Kunna för att delta - en etnografisk studie om inkludering i ridsport och gymnastik

The policy document of the associations of equestrian and gymnastics sports states intentions of how to make equestrian and gymnastics inclusive to make more athletes continue longer. Still, little is known how the training is carried out and what teenagers experience from an inclusive and learning perspective. Youth sports coaches have limited knowledge and poor understanding of pedagogical perspectives of learning (Fahlström et al 2016) as well as of what a child right’s perspective means in the sporting practice (Eliasson 2015).

Research on equestrian teachers and sports coaches shows that they lack the knowledge and pedagogical tools to engage young people in their learning development (Kilic et al, 2024; Lundsjö-Kvart 2020). Therefore, the project aims to explore equestrian and gymnastic practices from a pedagogical and didactic perspective, how young athletes experience the training from an inclusive and learning view and what didactic considerations coaches make when conducting the training.

Research questions:
- What do the athletes perceive the training to be about?
- What is required of them to be able to participate and do what is requested?
- How are they included and involved in their learning process?

The point of departure is from a sociocultural perspective (Säljö 2014) with the didactic triangle used as a framework (Amade-Escot 2006) when analyzing the interaction process between athletes and coaches and the content. In the long run, the study aims to contribute to a discussion about how youth coaches can provide and involve athletes in their specific sport education. Also, how young athletes can make their voice heard, feel safe and involved, and develop their skills in gymnastics and equestrian sport.

The project is a complement of the CIF-funded project 2023-2024 on equestrian sport. The project will include two different gymnastic groups in two different gymnastic clubs. Observations and interviews with young athletes will be conducted. The study of equestrian sport has already been conducted and the analysis of the young riders remains as well as to submit an article.

The analysis process is guided by Braun and Clarke’s (2022) six phases of thematic analysis.

The results and experiences from the study can be used for developing knowledge in education of how to improve teaching and involvement as well as in other sports, to expand the feeling of inclusion, safety, and learning from a child right’s perspective.

Att idrotta på fritiden ger en stor möjlighet till att lära sig motorisk färdighet, idrotter och vara fysiskt aktiv i ett socialt sammanhang. Trots det visar forskning att barn och ungdomsträning i högre grad kan arbeta med inkludering och pedagogiskt perspektiv på idrott så att fler vill och kan vara med och delta. I projektet utforskas gymnastik och ridsport ur ett inkluderande pedagogiskt perspektiv, dvs hur unga gymnaster och ryttare upplever träning och vad de unga värderar i träningarna och ridlektionerna. Studien genomförs med observationer och intervjuer med unga i respektive idrotter. Analysen av empirin görs utifrån ett sociokulturellt perspektiv. Studien ska bidra med kunskap så att unga aktiva kan känna trygghet och utveckla sina färdigheter i idrott.