Examining the Influence of Modified Tennis Equipment on Young Players' Enjoyment, Perceived

170 Pages·2017·3.87 MB·English

University of Northern Colorado
Scholarship & Creative Works @ Digital UNC
Dissertations Student Research
7-13-2016
Examining the Influence of Modified Tennis
Equipment on Young Players’ Enjoyment,
Perceived Competence, and Intention to
Participate in Tennis in the State of Kuwait
Abdullah Akbar
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Intention to Participate in Tennis in the State of Kuwait" (2016).Dissertations. 360.
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© 2016

ABDULLAH AKBAR

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN COLORADO
Greeley, Colorado
The Graduate School

EXAMINING THE INFLUENCE OF MODIFIED TENNIS
EQUIPMENT ON YOUNG PLAYERS’ ENJOYMENT,
PERCEIVED COMPETENCE, AND INTENTION
TO PARTICIPATE IN TENNIS IN
THE STATE OF KUWAIT

A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of
the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of
Sport and Exercise Science

Abdullah Akbar

College of Natural and Health Science
School of Sport and Exercise Science
Exercise Science

July 2016
This
 Dissertation
 by:
 Abdullah Akbar
Entitled: Examining the Influence of Modified Tennis Equipment on Young Players’
Enjoyment, Perceived Competence, and Intention to Participate in Tennis in the State of
Kuwait
has been approved as meeting the requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Sport and
exercise Science in College of Natural and Health Sciences in Department of Sport and
Exercise Science

Accepted by the Doctoral Committee

Robert Brustad, Ph.D., Research Advisor

Megan Stellino, Ed.D., Committee Member

Dianna Gray, Ph.D., Committee Member

Angie Henderson, Ph.D., Faculty Representative

Date of Dissertation Defense
Accepted by the Graduate School

Linda L. Black, Ed.D.
Associate Provost and Dean of
The Graduate School & International Admissions
ABSTRACT

Abdullah Akbar. Examining the Influence of Modified Tennis Equipment on Young
Players’ Enjoyment, Perceived Competence, and Intention to Participate in
Tennis in the State of Kuwait

Children’s sport needs to be designed in ways that is developmentally-appropriate
to maximize the possibilities that participants will have positive experiences that will
result in sustained interest and motivation. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was
to compare the impact of playing with modified or traditional tennis equipment on
children’s perceptions of enjoyment, perceived competence, and intentions to continue
participation in the sport of tennis in the State of Kuwait. Focus group interviews were
used to understand children’s perceptions of their tennis experiences through the
utilization of the modified and traditional tennis equipment. The quality of children’s
skill acquisition was also examined.
Quantitative analyses were computed through repeated measures analysis of
variance (RM ANOVA) to determine changes in children’s enjoyment, perceived
competence, and intention to continue to participate in tennis from pretest to posttest.
The findings indicated that children in the modified tennis equipment group improved
significantly more in their tennis enjoyment, perceived competence, and intention to
continue to play tennis than did the children in the traditional tennis equipment group.
Differences in children’s skill acquisition was examined through the Mann-Whitney U
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and revealed significant improvements in forehand and backhand performance for the
children in the modified tennis equipment group from pre-test to post-test.
Qualitative findings were consistent with the quantitative results. Children in the
modified tennis equipment group reported high levels of enjoyment, perceived
competence, and intention to continue to play tennis in the future. Conversely, children
in the traditional tennis equipment group expressed less interest in tennis and had lower
enjoyment, perceived competence, and intention to continue to play tennis in the future.
The findings from this study provide empirical evidence that developmentally
appropriate sports equipment can be beneficial for youth and can contribute to positive
outcomes in terms of more favorable competence perceptions and increased motivation to
play sport. In addition, the use of modified tennis equipment was found to be beneficial
in contributing to actual skill performance. Further exploration of the potential benefits
of developmentally appropriate equipment is needed.

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DEDICATION

It is immensely difficult to find the right words to express our appreciation for the
people who dedicated their time, effort, and emotions to help us accomplish our dreams.
To do this requires the existence of exceptional people who assist not only in achieving
dreams, but also in celebrating them. Cherished moments exist in having wonderful
people who are willing to share their true feelings of happiness for our own success.
Thank you to my precious mother and father for dedicating your lives to invest in
mine. Thank you to my family for living my dream with me, including both the difficult
and happy moments. Between this dissertation’s tremendous words and ink there dwell
feelings of appreciation for all people who believed in my humble ability.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Learning does not occur accidentally. We learn to seek knowledge to improve
our lives. Knowledge needs to be provided from experts and experienced people who are
willing to share their precious time and effort to see other people succeed. This work
would not be accomplished without amazing people like my committee members. Each
esteemed member shared with me priceless knowledge and valuable expertise that I will
appreciate all my life.
Thank you to my advisor, Dr. Robert Brustad, for believing in me. You are an
amazing and wise person who always encouraged me to do my best. I cannot forget my
other committee members who I appreciate for their astonishing support and kindness.
This work would not be possible without all of you, and the credit is all yours. Thank
you.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER

I. INTRODUCTION ……………………...…………………………..……… 1

Purpose of this Study
Research Questions
Significance of this Study
Need for this Study
Limitations of this Study
Summary

II. LITERATURE REVIEW …………………………………...………….….. 19

The Benefits of Sport Participation
Positive Youth Development
Motivational Theories of Youth Sport Participation
Competence Motivation Theory
Self-Determination Theory
Developmentally Appropriate Sport Modifications

III. METHODOLOGY ……………..……………..……………………………. 52

Participants
Research Design
Intervention
Instruments and Protocols
IRB Approval
Data Analysis

IV. RESULTS ……………………………………...…………………………... 67

Demographic Description
Descriptive Statistics
Research Question 1
Research Question 2
Research Question 3
Research Question 4

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V. DISCUSSION ………………………………………...……………………. 98

Findings Related to Research Questions
Summary and Future Directions

REFERENCES …………………………………………………………………... 109

APPENDIX A: Situational Questionnaire……………………………………….. 137

APPENDIX B: Focus Group Interview Guidelines ………………………….…. 139

APPENDIX C: Tennis Australia’s Fundamental Technique Checklist …...……. 142

APPENDIX D: Teachers Interview Guidelines..……………………………....… 144
.
APPENDIX E: IRB Consent Form—Parents ..………………………………..… 147

APPENDIX F: IRB Consent Form—Coaches ………………………..…………. 150

APPENDIX G: Translated Questionnaire and Interviews Questions……………. 153

APPENDIX H: Research Involving Human Participants for University of 157
Northern Colorado Institutional Review Board Approval Letter ……………..…

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