Investigation of parents’ perceptions of sending their children to swimming courses in terms of various variables

Abstract

The study aims to investigate parent’s perceptions regarding their children’s participation in swimming courses, considering various variables. Within the scope of the study, the “Reasons for Parents Sending Their Children to Swimming Sports Scale,” consisting of 21 questions, was utilized. This Scale evaluates three sub-factors: the motivations behind parents sending their children to swimming sports, the impact of swimming sports on their children, and the level of satisfaction with swimming sports. These factors were then compared with the parents’ demographic data. The sample group comprised parents of children participating in different swimming courses in Ankara and those attending courses organized by the Presidential Guard Regiment Command. Data analysis has clarified factors influencing children’s participation in swimming courses and highlighted key dimensions of parental perceptions. The findings indicate that equipping children with swimming skills can mitigate the risk of drowning and substantially enhance their physical activity levels. In this context, our research has identified a strong correlation between parent’s physical activity levels and their children’s. This finding highlights the critical role of parents in encouraging physical activity and underscores the importance of parent’s serving as role models for their children.

Introduction

Swimming has historically acquired various meanings in different cultures and societies has been regarded as an important skill. From the Talmud to the Roman Empire, from Ancient Greece to England, many civilizations have the significance of swimming in children’s education in public life [1]. Swimming is an aquatic sport that involves propelling oneself through water by performing specific movements either on the surface or beneath it. From a sporting perspective, swimming is an activity conducted in accordance with international standards. This activity involves competitions held in pools where athletes compete in their designated track using freestyle, backstroke, butterfly, and breaststroke techniques, or a combination of these styles, either individually or as part of a team [2]. Turkish history, swimming activities date old to times. According to Ottoman sources, swimming activities in military training form the foundation of Turkish swimming history. In the late 1800s Turkish youth, specifically students from Galatasaray Sultanisi, began swimming training under the supervision of their teacher, Moiroux. Subsequently, through modern training methods, many Turkish athletes achieved significant success. The sport of swimming entered a new era in 1957 when it separated from the Maritime Federation and was established under the name of the Swimming Federation. The construction and inauguration of open and indoor swimming pools in the 1970s, along with infrastructure programs targeting young children, yielded positive results for Turkish swimming sport [3].

Swimming is an activity that minimizes the pain associated with exercise without overstraining the body, and significant differences are observed in the physical development of individuals interested in this sport from the moment they first meet [3]. Swimming, which provides positive effects especially on the physical and mental development of children, has been proven by scientific studies and important research have been conducted to direct children to this sport.

We see that swimming is not only a sport but also a survival skill. In particular, it has been observed that drowning causes high mortality rates among children and this is more pronounced in low- and middle-income societies. The frequency of drowning cases increases significantly in low- and middle-income societies compared to high-income societies [4]. At this point, it is remarkable that studies conducted on how teaching swimming skills to children can significantly reduce the risk of drowning [5]. Swimming courses significantly reduce the cases of child drowning and it has a critical importance to provide this skill to children [6]. When we look at the research, it is observed that a significant majority of drowning cases occur in indoor or outdoor pools. When we look at other research on this subject, we see that drowning cases in 15-year-old children have higher mortality rates than other sources such as aviation-related deaths worldwide [7]. For example, according to Royal Australian Lifesaving Society data, a total of 280 drowning incidents were recorded in Australia and these incidents generally occurred in specific areas such as inland waterways (27%), beaches (23%), harbors/oceans (19%) and swimming pools (16%) [8]. Twelve and a half percent of these drowning cases (35 incidents in total) involved children aged 17 and under. It has been observed that drownings, especially in inland waterways such as rivers, occur in children under the age of [8].

When we look at the various countries where a significant decline in drowning rates has been observed, we see that this decline is particularly associated with children receiving swimming instruction. For example, in countries such as Australia, Sweden and the Netherlands, drowning has decreased significantly due to the introduction of mandatory swimming instruction and the expansion of water safety programs [9]. Although swimming lessons are seen as a simple solution, there are several inhibiting factors faced by parents aiming to promote children’s water safety [10]These inhibiting factors include the child’s and parent’s fear of drowning or injury during swimming, the parent’s swimming ability and encouragement, the extent of family participation in swimming activities, the area of residence and socio-economic status, and the parent’s level of education.

This study aimed to examine the socio-economic, demographic and cultural status of parents statistically in terms of sending children to swimming courses. It is thought that a good understanding of parental perception will raise awareness on this issue. At the same time, it gains originality as one of the rare studies conducted in the field of sports in the military system in our country since it includes the parents of children participating in children’s swimming courses within the Presidential Guard Regiment Command (Cumhurbaşkanlığı Muhafız Alayı) as participants.

Materials and methods

Research model

In this study, which aimed to measure parents’ reasons for sending children to swimming courses, “quantitative research” method was used, and correlation research model was preferred as the research design to understand the relationships between variables.

Defining and studying human behavior within individual and social relationships is a complex process. One way to make this complexity comprehensible is to try to understand the relationships at a simpler level. Correlational research aims to determine these relationships [11]. Correlational research is a type of research in which the relationship between variables is analysed without intervening in these variables in any way. Since the variables are not intervened, correlational research is similar to causal comparison research. This type of investigation can give the researcher an idea that there may be a cause-effect relationship [12]. Correlational studies are effective in revealing the relationships between variables and provide the necessary clues for determining the level of these relationships and conducting higher level research [13].

Research group (population-sample)

Within the scope of the study, the sample group consists of parents of children attending children’s swimming courses organized by the Presidential Guard Regiment. The sample includes families with different socio-economic levels and demographic characteristics, which provides a broad perspective and aims to gain a more comprehensive understanding of parents’ reasons for directing their children to swimming courses. Regarding the demographic characteristics of the parents who participated in our survey study, 80 of the participants were female and 67 were male. According to age distribution, the participants consisted of 39 people aged 36–40, 33 people aged 41–45, 31 people aged 31–35, 29 people aged 46 and over, 9 people aged 20–25, and 6 people aged 26–30. According to their education level, 29 of the participants had secondary education, 26 had associate’s degrees, 81 had bachelor’s degrees and 11 had graduate degree. The research aims to examine parental perceptions of children’s swimming courses in depth through this heterogeneous sample group.

Research publication ethics

The research with the research code 2024 -300 and the researcher group consisting of Ejder GÜNEŞ, Azmi YETİM and Hüseyin Olcay KILIÇ titled “Investigation of the Perception of Parents in Sending Children to Swimming Courses According to Various Variables” was discussed by Gazi University Ethics Commission at its meeting dated 23.01.2024 and numbered 02, and it was unanimously decided that there was no ethical objection to the study provided that permission was obtained from the places where the study was planned to be conducted. The necessary permissions were obtained from the Presidential Guard Regiment Command where the study was conducted and from the swimming courses in Ankara province where the study was distributed.

Data collection tools

The data were collected from the children’s swimming courses in Ankara and the Presidential Guard Regiment Command by interviewing the parents in the children’s swimming courses in Ankara on a voluntary basis through the Parents’ Reasons for Sending Their Children to Swimming Sports Scale (AÇYSGNÖ) prepared by Ceren Orhanlı to answer the main research questions of the study [14]. There were 21 questions in the scale, and these questions covered the reasons for parents to direct their children to swimming courses, the effect of swimming on children, and the level of satisfaction with swimming. At the same time, the demographic data of the participants were compared and the significant relationship between them was sought.

Data analysis

Based on the data obtained, a 5-point Likert scale was used to assess the profile of the participants and their children. This scale ranges from 1 to 5 (1: Strongly Disagree, 2: Disagree, 3: Undecided, 4: Agree, 5: Strongly Agree) 21 items were included. In our questionnaire study, 10 questions about demographic characteristics of parents and 16 scale questions used to measure parental perception were asked. The data were analyzed with the SPSS statistical program. Kruskal–Wallis Test was used to find the relationships between variables, arithmetic mean and percentage values were used to determine demographic distribution, and Mann–Whitney U Test was used to determine the relationship between demographic data and questionnaire and scales.

Results

Discussion

This study was aimed to evaluate the reasons why Participants who attended certain children’s swimming courses especially, the children’s swimming courses within the Regiment of Presidential Guard in Ankara explained the reasons why they direct their children to swimming sports, the effects of swimming on children and the level of satisfaction in swimming. In the study, the Causes of Parents Sending Their Children to Swimming Scale, developed by Ceren Orhanlı in 2017, was used. As a result of the Kolmogorov-Smirnova test was performed on the data obtained from the participants, the significance level was determined to be less than p < 0.05 and it was decided to use non-parametric tests in the analysis (Table 1).

Table 1 Normality analysis results for the scales

147 parents, 80 females and 67 males, participated in the study. It was seen that the many of the parents participating in the study were between the ages of 36–40 (26.5%). The number of family members was four or more (65.3%); In the profession variable, those who chose other (29.3%) and also those who were military personnel (12.2%), in the level of income variable, parents with an income of 35,001 TL and above (68.7%), and in the education status, parents with a bachelor’s degree (55%) consists of public school (76.9%) in the type of school the child attends, parents who sometimes do sports regularly (38.1%) and parents who follow sports competitions (52.4%) in the regular sports variable (Table 2).

Table 2 Demographic variables

In the test to determine whether there is a difference between the reasons why families send their children to swimming and the age variable, it was determined that the averages of parents aged 36–40 were higher than those of parents aged 46 and over in three variables (reason, effect, satisfaction). In addition, although there is not much research on this subject in the literature, a significant difference was found between the reasons why families send their children to swimming and the gender of the parents in favor of male parents (Table 3).

Table 3 Kruskal Wallis H test results of the reasons for sending children to swimming sports according to the variable of regular sports participation

In addition, although there were not many studies on this subject in the literature, a significant difference was found between the reasons why parents send their children swimming and the gender of the parent, in favor of male parents. Male parents may think that sports are important in instilling values such as discipline, endurance and competition. In addition, due to gender roles, men tend to give more importance to the physical development of their children, which may explain this difference. This suggests that male parents may have a higher motivation to encourage physical activities such as sports and especially swimming (Table 4).

Table 4 Distribution of scores related to scales

When the participation rates of individuals in sports activities by professional groups were examined in the literature to better understand the relationship between parents’ professional groups in encouraging their children to do sports, it was observed that self-employed people and retired generally showed more interest in these activities. It was concluded that self-employed groups and individuals devote more time to sports after retirement [15]. In another study, according to the results obtained as a result of multiple comparisons made according to the professional groups of the participants; Statistically significant differences were detected between unemployed participants and individuals in different professional groups such as police, academics, customer representatives, freelancers, tradesmen, trainers, experts and engineers. According to these results, it was determined that unemployed participants who were not working in any job had a higher perception of discretionary time and physical activity restrictions compared to participants in academics and other professional groups [16]. In this study, in the tests applied to determine whether there was a difference between the causes for sending their child to swimming and the occupation variable, a statistically significant difference was found only in the satisfaction sub-dimension. As a result of the analysis conducted to reveal the source of the difference, it was determined that the mean of military personnel parents in the satisfaction dimension was higher than that of civil servant parents. Swimming courses offered at military facilities with high standards can increase parents’ satisfaction (Table 5). In addition, encouraging physical activities, especially swimming, in the social environment of military families may further reinforce this satisfaction. These findings provide valuable insights into how the professional lives of military personnel are reflected in their children’s education and sports activities.

Table 5 Kruskal Wallis H test results according to the age variable of the parents’ reasons for sending their children to swimming

Studies in the literature that showed that teaching children swimming skills can significantly reduce the risk of drowning draws attention [5]. Also, there was almost certainly a preponderance of evidence that drownings cause high mortality rates among children, and that this situation was more pronounced in low- and middle-income societies [4, 8]. In this study, no significant difference was found between the reasons for sending their child to swimming lessons and the level of income variable. It was thought that the reason was that the many of the participants (68.7%) currently have an income level above the middle level and there was not enough data for middle and low-income parents (Table 6).

Table 6 Kruskal Wallis H test results of the reasons of parents for sending their children to swimming sports according to the variable of following sports competitions

In a study conducted in the literature to better understand their parents’ encouragement of their children to sports according to their education status, although the occupational distribution of the subjects was quite diverse, 71% of those who did sports have a university and college education compared to 58% of those who did not (Table 7). The fact that education status was generally at high school and university levels reveals that there was a close relationship between the act of doing sports and education. Research results support this relationship and show that the importance given to sports increases as the level of education increases, and individuals with high education levels see sports as an important physiological need [17]. As a result of the analysis, it was found that the averages of parents with associate’s degrees were higher than those of parents with postgraduate degrees in both effect and cause dimensions. When we look at the educational status of the children according to the type of school they attend, A statistically significant difference was found between the reasons why parents send their children to swimming and the variable of the type of school the child attends in favor of public schools only in the effect sub-dimension (p < 0.05) (Table 8). The fact that parents whose children attend public schools have a higher influence on the referral to swimming may be associated with various socio-cultural factors. Parents of children in public schools may view physical activities such as swimming as an important means to support their children’s social and physical development. This may also be related to variables such as access to sports facilities in public schools, economic factors and the importance attached to sports activities in public schools.

Table 7 Mann Whitney U test results of the reasons of parents for sending their children to swimming sports according to gender variable

Table 8 Mann Whitney U test results of the reasons of the families for sending their children to swimming sports according to the number of family members

Studies conducted by researchers have revealed that there was a strong relationship between the physical activity levels of parents and their children [18]. It was observed that physical activities that parents integrate into their lives encourage their children to be physically active and positively affect their children’s physical activity levels. To give some examples from the literature on the subject; In the research conducted on 481 children between the ages of 7–14 in Istanbul, it was determined that the parents was the most important factor in children’s participation in sports and that this participation increases in parallel with the education status of the parents [19]. Again, in the research conducted on 717 secondary school students and 640 parents in Ankara and 955 parents in Mersin [20], it was seen that parents who did sports have positive attitudes towards physical education class, and therefore towards sports, compared to those who did not do sports [20]. In this study, a statistically significant difference was detected between the reasons parents send their children to swimming and the variable of doing regular sports (p < 0.05). According to the results of the analysis, it was determined that parents who did sports had a higher effect size than parents who did not do sports or did sports occasionally (Table 9).

Table 9 Kruskal Wallis H test results of the reasons for sending children to swimming according to the profession variable

However, some studies showed that parents pull their children away from sports or physical activity, and this may negatively affect children’s physical activity levels [21]. Additionally, parents’ attitudes were determined to be related to children’s risk of injury or safety [22]. Therefore, in this study, in addition to the literature, the reasons why parents send their children to swimming and the variable of following sports competitions were also discussed, as a result, a statistically significant difference was detected in the total score of the scale and satisfaction sub-dimensions (p < 0.05). As a result of the analysis conducted to reveal the source of the difference, it was determined that the means of parents who follow sports competitions in both the scale total score and the satisfaction sub-dimension were higher than those of parents who did not follow sports competitions (Table 10).

Table 10 Kruskal Wallis H test results of the reasons of the families for sending their children to swimming sports according to the monthly income variable

The data in (Table 11) show that parents’ reasons for directing their children to swimming are strong and that they are generally satisfied with this sport. In addition, the positive effects of swimming on children are recognised by parents, which indicates that it contributes to the physical and social development of children. The role of parents in this process significantly supports their children to gain healthy life habits.

Table 11 Kruskal Wallis H test results of the reasons of families for sending their children to swimming sports according to education level variable

According to data presented in Table 12 there is no significant difference in the reasons why families direct their children to swimming sports depending on the number of family members. However, families with three or less members have a slightly lower mean than those with four or more members. Although this suggests that larger families may be more motivated to encourage their children to participate in swimming, this difference is not statistically significant.

Table 12 Mann Whitney U test results of parents’ reasons for sending their children to swimming sports according to the school type of the child

This study was conducted to understand parents’ reasons for directing their children to swimming courses, the effects of sports on children and their satisfaction levels. Significant demographic differences emerged among participants; For example, it was observed that parents who prefer swimming to their children were generally between the ages of 36–40 and had a middle-level of income. It was determined that age and education level affect the decisions to direct their children, and it has also been revealed that male parents showed more tendency in this regard. The research emphasized that teaching children swimming skills can reduce the risk of drowning and increase their physical activity levels. It was emphasized that there was a strong relationship between parents’ physical activity levels and their children’s physical activity levels, and the importance of parents encouraging their children to physical activity was pointed out.

This study thoroughly examines the factors influencing parents’ decisions to guide their children toward the sport of swimming and the positive effects of this sport on children. The findings encourage parents to provide more informed and effective guidance in fostering healthy lifestyles in their children from an early age additionally, it has been noted that there is a strong correlation between parents’ own levels of physical activity and those of their children. This highlights the importance of parents taking on the responsibility of encouraging their children to engage in physical activity and serving as role models.

In future studies, it is important to examine the findings of this study in depth. In particular, the reasons underlying the higher motivation of male parents to direct their children to swimming should be investigated in detail. In addition, the effects of income level on sports preferences can be better understood by studying the motivations and barriers of different socioeconomic groups. Comparative research is also needed to better understand the differences in satisfaction between military and civilian parents. By testing the effect of education level on decisions to direct their children to sports on a large sample, policies for sports education can be developed. Finally, examining the effects of parents’ physical activity habits on their children in more depth will contribute to the development of family-based sports programs. These recommendations will allow for the development of a more comprehensive understanding of sport education and parental behaviours.