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Abstract Concepts from a social learning paradigm previously applied to adults and athletes were used in an exploratory examination of the role significant others play in influencing children's active sport involvement. Results indicated that the traditional comparison of family, peers, and teachers was not applicable to girls and only slightly applicable to boys. A more in-depth examination of the family unit demonstrated that parents, rather than siblings, have significant influence on both sexes. Examination of each family member's influence revealed that only the father served as a significant influence on children's sport participation. A reformulated conceptualization of the influence of significant others proved to be a more effective predictor of children's sport involvement. These findings should be treated primarily as indicators for areas of future investigation.
Greendorfer et al. (Mon,) studied this question.