The relationship of parental sport participation to the sport participation of children

The majority of research in this area was conducted more than 20 years ago, which indicated a need for more current research. There was a need to learn how a parent's previous or current sport participation could impact their child's sport experience. Parents and their children completed questionnaires to determine the role of parental influence upon child sport socialization. Participants included students in the 6th, 8th, 9th, and 10th grade physical education classes at a Mid-west school and their parents. Thirty-eight children, 24 fathers, and 31 mothers were included in the sample.No significant difference was found in the sport participation rates of children whose parents participated in sports previously and children whose parents were not active sport participants in the past. A positive relationship was found between parents who had a positive overall sport experience and their child's perception of their encouragement to pursue the same sport in which parents had previously participated.