51. Para Sport Development Experiences: Perspectives of Para Swimmers and Parents.
- Author
-
Sales, Darda and Misener, Laura
- Subjects
- *
PARENT attitudes , *SOCIAL support , *CONFIDENCE , *SPORTS for people with disabilities , *CHILD development , *RESEARCH methodology , *INTERVIEWING , *PHENOMENOLOGY , *DESCRIPTIVE statistics , *SWIMMING , *JUDGMENT sampling , *DATA analysis software , *THEMATIC analysis , *REFLECTION (Philosophy) - Abstract
This study examined para swimmers' athlete development experiences from the perspectives and reflections of athletes, and parents of athletes, with a focus on the constraints and challenges experienced. Guided by interpretive phenomenological analysis, 12 participants engaged in the interview process (seven parents and five athletes). Five themes were identified: fundamental skill development, personal connection, coaching, classification, and connecting with others "like me." Through a discussion of the differences in development experiences between the participants in this study and the current literature on athlete development, the authors highlight areas of concern in applying a non-para-specific athlete development model to para swimmers. This study identifies several areas of consideration in the future design of a para athlete development framework or model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF