Engagement Patterns

• Engagement patterns


  Trends/tendencies in involvement/participation
• Social groups


  • Gender
  • Race/religion/culture
  • Age
  • Family/friends/peers
  • Disability
• Social groups


  People who interact with one another, share similar characteristics and have a sense of unity/togetherness
• It is a government policy to provide opportunity for everybody to participate in sport and physical activity
• Only 36% participate in physically active sport
• Gender


  • Stereotypical views that women lack physical capacity, are not feminine if competitive, physical activity limits ability to give birth, training hard and developing muscles leads to questions about sexual orientation, women's role as carer and mother prevents/limits involvement in sport
• Stereotypical views about gender

  Affect participation by women in sport
• Barriers to participation for women

  • Attitude that sport is male dominated
  • Less media coverage of female athletes
  • Less support from peers and family
  • Slower development of facilities for female performers
  • Sexism and stereotyping - women judged on attractiveness, marriage, motherhood rather than sporting performance
• Lack of female role models in many sports
• Some men do not want to dance or play netball as they think these activities are only for females
• Some girls do not want to play football as it is seen as masculine
• Ethnicity


  A share of common origins, whether they are racial, religious or cultural. People who share the same origins are known as an ethnic group.
• There are a wide range of ethnic minority groups in the UK
• Barriers to participation for ethnic minorities

  • Religious festivals taking precedence over playing sport
  • Stereotyping - people from particular backgrounds being steered towards or away from certain activities
  • Less disposable income due to socio-economic grouping
  • Accessibility - lack of facilities for female only classes/gyms
  • Cultural influences - family or peers influencing whether someone does or doesn't do an activity
  • Family commitments - ethnic women expected to stay at home
• Ethnic minorities often from lower socio-economic groups - less disposable income, 'pay to play' in UK
• Age affects participation - 'post-school drop-out' in physical activity, especially girls
• Family/friends/peers can have both positive and negative influence on participation
• Parents can act as role models
• Peer groups exert pressure and there is a tendency to conform
• re common origins – racial, religious or cultural
• UK – wide variety of ethnic groups – all with different levels of participation
• Some ethnic groups over-represented participation: e.g. English football and GB athletics squads; 30% of participants from ethnic minorities whereas in general population only 13% of people from ethnic minorities
• Range of social factors but definitively no racial/genetic factors (no 'innate' advantage for people from an ethnic minority background) – several influences/no single reason to explain imbalance
• Some religious rules may prevent participation; playing on certain days
• Barrier


  Something that prevents a group from participating in sport
• Ethnic minorities often from lower socio-economic groups – less disposable income, 'pay to play' in UK
• Age affects participation – 'post-school drop-out' in physical activity, especially girls
• Influences on participation


  • Family
  • Friends
  • Peers
• Post-school drop out


  The reduction in participation levels in young adults after they leave full time education
• Disposable income


  Income available to be spent or saved as one wishes
• Disability


  A form of impairment which limits a person's ability to take part in an activity
• Main categories of disability

  • Mobility impairments
  • Sensory impairments
  • Mental impairments
• The Paralympic movement has made huge progress in raising the profile of disability sport over the last decade
• Adapted sports


  • Wheelchair basketball
  • Blind football
  • Goalball
• Schools integrate disabled performers with non-disabled performers in PE lessons to reduce risk of discrimination, reduce stereotyping and remove the barriers to participation
• Barriers to disability participation

  • Adaptability
  • Inclusiveness
  • Accessibility
  • Stereotyping
  • Disposable income
  • Media coverage
• Integration


  Involving everybody participating in community life
• Adapted Sports


  Competitive sports for individuals with disabilities
• Discrimination


  Unjust treatment of different groups of people
• Prejudice


  Preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience