number of values and skills such ashard work, determination and respect. They became involved in pro-social behaviors asopposed to anti-social behaviors due to their participation in the sport development programme. This participation resulted in the gaining of social capital which can lead toupward social mobility. The capacity of these athletes has also been improved. These abovefactors improve the psychological wellbeing of the individuals and equip them with essentialvalues and skills that make them more employable. The research findings suggest that theinvolvement of the seven young men in the Academy produced a number of positive impacts.Therefore, the results of the research indicate that sport can be used, to a certain extent, as avehicle through which development can occur.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University