Journal of Educational Sciences > Volume 9, No. 2, 1997

The Role of Socializing Agents in Children's Competitive Sport Involvement / Abdulaziz A. Almustafa, Habeb A. Rabaan

The purpose of this study was to determine the role of socializing agents toward children's involvement in competitive sports. A questionnaire was administered to 202 male children participating in different Eastern Province sport clubs (between the ages of 9 and 12 years). A 4x2 (socializing agents x Sports) MANOVA, and Tukey’s test were applied. Results confirmed the first hypothesis, which predicted the influence of socializing agents on children's competitive sport participation. There were significant differences between socializing agents (family, coach/physical education teacher. peers, and environment) toward the start of children in competitive sports. In addition, significant differences were found between socializing agents and the kind of sports children participate in. Family and peers were the most influential agents on starting competitive sports during childhood. Because of the importance of this topic, these findings should be treated as indicators for areas of future research.