The effect of the peer group in physical activities

As the child approaches adolescence, the influence of the family begins to diminish and the peer group becomes more and more important. The parent, the teacher and other adults in the child’s life are slowly losing the power of persuasion over the child as the need for approval from peers becomes particularly strong. This new social force, the peer group, is less structured than the adult social groups, but much more structured than the groups in the child’s previous social environment. The peer group is also characterized by its transitional nature, as it may differ from neighborhood to school as well as from day to day. It also has the ability to shape the way children dress, speak or act and make decisions about engaging in motor activities. For example, members of the same peer group may often share similar gait or speech patterns. In addition, relationships in the peer group offer the child or young adolescent friendship, support, companionship, and fun in ways that could not be achieved within the family. Peers strongly influence each other by interacting as equals. This situation is uniques which has a “power” in the child. If you love basketball and want to improve in it then the “Basketball” seminar is for you. This gradually evolving independence from the family enables children to eliminate the egocentrism that was so common in their early childhood. A person’s daily interaction with peers also provides important learning experiences. For example, young people develop a growing appreciation for different views because members of the same peer group often express different views. In addition, adolescents are becoming increasingly aware of social norms and pressures. In fact, adolescents’ social acceptance may be based on how they conform to their social group expectations. Two of the most common determinants of social acceptance, especially for boys, are athletic ability and willingness to engage in sports activities. Participation in motor activities partly determines the correlation of the peer group, but can also be formed within the group. Associating with new and different perspectives can promote participation in new versions of old sports or completely new and different attempts at previously untested motor endeavors. If peers see engaging in physical activity as an acceptable rule for their group, they force members to be active in these endeavors. Respect and acceptance are becoming increasingly important to team members and depend on meeting team expectations. This often means that the peer group guides the individual, or removes them from participating, and perhaps achieving, in a sporting activity.

Girls in adolescence

Research has shown that adolescent girls are at risk of being inactive and having other issues later such as obesity. So the researchers tried to identify the barriers that appear in young girls that prevent them from being more active. Robbins, Pender and Kazanis (2003) studied an ethnically diverse sample of adolescent girls aged 11-14 years. The girls were asked what they considered to be the most important barriers to their participation in physical activities. The most important factors included exercise embarrassment and lack of motivation. This has led researchers to conclude that new strategies need to be developed to help girls improve motivation, reduce shame and overcome obstacles to become more active. Source: “Human Motor Development” -A Lifespan approach (Greg Payne, Larry Isaacs) Recent Articles