Beschreibung

How do peer groups impact sporting practices during the sensitive transition from childhood to adolescence (ages 12–14)? Based on a DFG-funded longitudinal study, this book reveals how peer groups influence adolescents‘ participation in sport in both school and leisure settings. The author identifies five key collective orientations and discusses their implications for sports pedagogy and practice.

This book addresses a significant gap in research by focusing on the collective dimension of sport, an area that has received limited attention in sports pedagogy so far. Building on existing individual-centred perspectives, it demonstrates how peer-group dynamics decisively shape motivation, participation and withdrawal in sport. The findings provide a foundation for interdisciplinary research across sports pedagogy, sociology and psychology, as well as for further studies on collective orientations in diverse contexts. In practice, they offer starting points for peer-group-sensitive didactic designs in schools and clubs. These include strengthening peer groups as motivational resources in physical education (PE), as well as using them strategically for retention and integration in organised sport.

The author:
Prof. Dr. Benjamin Zander is a university professor and head of the Sports and Society Division at the Institute for Sports and Exercise Science at the University of Osnabrück.

The subject:
Education

Zusätzliche Informationen

Autor*innen

Benjamin Zander

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Keywords

adolescence, club sports, collective orientations, documentary method, group discussions, informal sports, peer groups, Physical education, sports pedagogy, youth cultures