Sport Commitment in Jump Rope
Creators: name: Furman, Celina
name: Woodard, Kaylee
Publisher: name: Open Science Framework
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: Social and Behavioral Sciences

description: Purpose: The present study examines predictors of change in perceived commitment to the sport of jump rope and intentions to continue one’s participation following a national championship, as the drop-out rate is the highest in the off-season following this event. Significance of Research Question/Purpose: The benefits of physical activity and youth sport participation have been well documented in research (Bailey et al., 2013; Huotari et al., 2011; Telama et al., 2004). Despite the well-known benefits of youth sport, large portions of participants drop out annually for various reasons including financial constraints, negative sport experiences, time commitments, and interpersonal challenges (Witt &amp; Dangi, 2018). The sport of jump rope (also referred to as rope skipping) offers an inexpensive and accessible avenue for youth physical activity and opportunities for participation in regional, national, and international competitions. To date, the understanding of retention rates and related athlete experiences (e.g., enjoyment of the sport, barriers to participation, etc.) has been based on anecdotal evidence. Thus, an empirical evaluation is needed to identify factors that are associated with athletes’ continued participation in the sport. The present study examines predictors of change in perceived commitment to the sport of jump rope and intentions to continue one’s participation following the annual national championship, as the drop-out rate is reportedly highest in the off-season following this event. This examination is the first step needed to identify factors that may inform interventions to increase retention in the sport of jump rope. Background Info: This study incorporates several psychological theories that point to potential predictors of retention. First, it involves a novel application of the Sport Commitment Model (SCM) to the sport of jump rope to identify factors associated with athletes’ desire to continue their participation in the sport. The SCM (Scalan, Chow, Sousa, Scalan, &amp; Knifsend, 2016; Scalan, Simons, Carpenter, Schmidt, &amp; Keeler, 1993) is a theoretical framework used to examine an individuals’ commitment to their sport, and explains why athletes continue involvement in that sport. This model suggests that one’s commitment to a sport is based on a number of factors, including one’s enjoyment of the sport, valuable opportunities provided by continued involvement in the sport, attractive and/or pressing alternatives that conflict with continued participation, personal investments one has dedicated toward the sport (e.g., time, effort), social constraints that create perceptions of obligation to remain in the sport, social support from significant others in the sport (e.g., coaches, mentors), and desire to excel. The SCM has been used to successfully predict changes in commitment in other sports such as soccer (Carpenter &amp; Scanlan, 1998) and cricket (Carpenter &amp; Coleman, 1998), but this will be the first test of the model in the sport of jump rope. Second, converging evidence suggests that one’s continued involvement in an activity is promoted by one’s intrinsic motivation for that activity, particularly in the domain of physical activity (Teixeira, Caraca, Markland, Silva, and Ryan, 2012). The present study makes the distinction between enjoyment of the sport--defined by the SCM as “the positive affective response to a sport experience that reflects generalized feelings of joy” (p. 235, Scalan et al., 2016)--and intrinsic motivation, because the latter encompasses broader feelings of enjoyment, interest, competence and accomplishment as a result of participating in the activity itself (Teixeira et al., 2012). These broader experiences offer additional potential targets for intervention that are not included in the SCM. Third, research suggests that behavioral adherence is associated with one’s perceived capability for the relevant behavior. Social cognitive theories (see Bandura, 1994) suggest that perceived capability develops through mastery experiences (i.e., successes), whereas failures may undermine its development. Accordingly, this study examines the role of competition performance. In particular, we examine how the extent to which outcome-expectancies (i.e., expected performance) are met or violated (i.e., actual performance) impact one’s beliefs regarding their athletic performance in different competition events (e.g., preparedness, effort invested, satisfaction, capability), and how these beliefs relate to one’s enjoyment of and commitment to continue participation in the sport of jump rope. Design: Due to COVID-19, the national competition is held virtually. Athletes will submit competition videos to be judged no later than May 22nd. After this date, but before judging, athletes will be emailed a survey by the organization (AMJRF) with Survey 1. Survey 2 will be sent to athletes with the results. A one week reminder will be sent by the organization after each survey is sent out. Research aims, data analytic plan, and survey measures are included in attached document.