The expectancy-value model and the self-fulfilling prophecy theory help to define, describe, and elaborate on the “Rightfield Syndrome” from a behavioral perspective. These models assist in explaining a player’s beliefs and behaviors toward performance and confidence associated with the involvement of significant others including parents and coaches. The involvement of parents and coaches plays a big role in the development of the player as an athlete and as a person.
The expectancy-value model is constructed around the parent’s beliefs about sport and their children and how those beliefs eventually end up affecting the child’s performance and behaviors in sport.
The foundation for this model is a parent’s values, attitudes, expectancies, and stereotypes about sport, baseball in particular. Do the parents or parent like baseball? Do the parents see any value in participating in baseball? Most likely, the parents’ values and attitudes toward baseball come from their own experiences and participation with the sport.
Many times, a parent will not want his or her child participating in a certain sport because the parent had a bad experience participating in the sport which may have been linked to physical maturation rates, motor skill development, or interaction with significant others.
The parents’ beliefs and attitudes about baseball and their children affect the parents’ behaviors towards or with the children. Parents may or may not allow their children to participate in youth baseball depending on their beliefs.
Do the parents encourage participation by providing the necessary equipment like a glove or a bat for the child to play? Do the parents devote their time and money to help in the children’s development in the sport? In other words, are the parents willing to drive the kids to practice and games or play with them in the backyard?
Does the parent give feedback to the child about performance or behavior associated with baseball? The children will give credence to the parents’ actions and thus internalize much of their parents’ behaviors and beliefs in establishing their own beliefs, attitudes, and values about baseball.
Parent’s behaviors toward and with their children in regards to baseball influence the child’s beliefs about the sport of baseball and beliefs about ability in baseball. The parents’ actions and ideas are interpreted by the child and translated into such things as perceived competence and self-confidence.
The child develops perceived competence and self-confidence in accord with the behaviors elicited by the parents. If the parents do not support participation, do not supply the necessary equipment for play, do not spend time attending games or chauffeuring their child to practices, and do not give contingent feedback then the child will most likely have a low perceived competence and low self-confidence when it comes to baseball.
The child interprets the parents’ behaviors to mean that the child’s participation in the sport is not important and it is meaningless. The child internalizes this and believes that baseball is not a good sport to play and that he must not be very good because the father or mother doesn’t care about baseball or show support for the child’s participation.
The child’s beliefs about baseball and ability created by parents’ beliefs and behaviors ultimately affect the child’s performance and behaviors.The child will have little motivation to continue participation in the game if he has low perceived competence and lacks self-confidence. If the child believes he is not very good at baseball then he will probably not spend the necessary time needed practicing to get better.
Consequently, the child may not develop the necessary fundamentals to play the game and find himself a victim of the “Rightfield Syndrome” when he does play.
The child’s low perceived competence and self-confidence will be revealed and reinforced by the child’s lackluster performance on the field. Any coach in any sport can tell you that it is difficult for an athlete to be successful if that athlete does not believe that s/he can succeed in the chosen sport.
The expectancy-value model is helpful in explaining how the “Rightfield Syndrome” can be developed and perpetuated through the child’s interactions with parents.
The child’s performance and behaviors related to baseball can be traced to the child’s beliefs about baseball and baseball ability which are affected by the parents’ behaviors towards, and with, the child which are determined by the parents’ beliefs about baseball and their children.
If parents are truly interested in their child’s participation in little-league baseball then they must be careful in the beliefs and behaviors about baseball that they show and teach their children.
To learn more about developing youth baseball players with field-tested baseball coaching techniques and effective baseball drills visit the Dick Birmingham Sports Championship Baseball Drill Book
Tags: baseball coaching, baseball training, youth baseball
Related Posts
- A Short Hoof On Deer Hunting
- Keeping Your Barrel Horse Focused At The Gate
- The Princely Art Of Hunting Elk
- Sport Fishing Boats - The Classy Catch
- Purchasing an Optimal Airsoft Gun
« How Will The Indianapolis Colts Do In 2007? | Bowling Alley Improvements - It Will Bowl You Away »