LE3 .A278 2020

2020

Shields, Chris
Warner, Alan

Acadia University

Bachelor of Community Development

Honours

Community Development

Community Development

Background: Social capital is an important indicator of well-being. Existing evidence shows that sport can remove social barriers, allowing for social capital development. There remain gaps in understanding how parents perceive this, particularly in the context of rural Canada. The current study worked to better understand how rural Nova Scotian parents conceptualize their youth’s social capital developed through sport. Methods: Data was collected from parents of youth participating in soccer in a rural Nova Scotia community. Surveying (n=86), semi-structured interviews (n=12), and a network mapping exercise were used to gain understandings on how children developed social capital through sport. Results: Parents understood the importance of social capital their kids developed. This motivated parents to enroll their youth in team sports. Parents understood their youths network development as semi-autonomous, understanding they controlled most of it, but not all. Parents also understood that sport allowed for social capital development beyond geographical boundaries. Conclusion: The current study allows for a greater understanding on parent’s perceptions of their youth’s social capital developed through soccer. Sport was seen as a beneficial avenue youth can utilize to develop social capital. This may be particularly important for youth living in small, rural communities.

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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:3405