For far too long, recreational programs have put too much emphasis on a traditional model that is not effective for player development and sadly does not allow players to have fun while learning the fundamentals of a sport. A great solution to this problem that encourages five- to seven-year-olds is an approach called Biddy Ball. This article…

Background: Participation in adventure as a recreational therapy intervention is well-recognized for its benefits for people with disabilities. Advances in technology and adaptive equipment have increased accessibility to adventure-based activities for those with physical disabilities. Climbing has long been established to facilitate the…

Health organizations recommend children get 60 minutes of daily physical activity. Research has shown that children in the United States of America are coming up well short of this number and are struggling with a variety of mental health and physical health issues while their academics are decreasing. These issues have been magnified by the…

The study evaluated the relationship between female sophomore students' participation in campus recreational sports, retention at the university, and graduation rates. The purpose is to identify the potential influence of participation in recreational activities on persistence toward graduation. Alexander Astin's Theory of Student Involvement and…

Background: This review examined the impact of participation in an intentional physical activity or sport program on community participation and inclusion for people with intellectual disability. Method: Five electronic databases (PsychINFO, PubMed, Medline, CINAHL, AMED) were systematically searched for papers relating to intellectual disability,…

This purpose of this qualitative study was to explore shared characteristics and local challenges of trauma-informed youth sport program design and implementation through the voices of ten program facilitators (e.g., director, trainer; 8 women, 2 men; average age of 36.2 years, SD = 6.03) across four U.S. regions. Within a postpositivist approach…

Background: Over the two last decades, the interest in personal and psychosocial youth development has been growing due to its engagement in sport activities. Furthermore, participation in sport has been referenced as a favourable mechanism and context for positive youth development (PYD). However, some studies and researchers continue to question…

The study purpose was to examine whether adolescents who participated in organized physical activity (PA) programs differed from nonparticipants in motivation, social support, and self-efficacy related to PA; PA (min/hr); and sedentary screen time behavior. Thirty-nine 5th-7th grade adolescents participated in organized PA programs; 41 did not.…

The purpose of this qualitative case study research was to explore how structured programs such as recreation, sport, and leisure activities can help elementary school at-risk youth in an afterschool program at a K-5 elementary school in central North Carolina. The central research questions for this study include the following: What are the…