About the Project
This project will explore the effectiveness of using sport to change attitudes or cognitive schema in relation to youth offending. Participatory research methods will be used to engage with young people and community groups involved in sporting initiatives.
Aims and objectives
The United Kingdom is not the only country to have a history of promoting sport as a way of tackling youth crime and anti-social behaviour (see Midnight Basketball schemes, Hartmann 2001), yet the importance placed on sport as a ‘moral good’, has become particularly ingrained in recent British politics (Conservative Party 2009, 2010; Labour Party 1997), despite there being little definitive evidence to support the assumption that sport is effective in reducing youth crime (Meek 2014; Kelly 2012; Coalter 2009). Indeed, academic research in community settings which focuses on the re-engagement of marginalised young people through sport has yielded inconclusive results in terms of efforts to reduce offending, particularly as a result of the inevitable methodological limitations of small-scale evaluation studies. Accordingly, these methodological shortcomings may have resulted in some commentators questioning the successful impact of sport based community initiatives on recidivism and reduction in anti-social behaviour. Yet, sport schemes based in the community, remain for its most disadvantaged members, one of the most prominent types of positive activities and interventions. Arguably, this is because sport and sporting aspirations, have a powerful impact on not only identity development, but they also undoubtedly have the potential to address proximal risk factors for youth crime.
In community and custodial settings, sport has been effective in attracting young people and improving performance in activities that they are not normally motivated to engage in (Meek 2014; Nichols and Taylor 1996). Moreover, this method of active learning commonly seen in sport, has been identified as a key element in the ‘what works’ literature on reducing offending (Nichols and Taylor 1996; Sharpe et al 2004). Sport therefore, is a valuable resource in motivating young people who are both marginalised and reluctant to engage in conventional positive activities. However, more research needs to be undertaken, not only to assess the effectiveness of these reduced rates of offending anti-social behaviour, but the contribution that sport can make in both facilitating pro-social identities and accruing social capital.
This project will therefore contribute towards this growing area of research by designing and co-creating participatory action research methods with young people involved in sporting activities and/or offending behaviour. Hence, the overarching research objectives of this project would enable a measurement of young people’s involvement in sport against the outcomes below.
To enhance the social capital and social networks of young people engaged with sport and encourage resilience to make positive choices away from offending behaviour;
To enhance the personal wellbeing of young people engaged with sporting projects.
This project is unique in its methods of study, using Participatory Action Research among young people involved in sport to prevent the risk of offending/anti-social behaviour, is new and ground breaking. Prior research into this area has mainly focused upon small-scale evaluation studies and has therefore failed to capture the experiences and voices of young people themselves.
The supervisory team for this project will be Dr Deborah Jump, Prof Hannah Smithson, and Dr Annabel Kiernan
The closing date for applications is 31st January 2017.
To apply, please use the form on our web page: http://www2.mmu.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/apply/postgraduate-research-course/ - please note, CVs alone will not be accepted.
For informal enquiries, please contact: [Email Address Removed]
Please quote the Project Reference in all correspondence.
Funding Notes
This scholarship is open to UK, EU and International students
For information on Project Applicant Requirements please visit: http://www2.mmu.ac.uk/research/research-study/scholarships/detail/vc-artshum-dj-2017-3-championing-change.php