Children's self-esteem related to school- and sport-specific perceptions of self and others.(caregiving behaviors serve as the most important social influences in their children's development )

Publication: Journal of Sport Behavior

Publication Date: 01-MAR-06

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Parents, through their caregiving behaviors, often serve as the most important social influences in their children's development (Grusec, 2002); however, little is known about their unique contribution to children's psychosocial development in sport. Parents' interactions with children in infancy and early childhood shape how children evaluate themselves and their surrounding environments (Bowlby, 1969). Parent behaviors, such as involvement and autonomy support in achievement domains, can lead children to evaluate themselves as competent individuals worthy of love and care. Although the effects of maternal involvement and autonomy support on children's perceived competence and self-esteem have been established in the academic domain (Gecas, 1971; Gecas & Schwalbe, 1986; Grolnick, Kurowski, Dunlap, & Hevey, 2000; Rosenberg, 1965), these relationships have yet to be established in a similar fashion in the athletic context. Furthermore, little research has compared the academic and athletic domains as important contexts of child development. Bridging the gap between the academic and athletic domains may assist in determining if the effects of maternal behaviors (e.g., involvement, autonomy support) are similar across the two domains. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between children's perceptions of maternal involvement and autonomy support in both the academic and athletic domains with children's domain-specific perceived competence and general self-esteem.

Youth Development in the Academic and Athletic Domains

From an ecological perspective, different activity settings function as contexts for human development based on the "existence and nature of social interconnections between settings" (Bronfenbrenner, 1979, p. 6). Comparing the social characteristics of salient youth microsystems, such as academics and athletics, may enhance understanding of how these Settings influence youth development. Time use research indicates that children spend as much as 25% of their waking day in two distinct categories of activity: work and leisure (Larson & Verma, 1999). School and sport are prototypical work and leisure activities for children.

In both school and sport, children confront the struggles involved in the acquisition of...

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