The Japan Sports Agency plans to shift the operation of junior high school extracurricular sports activities from schools to private clubs and organizations in local communities. To consider the necessary reforms, this study examined the effect of socioeconomic status (SES) on the attitudes of mothers and fathers of schoolchildren towards the shift.
(1) Parental attitudes exhibited 3 factors: “sense of acceptance” indicating understanding and acceptance of the need for regional transition, “sense of burden” as a cognitive attitude toward the financial and physical burden, and “support intention” indicating support for their children’s sports activities after the shift. About 40-50% of parents, regardless of gender, exhibited a sense of acceptance. About 30% of parents expressed a sense of burden, while about 20-30% of fathers and 10-20% of mothers had a “support intention”.
(2) The relationship between SES and attitudes was found only among mothers. Specifically, mothers with higher household incomes tended to have a higher sense of acceptance and a lower sense of burden. Similarly, mothers with higher education tended to have a higher sense of acceptance and support intention than those with lower education. Mothers with less educated spouses were more likely to feel a sense of burden than those with more highly educated spouses.
(3) Multiple regression analysis using a sample of mothers revealed that household income had a positive effect on a sense of acceptance and support intention, and that the spouse’s educational attainment had a positive effect on a sense of acceptance, even when variables such as personal characteristics, sports experience, and attitudes toward sports were included.
These results suggest that when the operation of extracurricular activities is taken over by local organizations, children from families with lower SES may face limitations in opportunities to participate in those activities. Therefore, it is crucial and urgent to establish a safety net for sports services that would enable children to enjoy sports even if they belong to families with low SES.
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