HAAPE PR
Auburn Parks and Rec Athletics Focus Group Ana D’Ambrogi, Haley Haas, Paige Serzen, Emily Kearley, Ashley Abbott
2
Introduction The Auburn Parks and Recreation department requested that a focus group be done to determine the issues surrounding the city-‐funded athletic program. The goal of the focus group is to listen to the comments and concerns from the child athletes’ parents in order to make improvements to the programs. Houston Manning, the athletic program director for Auburn Parks and Recreation Department, desires to know what the parents of participants like and dislike about the various sports teams and the department as a whole.
Manning expressed that one of his greatest concerns is that there will be
dominating members of the group that will not give others the opportunity to speak up. He has also given strict instruction to include a clause explaining that if someone who wishes to participate has already been a part of one of their previous focus groups, they will not be considered for this one. Manning explained that there is group of parents that are more outspoken and proactive about change that participated in the previous focus group. He is afraid if they participate again there will be no new information gained and they will take the place of someone in the group who may have provided different opinions.
According to Houston, there have been complaints recently about the Auburn
Parks and Recreation website regarding its efficiency. Manning said this has already been taken into consideration by the directors and a new website is under construction. It is a primary concern of the department to be up to date with an effective and informative website. He also mentioned that he expects a majority of the complaints we will receive will be about the programs facilities.
3 The focus group survey questions were formulated based on the information
that Manning and his colleagues were most interested in hearing feedback about. The department has a growing concern that private gyms will take current participants away from the city-‐sponsored program. Traveling club teams also pose a threat to the department because they could lure athletes away from participating in city-‐sponsored programs.
Manning is also looking to get feedback about the coaches in the program. A
concern is that the quality of coaches is dwindling and could potentially push athletes to other programs in the Auburn area. Asking parents how the coaching staff have performed over the past several years, will give insight into how the coaches are actually treating the athletes and parents.
The athletic opportunities for female participants is another area that our client
wishes to receive insight on. Asking focus group members with daughters will be beneficial in finding out more information about how to improve the number involved in the program and also what other sports could be offered for girls.
Before the focus group started, the goals of the group mediators were to propose
different plans of action to the group attendees to find out their reactions. One of the initial strategies to propose would be a kickball tournament to raise money to improve the practice facilities. Parents will also be asked what they would like to see in an improved, more efficient schedule that is easily accessed on the new Auburn Parks and Rec website. Lastly, questions will be asked to parents about the possibility of being encouraged to become coaches themselves in order to create more sports teams. Literature Review
4 Through client meetings and discussions with Auburn Parks and Rec, we have
found that there was a focus group held in fall 2014. The past focus group was centered on the organizational issues that Auburn Parks and Rec athletic program have. Parents with children that participate in the Auburn Parks and Rec programs participated in the focus group to discuss their issues with the athletic program and what they would like to see changed. The previous focus group found that the major issues parents had were focused on the Auburn Parks and Rec means of communication with coaches and through the website and the facilities used for sporting events. Based on the results from the focus group held in 2014 that determined how the parents of children participating in the Auburn Parks and Recreation Athletics program felt about the overall success of the program, we were able to determine how this years focus group would direct their attention now that changes have been put into effect. A main complaint by parents was in reference to the athletic programs lack of communication, both through the website and outside resources. Because of the parents insistence on the improvement of communication methods, the Auburn Parks and Rec organization has made several changes in the system over the past year and has greatly increased the fluidity of the system.
While another main complaint from parents was directed to the several facilities
used by Auburn Parks and Rec for sports practices and games. The organization has dedicated their efforts for this year to making the most of the facilities available to them and looking in ways to make the ones they currently have more cooperative. Many have complained that the fields available to the athletic teams are not up to standard quality, and therefore not suitable or safe for children to play on. Also, the facilities that are included in the use of the fields, such as parking and restrooms, have become extremely
5
inconvenient and unusable. While the Auburn Parks and Rec Athletics program is not the best it could be, the parents have made it clear that they are willing to work with the organization and provide their suggestions and inputs to improve their children’s physical activity.
In addition to the findings of the previously held focus group, we looked into the
benefits of successful youth athletic programs. Determining why children’s participation in athletics is such a vital aspect of their development, we were able to reinforce our mission, to make the Auburn Parks and Rec Athletics program a success, with strong support for our efforts. “While there are many benefits to being involved in sport, one of the most important contributions that sport makes to youth development is the area of social and emotional development,” said Ewing (2002, p.33). Ewing’s statement proves how important it is for the Auburn Parks and Rec Athletics program to improve their organization and involvement. Athletics is a perfect start to fight our countries current issues with children, such as childhood obesity and the increasingly common changes in children’s emotions and actions. Ewing also states that, “just as sport is a tool for teaching appropriate moral values and behaviors, youth sports may be considered a venue for reflecting or shaping society’s acceptance (2002, p. 38). In today’s society, parents are being forced to make their effort to encourage their children to step away from the TV and video games and to take their free time outdoors. With an increase in physical activity opportunities through athletics, the children’s mind if able to fully develop and comprehend the importance of staying active.
6
Methodology Initially the research for the focus group began with basic Internet searches about the Auburn Parks and Recreation Department. However, this method of research was not as detailed as it needed to be for an in-‐depth analysis of the situation. Instead of using basic Google searches, the Google Scholar website was used to find academic and newsworthy articles. Searches were made specific by using phrases such as “benefits of youth athletic programs,” “child athletes,” “city youth athletic programs,” “successful city athletic programs, youth,” “the health benefits of youth physical activity,” and “youth organized sports.” The Ebscohost Academic Search Premier that is available through our campus library in attempting to find credible sources about youth athletic programs.
A meeting with the client Houston Manning was conducted in the early planning
stages of the focus group that was to be held in April. The meeting identified key information that the Auburn Parks and Recreation Department wanted to find out about their programs. The overall research question determined from the client meeting was “How can the Auburn Parks and Recreation athletic programs be changed in order to better satisfy the needs of the participants and the families of those participants?” Each member of HAAPE Public Relations group then formulated 12 open-‐ ended questions that would be considered for use in the focus group. The project supervisor, Dr. Zimmerman, critiqued the questions to make sure they were efficient, appropriate, and relevant. Manning would also approve the questions before the focus group was conducted.
Another Auburn University public relations group also partnered with the
Auburn Parks and Recreation Department to conduct a written survey about the
7
athletics programs. HAAPE Public Relations was in close contact with this group to make sure the focus group questions and survey questions coincided well.
The method of getting contacts to participate in the focus group is quite simple.
There is a section of the written survey that has already been distributed to all of those involved with the Auburn Parks and Recreation athletics in which participants can select an option if they are interested in participating in a focus group. After just a few days of the survey being available, there were a significant number of responses. Manning expressed that he does not want the same people participating in the spring focus group that participated in the fall. He provided a list of names of the previous attendees so there were no overlapping participants. Thursday, April 9, 2015 at 6 p.m. at the Auburn public library parents of children involved in Auburn Parks and Recreations showed up to participate in the focus group. Manning provided a Chick-‐fil-‐a chicken nugget platter, fruit, Coca-‐Cola products, coffee and water. The focus group began promptly at 6 p.m. Ashley Abbott and Emily Kearley took notes while Ana D’Ambrogi and Haley Haas interacted with the focus group participants by asking them a select series of questions. Ana and Haley would ask a question and then let the room turn into more of a relaxed conversation style.
To begin, Ana and Haley asked about the aspects the focus group members felt
are most positive to the program. The participants responded with high praise over the variety of sports offered, especially for boys, and that they enjoyed watching their children’s interest and physical skills develop. There was concern that there are more options for boys than girls and some expressed interest in having lacrosse, track and swimming teams specifically because of girls. There was also great concern for what the participants referred to as “staking teams.” This means that they feel there are teams
8
that are packed with more talent and others that are not. The concern for this is that their children felt discouraged if they were put on the team that was considered lesser. However some agreed that if there was an actual system that placed children at certain skill levels on specific teams, it would be more transparent and feel less like a scam.
When asked if they feel the teams were advanced enough for their children’s
physical education, participants said they felt the biggest impact in this area is the coaching. There was discussion that the quality of the coaching staff is sub par and that some have not had adequate training. From this stemmed the idea that there should perhaps be a training seminar for the coaches. Another issue discussed about the coaching is the desire to win outweighing the importance of having enough playing time for each child.
Scheduling was a heavily discussed topic of the focus group. Issues with
scheduling practices and games turned into being more about the facilities. Participants expressed frustration with practices overlapping because of lack of facilities. Along with this was the issue of parking. With lack of facilities and a large number of teams playing various sports, they said that parking has become nearly impossible.
When asked about communication with the program, being contacted through
email and text messages pleased participants overall. There were a few complaints about the website which Manning said is currently a work-‐in-‐progress.
The safety of their children was also a major concern among the focus group
members. They said that sometimes the only first aid staff on hand at games is college students. Also, they requested that proper first aid equipment such as a defibrillator.
The main issues participants felt strongest about were the lack and quality of
facilities, “stacked teams” and quality of coaches. To relay these results to Manning, a
9
presentation was made via Prezi. This gave a short overview of the main points found most important that were discussed in the focus group, presented by Ana. Paige presented the introduction and explained the reasoning for holding the focus group. Next, Emily described the setting of the focus group, what was used to record information and also the main group of questions that seemed to give the most feedback. What was found from conducting the focus group was presented by Ashley and Haley. Finally the results were presented by Ana as well as an opportunity for questions. Results
After conducting the focus group, several conclusions were drawn from the
results. Having seven parents attend the focus group, all with strong voices and opinions, the responses were well rounded and addressed several issues pertaining to a variety of sports. The overall results focused on three main areas for improvement in the lack of adequate facilities, the level of coaching staff’s knowledge and the division of teams among quality of players. Although many complaints, there are a few areas that parents agreed are a beneficial aspect of the program.
The facilities that the city provides for the athletes were a reoccurring topic
throughout the hour-‐long focus group. All parents agreed that of the few fields and gyms provided, a majority are in such a state of disarray that they feel their children are not safe playing on the fields and they do not meet the standard of quality that they expect. In the past 10 years, Auburn City School’s enrollment has increased by 2,700 students. While those students are also joining the Auburn Parks and Rec Athletics league, there has been no attempt to expand the facilities to accommodate the increase of athletes, making it even more difficult to schedule practices and games that provide a
10
worth while experience for the players. One focus group member stated “we have a hard time getting more than one practice because there’s not enough fields,” and continued to explain how one hour a week is not a sufficient amount of time for their child to learn and better their athletic abilities.
While parents believe that there should be an expansion of facilities, additions
could also be provided to the current fields and gyms. Several parents addressed the issue of parking, “You’ve got a 5:15 game then a 6:30 game on the soccer fields, well then the coach wants everybody there 15 minutes before so you’ve [got] everybody playing soccer there at one time trying to find a parking spot.” The focus group also discussed the need for some form of shade to be provided at many of the fields, as the temperature rises it becomes unbearable to stand out in the open for hours on end. A suggestion was made to provide tarps hung along the sidelines for the families attending games.
For a youth sports team, the goal is for the child to learn the sport while enjoying
the time spent doing so, but when a coach is provided who knows little about the sport himself, it makes the experience less fulfilling for the player. A parent addresses the coaching issue by saying, The biggest impact is the coaches, and when you have volunteer coaches, you’re going to get real winners sometimes and sometimes you get people who are probably nice folks but have no business being there. The Auburn Parks and Rec Athletics program provides coaches on a voluntary basis, and volunteering to make such a big time commitment is difficult for working parents. While the focus group was aware that the coaching selection is limited due to
11
lack of volunteers, they do not feel that it is fair to their children to receive an inadequate level of coaching. Several suggestions were made as to how to address the program, one favorable suggestion asked that coaches be required to attend a seminar on the rules and regulations of the sport they will be coaching and ensure that they will provide a sufficient level of coaching.
Just as coaches can make or break a team, so can payers. A common complaint
that parents hear from their children is about the lack of competition due to the spread of talent throughout so many teams. Parents used the current baseball season as an example when explaining the issue and how it affects their children. Because baseball is split into eight or more teams per age group, and the wide range of players who are either there to better their athletic skills or purely to have fun, it is a challenge to divide the teams in a way the is beneficial to all players. “It gets to the point that it is not competitive, so its not as much fun,” one parent explained in reference to their son on the baseball team who has struggled with his team and their level of athleticism, or lack there of. She continued by saying, “so that’s how your travel ball teams are forming, in some degree. Splitting off and not playing rec.” The program does their best to ensure that teams are not “stacked”, one team with more talent than another, but to some degree, parents do wish that there was some level of division that could be justified in order to make their child’s experience worth while.
Although the focus group was conducted in order to better understand the
position of parents on the overall quality of the Auburn Parks and Rec Athletics program, one particular discussion focused on the biggest benefit of the program. The parents agreed that throughout the entire time their children have spent playing different sports for the program, beginning from ages five up to 18, they have been able
12
to use the time to develop and continue to be involved in the sports that they love. One parent said, “It’s kind of a good primer for them to see if that’s what they want to do” as her daughter benefitted from the program by trying out several sports as a child, such as ballet and soccer, before she dedicated her time to softball. As players are getting older they are staying involved in the program to practice their skills and stay in shape before their high school teams begin.
Despite the complaints and struggles with the Auburn Parks and Rec Athletics
program, parents do feel dedicated to their hometown league and claimed that they would not leave to play for another team unless absolutely necessary. Athletic programs provide an opportunity for children to learn valuable lifelong lessons that come from the experience of playing with a team. Parents see Auburn Parks and Rec Athletics program as a way for their children to grow and feel that “it’s great as a parent to watch your child’s interests be developed.” Discussions Prior to conducting the focus group, a meeting with the client, Houston Manning, was held. During this meeting he went into to detail about what he believed was going to be the major concerns the participants were going to bring up. Manning believed that communication was going to be a major topic of discussion among the focus group participants. He explained to the researchers that they have constantly heard negative things about communication from parents of those children involved in the Auburn Parks and Recreation athletics. He said it is well-‐known that the Auburn Parks and Recreation department’s website is not the best. He said he also expected to hear complaints about the lack of communication between coaches and parents, and email correspondence between the Parks and Rec Department and parents. Another issue the
13
client thought would be a major topic of discussion during the focus group was the registration process for the various sports. During the focus group, the main concern the participants discussed centered on the division of teams and the lack of competition in the different sports their child played. The participants were concerned that their child teams were not evenly distributed based on each player’s ability level. After asking the participants to discuss their feelings about the overall communications within Auburn Parks and Rec, they only had positive things to say. No one had issues with the communication channels used, the amount of information they received, or the website. They also were sure to mention they knew the website was in the process of being updated. This information was not what was expected after the meeting with the client and the concerns he had with communication issues. Other concerns the focus group participants mentioned were the quality of the sports facilities and the lack of parking. The client was expecting this to be mentioned based on complaints he has received in the past. Everyone came to the conclusion that there is not much Auburn Parks and Rec can do to improve the conditions of the sports facilities with the budget they have to work with. The client was pleased to hear this because he wasn’t sure if the parents were aware that the facility quality depended on having the budgets for the upkeep and updating often needed. Conclusion The information that was discovered during the focus group was helpful. It was interesting to hear the different concerns the participants had. It was evident that the parents that chose to participant in the focus group all had the same concerns that they wanted to discuss. It was interesting to hear how the parents were looking for more of a
14
division between teams based on the children’s athletic ability to make it more competitive. It was also interesting to hear parents concerns with the layout of the sports facility. All in all, the information discussed during the focus group was nothing that was a surprise. The client had a good idea of what was going to be discussed and was prepared to hear the participants concerns pertaining to those topics.
Based off prior research and reviewing the findings from a previous focus group
that was conducted for Auburn Parks and Rec, it is evident that different concerns have come up. Different issues were discussed in the focus group compared to the focus group held in the fall. It was found that the main issue the Auburn Parks and Rec needs to address is the division of teams and the facilities used for each sport.
The participants had the same viewpoint, that their children’s teams were not
picked based on athletic ability. They mentioned that people are leaving their rec teams to join more competitive teams so they can enjoy and grow in the sport. Based on what the participants said, they believe a new process needs to be put into place to make teams in which all the players have the same athletic ability.
The facilities were also a major topic of discussion. Every participant had a
different concern with the sport facilities used. They came to the conclusion that the lack of funds that Auburn Parks and Rec has is the reason why the facilities are the way they are, and there is not much that can be done about that. The whole process of creating and executing the focus group was challenging but not impossible. The focus group as a whole turned out well and the information received was beneficial for the client.
15 When conducting the focus group, a few minor limitations as well as one major
one came about. The main limitation that was faced when conducting the focus group was that there were only seven participants. The method used to gather participants was quite simple. Another group of researchers was conducting a survey for the Auburn Parks and Recreation Athletic department, so in collaboration with them, a question was added to the survey asking if they would be interested in participating in a focus group. With this question, a good number of people expressed interest in participating in the focus group. Around 40 people responded, so an email was sent to them asking to confirm if they could participate in the focus group at the selected time on April 9. After sending this email, only seven people were able to clear time in their schedules to attend the focus group. Ideally, the focus group would have consisted of 10 to 15 participants in order to have a variety of different opinions and parents involved with children in a variety of sports. Because there were only seven participants, there was a lack of differing opinions, and most participants seemed to have the same complaints and opinions about issues surrounding the Auburn Parks and Recreation.
This degree of agreeableness that occurred in the focus group among
participants acted as a limitation as well. In a way, it felt as though the participants often just responded based off of the things the person who spoke before them said. It is a possibility that some participants could’ve had differing opinions from the other participants and not spoken up in fear of being argued with. This “group think” mentality that occurred made the focus group run smoothly but also created the issue that some things were not discussed that should have been. Participants could’ve also held back their opinion because of the fast pace of the conversation that occurred throughout the focus group. They had so much to say about each topic brought up
16
(some participants more than others) that only a few of the questions prepared for the focus group were asked. This too, acted as a limitation. It was great that the participants were not unresponsive, but often times they would go off on tangents and the original topic of discussion would seem lost among all of the stories and other tangents even with the moderator trying to bring the conversation back to it’s intended topic.
Overall, the process of preparing for, conducting, and analyzing the findings of
our focus group was one that was very time consuming but worthwhile. At first, the entire process seemed quite daunting, but by splitting the work up among group members and having a client that was easy to work with and who made his expectations clear, it turned out to be a success.
While reflecting on the entire course of the semester, a few things in particular
came to mind. The first is that there is something to be said for face-‐to-‐face communication. By sitting down with a group of parents who were willing to volunteer their time for an entire hour, we were able to get in depth opinions about current issues that the Auburn Parks and Recreation athletic department is facing. With our participants meeting in person, they were able to have conversation and explain their thoughts in a way that wouldn’t be possible via email or through a survey. Another benefit to holding a focus group was that there was a direct interaction with the researchers and participants. With four of five researchers present, they were able to get a first hand glimpse into the world they were attempting to analyze and make suggestions for change in.
The researchers faced different frustrations throughout the process of preparing
for, conducting the focus group and analyzing the findings. It was a process that relied much on the participants and when only 7 came, it was trying. Despite the lack of
participants, some valuable information came from the focus groups and the goals of the client were accomplished without major struggle.
17
18 Works Cited
Ewing, M., Gano-Overway, L., Branta, C. (2002) Paradoxes of Youth and Sport. Retrieved from: https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=kypWhRLY14AC&oi=fnd&pg= PA31&dq=benefits+of+city+run+youth+athletic+programs&ots=0pes6FE9vH&sig=Y5 loe7zLH4Zd5tO3rLZc0aXddrU#v=onepage&q&f=false
Auburn City Schools. Auburn City Schools Property Tax Initiative [PDF document]. Retreived from: http://www.auburnalabama.org/agenda/TempFiles/9e25fcd9-9065-496988a3-bfe0b06274f3.pdf