Attitudes towards competition: do differences exist between boys and girls? - Research

Melpomene Journal, Spring-Summer, 2002 by Mary Healy Jonas

More than 25 years after Title IX was passed, the number of girls playing in school, intramural and community sports is approaching that of boys who participate. With the increased number of girls participating on sports teams and leagues, a number of issues and questions arise. While we know from the research that the primary reason both girls and boys participate in sports is to have fun, the role of competition as a motivating factor is nor clear, especially for girls.

Indeed, inquiries to Melpomene over the years -- from coaches, parents and media alike -- sought answers relating to the differences between boys and girls in sports participation and competition. As we sought answers, we found significant gaps in research on this topic. A great deal of media and anecdotal accounts lead many to believe that boys are more competitive than girls. What does that mean, exactly? In this study, we sought answers to the following questions:

* Do differences exist in the ways boys and girls view competition?

* Might girls simply be differently competitive than boys as opposed to less competitive?

* Can differences in behaviors and attitudes about competition be identified as healthy or unhealthy?

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Children are being compelled, at younger and younger ages, to view sports participation as a win-lose proposition (Fine & Landers, 1996). Within this context, both status (as assigned by apparent skill) and gender roles, become reinforced (Fine & Landers, 1996) -- by parents and coaches alike -- potentially setting in motion the development of attitudes and behaviors around competition that become more defined as these children remain in organized sports.

Many studies focusing on the interaction between males and females in small groups find that women are, indeed, less competitive and are "less interested in dominance striving" than are men (Sapp, et. al. as quoted in Cashdan, 1998). This has played out equally as strongly in behavioral studies of children and young adolescents looking at competition in "natural settings" (Cashdan, 1998). There are few studies, however, probing questions of competitive differences between male and female athletes "on the field," so to speak.

But why do differences -- actual or hypothetical -- really matter? Differences between boys and girls and their attitudes and behaviors around competition do matter, when considered within the context of overall health. Are boys and/or girls exhibiting behaviors that appear unhealthy and, thus, cause for concern? Ryckman, et. al. (1996) found distinguishing characteristics in college-aged individuals which placed them along a spectrum between "healthy" and "unhealthy."

"Hypercompetitive" individuals focused on winning at all costs, using manipulation and aggression towards that end, while those with a "personal development competition orientation" seek "enjoyment and mastery of the task," where others are seen as "helpers who provide.. .personal discovery and learning opportunities."

The effect that excessive focus on competition has on children has also been documented. Research has shown that youth become increasingly less interested in sports participation with a greater focus on competition. Further, the greater focus on competition has coaches using "performance results to identify talent" rather than other, more holistic, characteristics of sports participation for children (Baxter-Jones, 1995).

METHODS

A four-page questionnaire was developed during the summer of 2000 and piloted at the Minnesota Lynx/Minnesota Timberwolves youth basketball camps. Three hundred ninety-nine young athletes completed the questionnaire. The questionnaire was revised based on lessons learned during the pilot. Specifically, questions were re-ordered for greater comprehension. The results of the pilot questionnaire indicated that, when offered a list of choices, boys always chose fewer options than girls. In an attempt to remedy this, the final questionnaire forced choices for each item listed (eg: check yes or no).

The questionnaire was divided into three sections: 1) players' motivations, attitudes and behaviors; 2) coach's motivational techniques, attitudes and behaviors; and 3) demographic inquiry. Questions were a combination of forced answer (yes/no) and likert scale (never...occasionally...always) questions, and some open-ended questions.

The revised questionnaire was distributed to over 1,000 young athletes from across the United States between 11 and 18 years of age at the USA Soccer Cup Tournament in Blame, Minnesota in July 2001. This tournament generally attracts the more elite soccer teams and clubs of Minnesota, the U.S. and, in some cases, Canada and Mexico.

DEMOGRAPHICS

The sample included 879 youth with a mean age of 14 (range 11-18, SD=1.72). Thirty-seven percent of the sample was between the ages of 12-13 years, 31 percent were 14-15 years old, and 29 percent were 16-18 years old. Girls represent 64 percent (557) of the sample. White youth make up a majority of the sample (95 percent), with 13 youth identifying themselves as "Asian" and 8 identifying as African-American. Ninety-three participants chose not to respond to this question. Most of the youth (59 percent), were from suburban school districts, with only 1 percent from rural areas. Roughly one-third (34 percent) attended urban schools. Eighty percent of the athletes indicated that they played on at least 3-4 sports teams (school, recreational or otherwise) in the past year.