An Exploration of Factors that Influence Post-Varsity Sport Participation: The Case of Former Ontario University Athletic (OUA) volleyball players by Gregory Simone A thesis Presented to the University of Waterloo In fulfillment of the thesis proposal requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Recreation and Leisure Studies Waterloo, Ontario, Canada 2018 © Greg Simone 2018 Author’s Declaration I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis, including any final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I understand my thesis may be made electronically available to the public ii Abstract The purpose of this study was to explore factors that predict post-varsity sport-participation among a sample of former OUA volleyball players. Specifically, this thesis explored relationships among the facets if enduring involvement (i.e., attraction, centrality, social bonding, identity affirmation, identity expression), quality of sport experience, amount of time since leaving the team, and post-varsity participatory behaviors. A total of 90 male and female former OUA volleyball players were asked about their current participatory behaviour, perceived quality of varsity experience, and enduring involvement. Results suggested that the more time that passed since participating in varsity volleyball, the less frequently former athletes reported participating in the sport. Moreover, the more former varsity athletes felt attached to the sport and felt their participation was central to their lifestyle, the more frequently they reported participating in the sport. Interestingly, however, the more former athletes perceived their current participation as on opportunity to reinforce their identity as a “volleyball player,” the less frequently they reported participating in the sport. Implications for practice, theory, and suggestions for future research as also discussed. iii Acknowledgements Thank you to my parents Sarah and Steve who have supported me throughout this project and supporting me though my university career. Without them, this would not have been possible. Thank you to my wonderful girlfriend Elisa who has stayed by my side while completing this Master’s Thesis. Thank you to my supervisor Dr. Luke Potwarka who has mentored me and shown me the ways of academia and has demanded excellence of me when completing it. I would also like to thank my committee members Drs. Laura Wood and Mark Havitz for their support throughout this project. Lastly, thank you to the all the former volleyball players who participated to make this project happen. iv Table of Contents List of Tables............................................................................................................................ vii List of Figures........................................................................................................................... viii 1. Introduction................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Benefits of Continued Involvement in Sport................................................ 3 1.1.1 Benefits of Continued Participation in Sport................................................ 3 1.1.2 Benefits of Coaching in Sport....................................................................... 4 1.2 Varsity Sport Participation in Canada........................................................... 5 1.3 Implications of Study.................................................................................... 8 1.4 Problem, Purpose, and Research Questions.................................................. 9 1.5 Hypothesized Model..................................................................................... 10 1.5.1 Age, life course, and participation in leisure................................................. 12 1.5.2 Quality of the University Sport Experience.................................................. 13 1.5.3 Enduring Involvement................................................................................... 14 1.5.4 Participatory Behaviours............................................................................... 15 1.6 Organization of thesis.................................................................................... 15 2. Literature Review.......................................................................................... 16 2.1 Outline of the Chapter................................................................................... 16 2.2 Amount of Time since Leaving the Team..................................................... 16 2.2.1 Consistency and Uniqueness of Leisure Activities....................................... 17 2.2.2 Lifespan Perspective..................................................................................... 18 2.3 Quality of Sport Experience.......................................................................... 19 2.3.1 Opportunities to Perform and Improve......................................................... 20 2.3.2 Exertion and Fitness...................................................................................... 20 2.3.3 Freedom from Everyday Life........................................................................ 21 2.3.4 Social Attributes............................................................................................ 21 2.3.5 People organizing the sport........................................................................... 22 2.3.6 Coaching....................................................................................................... 22 2.4 Extant Theories and Models of Sport Participation...................................... 24 2.4.1 Constraints..................................................................................................... 24 2.4.2 Self-determination theory and Motivation.................................................... 27 2.4.3 Theory of Planned Behaviour....................................................................... 30 2.4.4 Summary and Critique of Extant Theories.................................................... 32 2.5 Conceptual Development of Enduring Involvement..................................... 33 2.6 Enduring Involvement Scale Development ................................................. 36 2.6.1 Single Factor versus Multifaceted Development.......................................... 36 2.6.2 The Modified Involvement Scale (MIS) facets of Enduring Leisure........... 40 2.7 Applications of the MIS in Leisure, Tourism and Sport Domains............... 42 2.8 Gaps in Previous MIS Research.................................................................... 48 2.9 Summary....................................................................................................... 49 3. Methods......................................................................................................... 52 3.1 Outline........................................................................................................... 52 3.2 Research Design............................................................................................ 52 3.2.1 Survey Research Design............................................................................... 52 v 3.2.2 Retrospective Approach................................................................................ 54 3.3 Data Collection Procedures........................................................................... 56 3.3.1 Recruitment Procedures................................................................................ 56 3.3.2 Study Participants.......................................................................................... 57 3.3.3 Pilot Study..................................................................................................... 57 3.4 Measures....................................................................................................... 58 3.4.1 Independent Variables................................................................................... 58 3.4.2 Dependent Variables..................................................................................... 60 3.5 Data Analysis Plan........................................................................................ 61 4. Results........................................................................................................... 62 4.1 Outline........................................................................................................... 62 4.2 Data Input and Cleaning................................................................................ 62 4.3 General Results............................................................................................. 62 4.3.1 Response Rate............................................................................................... 62 4.3.2 Characteristics of Respondents..................................................................... 63 4.4 Descriptive Statsitics..................................................................................... 68 4.4.1 Participation in Volleyball............................................................................ 68 4.4.1.1 Indoor Volleyball Participation..................................................................... 68 4.4.1.2 Beach Volleyball Participation..................................................................... 69 4.4.1.3 Coaching Volleyball Participation...............................................................