The article “One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: The Struggle for Child Protection in Canadian Sport” by Kerr et al. (2020). Kerr is a Ph.D. holder from the University of Toronto, a dean, and a professor. The lead author is associated with several authors and published various journals on maltreatment in youth sport, coaching practices, and coach education. This article states that both adults and children participate in sports for holistic development. Moreover, some sports are characterized by abuse, neglect, and maltreatment. Kerr et al. (2020) explain the history and evaluation of how the Canadian sports department has been trying to promote child protection. This essay will analyze the research article, “One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: The Struggle for Child Protection in Canadian Sport” by Kerr et al., 2020. The analysis would evaluate the article’s targeted audience and the role of the thesis statement. Additionally, it analyses the strengths and weaknesses of the study and the conclusion drawn from it.
Firstly, it is crucial to have a brief overview of the article. The authors address vital issues that most people and organizations overlook in sports. According to the authors, during the 19th-century, youth sport had proliferated in Canada; hence there was a need to hold campaigns that prohibited violence, inequality, and discrimination (Kerr et al., 2020). Campaigns were held to address fair play issues, mandate protective equipment, and recognize children’s rights, among other issues. Since then, the Canadian organization has responded by changing policies and practices to enhance child protection. New situations have arisen that demand more attention, the rules have kept changing. The authors explore all the sports system’s cycles of concerns and responses. Besides, Kerr et al. (2020) highlight some challenges that have undermined the Canadian sports system.
From the article, it is apparent that the authors target various stakeholders in sports. One of the authors targets the Canadian sports organization. The article highlights some historical evolution of how the sports committee has developed policies safeguarding children’s rights. In a way, the Canadian sports organization can benefit by referring to the effectiveness of various changes. Similarly, the authors highlight obstacles dragging back the Canadian Sports Organization, such as; poor funding treatment and leaders resisting independent oversight.
Secondly, the authors target all Canadian athletes. In a way, Kerr et al. (2020) are trying to show all athletes that they should report any form of physical, emotional, or sexual abuse in sports. Also, they teach athletes that abuses may cause identity loss, stigma, depression, and isolation; hence they should always fight for their rights. Thirdly, the author targets coaches and sports officials in Canada by showing them what they should do to promote equality and fairness. Also, it targets parents at home by allowing them to know that their children deserve certain rights when they are part of sporting activities.
Consequently, it is outstanding how the authors formulated the introductory part of the article. This is because the article contains all the fundamental five elements for a good introduction. Firstly, the authors identify the research problem using a narrative hook that, in a way, engages a reader to learn more about the concept (Kerr et al., 2020). In this case, the major problem is abuses, violence, maltreatment, and inequality in sports. Secondly, the introduction is outstanding since the author presents some of the studies that address the problem by summarizing a wider group of data.
Besides, the authors implement a strong thesis statement that summarizes all the content discussed in the article. Distinctly, the author’s thesis statement elaborates the article’s purpose and shows the reader’s position. Besides, it enables a reader to remain focused by delivering a significant debate. From the article, it is clear that the authors are trying to educate people about the evolution of sports in Canada and how it addresses maltreatment.
Additionally, from the thesis statement, a reader can easily understand the flow of the author’s works. Further, the article’s introduction explains the significance of the study. However, Kerr et al. (2020) fail to address the deficiencies in the past literature work by not identifying methodological or theoretical flaws in the research. On the contrary, the authors rely more on the secondary data collection methodology. Secondary data collection typically involves using other the available data by other writers to solve different questions or scenarios other than the original work.
Some secondary sources used include credible scholarly journals relevant to the topic. The authors abide by ethical principles by citing or acknowledging every information they obtain from articles, internet journals, and various books. Interestingly, all sources used were relevant to the thesis statement and ultimately addressed the issues. Some of the acknowledged authors in the article include; Prewitt, 2019; Alexander et al., 2011 and Sports Information Resource Centre, 2019. Moreover, the authors use secondary data sources since it makes it difficult for readers to analyze the data due to varying methodology and research questions.
Furthermore, the authors present their study incredibly that flows appropriately. It is easy to read and comprehend their research because they use formal language throughout the paper. This plays a significant role because it shows that the authors knew what they were doing and presenting their data. The sentences, arguments, and paragraphs are meaningful, making it easy to understand and connect the information. Similarly, Kerr et al. (20200) rely on facts to quote the percentages. For instance, the authors mention the exact percentages of athletes’ victims of maltreatment. Also, they give the number of coaches accused of misconduct. This enables readers to trust the author’s work.
Similarly, the arrangement or organization of the paragraphs enhances the flow of data. All sections are well structured, with the main statement that guides a reader to understand the central idea. The rest of the words or statements in each paragraph give deeper details and examples that illustrate, explain, and support the main statement. Additionally, Kerr et al. (20200 use headings and subheadings to organize their arguments concerning the topic; hence, the article flaws appropriately from a personal point of view. The authors should have caused main headings such as; introduction, methodology, results, and finding analysis to aid the readers to understand every section.
Apart from credibility, citation, formal language, and good organization of the article, there are several strengths in portraying the arguments. Firstly, it is fascinating how the authors explore the evolution of childhood maltreatment in sports (Kerr et al., 2020). The authors mention the bodies involved in formulating the implemented policies and practices, such as; the Canadian Centre of Ethics and Sports, The Coaching Association of Canada, and the Canadian Women and support organization. Besides, the authors define the word maltreatment and give a deep analysis of how the term applies in the field of sport.
Another strength of the article is that the authors provide recommendations that would help policymakers make decisions. For instance, they suggest that administrators, coaches, and athletes be evaluated based on mental and physical health. Also, the quality of each stakeholder should be assessed before employment to minimize misconduct. In addition, the authors suggest that child-centered approaches should be embraced to ensure kids’ developmental needs are considered, and optimal learning occurs (Kerr et al., 2020). Besides, a review of such kind is rarely done by responsible bodies; hence it provides a point of reference or a place to validate the reports made by sporting bodies in Canada. Further, the authors utilized some quantitative methodology to collect data based on their observations and surveys.
Observing the discussion keenly, it is evident that the authors have some weaknesses. In quantitative research, literature is always provided at the beginning of the study to highlight the research hypothesis. However, Kerr et al. (2020) provide limited direction for the hypothesis or research question that does not explain the specific variables and methodologies used in the study. The second topic is the Canadian context; the author does not state any variables were used to indicate the study.
Additionally, the authors fail to address the limitation of the studies. Research of this kind deserves to highlight the limitations to enable readers to interpret the validity of the methodology and the data gathered. Limitation inclusion demonstrates a comprehensive and holistic understanding of the topic and research process. Besides, it is vital as it enables other researchers to avoid possible issues (Kerr et al., 2020). Furthermore, the authors fail to give the paper’s conclusion, which gives a summary of the ideas discussed. It enables a reader to see the bigger picture of the concepts and the importance of addressing the issues.
In conclusion, the article is well written and conveys an important message that addresses sporting issues. It addresses public administrators, athletes, and organizations in Canada and globally. Every piece is convincing and relevant. The article starts on a high note and lays out a fundamental approach to solving problems. Nonetheless, it needs more organization to engage the readers. It requires main headings that give the literature review, methodology, results, finding analysis, and conclusion. It should also have a concise part that addresses the possible limitations encountered during the research and analysis of data.
Reference
Kerr, G., Kidd, B., & Donnelly, P. (2020). One step forward, two steps back: The struggle for child protection in Canadian sport. Social Sciences, 9(5), 68. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci9050068
