Some of you may recall a study done on our league for the last three seasons by a group of Graduate students, led by Matthew Vierimaa. I am happy to report that Matthew successfully defended his thesis this past July and is now working at the University of Utah. He has sent us a three documents – a short summary of the findings that I am including here, an executive summary that will be in the next post, and within the executive summary is a link to his full thesis.
It was nice to be able to help the research team in their work, and when I emailed Dr. Jean Cote today I thanked him for sharing the students with us, and let him know that we would be happy to partner with the university again for additional studies. Here is the lay summary from Matthew.:
An Integrative Case Study of Positive Youth Development
in a Recreational Community Sport Program
Condensed Lay Summary for the Pete Petersen Basketball League
Over the previous three seasons, I was part of a group of sport psychology researchers from Queen’s University who completed a research project with the “Pete” Petersen Basketball League (PPBL). This project involved videotaping games and graciously asking coaches, players, and their parents to fill out questionnaires or participate in interviews. Since the project has finally reached its conclusion, I wanted to take this opportunity to share some of the findings with you all. In summary, we identified the PPBL as an example of a model youth sport program, and wanted to better understand why it is so popular and successful. The results of this project suggest that the welcoming family atmosphere of the PPBL and its focus on ensuring that players have fun appears to have long-term benefits in terms of creating a culture which encourages former players to return and give back to the league as adults. This cyclical tradition of volunteering has facilitated the sustainability of the league over 60+ years and continues to provide local youth with a unique, enriching, and accessible sport experience. On behalf of the entire research team at Queen’s, I would like to thank the league – players, coaches, volunteers, parents, family members, and friends—for your cooperation and for making the last three years a rewarding and enjoyable experience. I will truly miss spending weekday nights in the gym at St. Pat’s. You are all a part of something truly special that provides an invaluable experience for Kingston youth. If you have any questions or are interested in hearing more about the results of the research project, please do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected].
Good luck this season!
Matthew Vierimaa, PhD
Assistant Professor
Utah State University
