7. Chapter 7 – Conclusions, Implications and Recommendations
7.5. Implications and Recommendations
The overall purpose of this thesis was to investigate whether there was a relationship between perceived parental involvement in a student’s high school athletic career and an increased sense of self-efficacy and academic success. While an examination of literature did show relationships between participation in athletics, self- efficacy, academic success, and parental involvement, this study suggested that there was no direct relationship between reported parental involvement in high school athletics, student self-efficacy, and academic success. While parental influence is important at the onset of athletic activity, and athletes report it being helpful in the
background, self-efficacy and academic success appears to stem in part from membership within the community.
The Importance of Membership
The overall feeling membership in a school appears to be key to students having increased academic success and feelings of self-efficacy. The data suggests that students who are given the chance to have an increased sense of membership in the school will have the chance to foster strong interpersonal relationships with other students, have meaningful interactions with adult mentors, engage in a productive manner in the classroom and, overall, have a strong self-esteem and feeling of success.
Schools, school districts, and the Ministry of Education need to continue to work with their school communities to develop opportunities for parents to give their children a feeling of belonging in their school. The diversity in British Columbian Families is
substantial and while there may not be a “one size fits all” form of membership in each of our distinctive school districts, the current literature and results of this study suggest that there are general activities – like high school athletics and team orientated physical activities – that can capture the interest of large groups of children and youth.
Granted, high school athletics (or band, or other formal membership-based activities) are not for everyone, but membership in a school can be achieved in many ways. I believe that the reason why every child is not involved in a membership activity is because the voice of the client community – that is parents and students – is not as strongly considered, as it should be. Every student can take part if every student feels there is something in which he/she can take part. Similar to how a recent student and parent protest in a lower mainland school district saved the athletic director positions and the music programs, so too must students constantly be canvassed in their individual schools on how more opportunities for membership can be created. What new sports teams can be created, what additional extracurricular activities can be planned, and what new clubs can be formed? Parents should be engaged in this type of dialogue in order to facilitate access to these opportunities for their children, allowing them to feel further connected to the school.
This study has shown that high school athletics is a viable way for students to attain a feeling of membership and students’ successful participation in such a program is dependent on the support of parents – regardless of whether the support is active or passive – leading the students in these activities to have a feeling of academic success and self-efficacy. The related literature suggests that it is membership in school
community and the parental support of that membership, which allows for students to feel engaged which positively relates to self-efficacy and academic success.
Unfortunately, one of the new mantra’s of British Columbia’s education system is “anytime and anywhere” – a 24/7 model of learning – which, at its core, removes the student from the school house with the goal of allowing them to learn whenever and wherever he/she wants. This new direction, while having some benefits in terms of students having a flexible, self-paced education, has the great potential to take away the opportunity for connectedness with a school, its staff, and other students, which are fundamental pillars of student success. Without membership, the engagement in any sort of learning is temporary, as the social constructs that surround membership, which is crucially important to student success, would be lacking. It appears that British Columbia, through this change, is putting increased focus on academic learning rather than whole child engagement. This overemphasis means that curriculum, protocol and policies may miss the bigger picture of what it means to be part of a larger school community
Building a Skill Set of the Future
If students are given the oportunity to participate in high school athletic activties and perceive that they have support of the home, they are able to acquire a skill set that they will be able to uitlize post graduation. As noted in an online article from Forbes (Adams, 2013), employers tend to look for the following when hiring:
1. Ability to work in a team
2. Ability to make decisions and solve problems 3. Ability to plan, organize and prioritize work
5. Ability to obtain and process information 6. Ability to analyze quantitative data 7. Technical knowledge related to the job 8. Proficiency with computer software programs 9. Ability to create and/or edit written report 10. Ability to sell and influence others
Many of these desirable traits in a new hire can be learned and practiced in high school athletics (numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 10). If given the opportunity, regardless of whether the student plays on a team, or whether they are play an individualized sport as part of a school based team (e.g., golf, tennis, ping pong, etc.), high school athletics gives the students a sense of comradery that they would otherwise not experience, teaches them to heed instruction and criticism, gives them improved communication skills, and forces them to work alongside people such as a coaches, trainers and teammates. The participation in high school athletics, encouraged by the perception of family support, offers the students an opportunity to acquire a skill set that makes them more well-rounded in the future, and thus, more employable