background
In the past years, studies focused on studying the prevalence of transgressive behaviours in sports and, mostly, on the coach-athlete relationship. However, to ensure safe sports, the view should become wider by looking at actors surrounding the athlete: bystanders. This is a new area of research within the field of safeguarding in sports and it is important to further understand this phenomenon to prevent the occurrence of transgressive behaviour in sports. Currently, there is little to no knowledge about the bystander effect regarding transgressive behaviours in sports. Therefore, insights from other disciplines studying the bystander effect are what we are interested in. These insights will serve as a base for analysing mechanisms preventing bystanders from taking action once transgressive behaviours occur. In other words: what do bystanders need to take action?!
This MSc thesis will look into existing scientific knowledge about the bystander effect from other disciplines to be translated to the sports field. It will start with a qualitative part (a literature study and interviews) with the aim of finding variables influencing whether bystanders are taking action (or not). Hereafter, the quantitative part aims to identify factors predicting bystanders to take action through linear modelling (data from a questionnaire).
Example Research Questions
1. What is the bystander effect and how does it occur? (qualitative)
2. What variables are predicting the absence of the bystander effect in sports? (quantitative)
Type of Research
Literature study, interviews, and questionnaire
Keywords
Safe sports, transgressive behaviour, bystander, safe sports climate
Information
This project is available for up to four students.
Please contact Steven Watson when you are interested in this assignment: s.j.watson@utwente.nl.
Literature
Schipper-van Veldhoven, N., Mulder, J., Cuelenaere, B., Zandvliet, R., Farzan, K., & Reijnen, M. (2022). Transgressive Behaviour in Dutch Youth Sport. Social Sciences, 11(8), 348. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci11080348
Hudson, J. M., & Bruckman, A. S. (2004). The Bystander Effect: A Lens for Understanding Patterns of Participation. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 13(2), 165-195. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327809jls1302_2
Verhelle, H., Vertommen, T., & Peters, G-J, Y. (2022). Preventing Sexual Violence in Sport: Determinants of Positive Coach-Bystander Behaviour. Frontiers in Psychology, 13:862220, https://doi.3389/fpsyg.2022.862220