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This thesis aimed to extend knowledge concerning parental involvement in improving the quality of children's sport experience and well-being. A literature review was conducted to identify the current status of knowledge in the area through a systematic review of studies applicable to the antecedents and consequences children experience in youth sport due to their parent's involvement. The findings provided up-to-date knowledge and recommendations. The first study answered; Does parental perfectionism tendencies influence children's development of motivation and beliefs in youth sport? Overall, the findings suggest that actual parental perfectionism has no effect on the development of children's motivation and beliefs in youth sport. Building upon this, the following studies examined the perceptions of parental involvement behaviors due to actual parental involvement demonstrating a non-significant influence. Therefore, the purpose of the following three studies was to examine if parental involvement behavior are positively associated with positive youth outcome; such as perceptions of support, stress appraisal, life-skills, 5 C's and well-being outcomes. Study two, demonstrated that children's perceptions of parental involvement behaviours were significantly associated with perceived available support and well-being. Contrary to expectations, children's perceptions of social support emerged as a non-significant mediator between perceived parental involvement and cognitive appraisal. Results from study three and four highlighted that perceptions of parental involvement behaviors were significantly related to some of the eight life skills and 5 C'S outcomes. Further, only perceptions of parental reinforcement and modelling had a significant direct effect on children's psychological flourishing. Contrary to expectation, there was no significant direct effect of parental involvement behaviours on athletes positive and negative emotion. In practice, the results of studies 3 and 4 suggest that perceptions of parental involvement behaviours have a significant effect on participants life-skills and 5 C's and on psychological flourishing. The discussion focuses on the current status of the research area of youth sport, the limitations of this thesis, suggested practical implications and future research directions. The findings of the literature review and the following four studies highlight the importance of developing perceived support and positive youth outcomes in buffering parental involvement behaviours typically associated with youth sport to promote a positive sporting experiences and psychological well-being for youth sport participants.

The overall aim to this thesis was to identify if the use of self-regulated (SR) rest during high intensity training (HIT) can be used to increase endurance and power output measures between males and females. Study one aimed to determine if males and females can maintain mean power output (MPO) during repeated sprints when using self-regulated (SR) rest, and identify male and female response in MPO when SR rest is reduced. Participants completed four trials of 10 x 6 sec sprints separated by SR rest against 7.5% body mass (BM) as a resistance. If the mean power output (MPO) for all ten sprints in each trial had a coefficient of variation (CV) of ≤ 5.2%, then it was deemed that the participant was able to maintain their MPO. In trials 1-4 males significantly maintained their MPO greater than females in relation to their respected criterion sprint MPO data. In addition to this, only 85% of the participants could maintain their MPO when using SR rest (two males and one female failed). When SR rest was reduced by 10 and 15% there was no difference in CV between these two trials and the original 4 trials. However, MPO significantly dropped greater in females than in males SR rest was reduced by 15%. Therefore, this study indicates that males can use SR rest to maintain their MPO greater than females, and participants may be pacing their sprint efforts to maintain a sub-maximal MPO instead of their maximal MPO when SR rest is reduced by 15%. Study two aimed to compare endurance and Wingate power output adaptations to HIT with a fixed rest (30 sec) or self-regulated rest, and identify if reproducibility of MPO during HIT is correlated to endurance and Wingate power output adaptation. Male participants the same HIT protocol from Study 1 for six sessions over a two-week period. Participants completed the HIT with either SR rest or with a fixed rest (FR) of 30 sec between each sprint. Magnitude in change for time to exhaustion (TTE), time trial (TT) and Wingate power measures was greater in the SR group, whereas VO2 peak increased greater in the FR group. However, no strong correlation between maintaining power output and increasing endurance measures or power measures appeared. Whereas correlation data indicates that VO2 peak increased for the FR group due to a decrease in power output during the trials. Therefore, this study indicates that TTE, TT and Wingate power output experience a greater increase when rest is SR and with the aim of maintaining MPO during HIT. Study three aimed to compare the magnitude in change in VO2 peak, TTE, TT, and critical power (CP) when SR rest is reduced by 15 and 20% during HIT between males and females. Participants completed the same HIT protocol from the previous studies but completed eight HIT sessions over a four week period. Both training groups experienced a significant increase in endurance performance as measured via VO2 peak (males only), TTE, TT and critical power (20% group only). A larger aerobic response during the HIT was significantly correlated to an increase in VO2 peak in both males and females. Increases in critical power was significantly correlated to an improved TT time, which was also significantly correlated to increasing TTE. Indicating that TTE and TT improved due to an increase in greater power output. Reducing SR rest leads to a greater increase in endurance measures compared to non-reduced SR rest (Study 2), apart from females VO2 peak who saw no change. Conclusion: Overall this thesis can conclude that: 1) males appear to maintain their MPO greater than females when using SR rest and females experience a greater drop in trial MPO when SR rest is reduced. 2) Participants may be pacing in trials as CV remains unchanged but MPO decreases. 3) The CV method to identify successful SR rest to maintain MPO is unreliable and doesn’t take into account potential pacing tactics. 4). SR rest in HIT causes a greater increase in TTE, TT and Wingate power output measures, however, using a FR leads to greater increases in VO2 peak all in males. 5) Reduced SR rest causes a greater increase in TTE, TT and VO2 peak (males only) compared to SR rest, and also increases CP. 6) Maintaining MPO during HIT is not strongly correlated to increasing endurance or power output measures.