Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Title
Sport, Education and Society
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
School
School of Education
RAS ID
70181
Funders
Australian Research Council/ Edith Cowan University
Grant Number
LP180100038
Abstract
In rural communities in Australia, the provision of sport and physical activities for children almost exclusively relies upon parents and their ability to access and contribute to facilities, funding, volunteers, and administration. This paper brings Putnam’s social capital framework to Whitehead’s conceptualisation of physical literacy as a journey to offer original insight into children’s sport participation and the opportunities arising for physical literacy development in rural communities in Australia. Changes in sport participation in Australia and directions in sport policy set an important context for the project, which is located in a small rural community in Western Australia. It was recognised that access to and engagement with both formal and informal sport environments were important to examine, particularly given participation trends and the need to consider issues of equity and inclusivity concerning the physical literacy opportunities for children in diverse rural communities. Narrative inquiry methodology enabled in-depth exploration of issues of access and opportunity created through rural mothers’ social resources and identity. Participants provided rich insights into the realities and complexities of the rural social landscape and how this impacts their children’s participation. Data illustrates the importance of conceptual links between social capital and physical literacy development. The paper provides new perspectives for policymakers and the local community to consider in seeking more significant equity in children’s sport participation and physical literacy development in rural communities.
DOI
10.1080/13573322.2024.2353248
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Comments
McCreery, K., Penney, D., & Jeanes, R. (2024). Mothers, social capital and children’s physical literacy journeys in rural Australia. Sport, Education and Society, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/13573322.2024.2353248