Abstract
Research has shown that sport is a context that can lead to positive youth development. However, to date, much of this research has focused on the athlete and has employed qualitative methodologies. This presentation will provide an overview of two quantitative studies that examined the perspectives of all stakeholders (administrators, coaches, parents and athletes) within the context of high school sport on elements related to positive youth development. The results of these studies indicate that there are significant discrepancies across stakeholders between their expectations and actual experiences of sport to enhance youth development. In addition, the results indicate that there are discrepancies across stakeholders in their perceptions of how well coaches teach elements that promote the development of athletes. Coach education appears to play a critical role in coaches' perceived ability to teach elements that foster positive youth development. Therefore, based on these findings, it appears that in order for youth sport to be a context that further enhances positive youth development, more work is needed to ensure that all sport stakeholders share the same philosophy and work together towards a common goal. This presentation will conclude with an overview of practical implications as well as a discussion of policy issues related to communication and education.
