The relationship between participation in recreational sports and the dimensions of social capital (a case study of youth aged 15-29 in Tehran)

Dissertation

To obtain a master's degree

Sports management field

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to determine the relationship between participation in recreational sports and dimensions of social capital in young people aged 15-29 in Tehran. The sample size was calculated using Cochran's formula of 384 people and sampling was done by random cluster method. The current research was descriptive and correlational. The data collection tool was the third part of the comprehensive physical activity questionnaire of the World Health Organization and the six-dimensional Grotert questionnaire. Both instruments were translated in a three-step method. Their formal and content validity was checked and confirmed by a group of experts in the field of social sciences and sports management. Cronbach's alpha method was used to calculate reliability, which was 0.84 for social capital and 0.782 for sports participation. In order to analyze the research data, descriptive statistics (mean, frequency, percentage, standard deviation) and inferential statistics (k-s test, Spearman and Pearson correlation and univariate regression) were used. Based on the findings of the research, a significant and positive relationship was observed between participation in sports and membership in groups and networks, trust and unity, shared activities and cooperation, dependence and social cohesion, empowerment and participation in political activities. But the variable of participation in recreational sports did not show a significant relationship with the amount of information and communication. The regression results showed that participation in recreational sports is a significant predictor for social capital. By providing social capital through information and awareness in order to increase trust and unity, teaching socialization, participation, social solidarity among young people, supporting cultural centers, holding sports competitions with the purpose of making people happy, ensuring the safety of young people in order to participate voluntarily in institutions, promoting local groups, grounding, creating and strengthening social institutions are among the methods of increasing social capital.

-1 Introduction

    Social capital[1] with its wide range of concepts has increasingly attracted the attention of social science experts and thinkers in the last 20 years. This capital is the origin of groups that are organized spontaneously and voluntarily, and its existence is necessary and vital for the proper functioning of public and official institutions. Social networks and norms related to social capital are created through different forms of participation in civic and communication activities that include personal interactions, and in this way increase trust and interaction. In general, its profitable consequences at the individual level are improving health, creating and improving entrepreneurial opportunities, and at the community level, increasing social coordination and cohesion, economic and social development, and reducing the crime rate and democratic procedures (Parasamhru et al., 2012). Cooperation always seems easier in a society that is blessed with remarkable social capital (Sharapour and Hosseini Rad, 2017). Today, it is certain that reaching development, civil society, universal standards and a suitable platform for social life can only be formed with the existence of social capital. Fukuyama[2] considers life in a society with social capital to be simple and considers the growing inadequacies and problems of Western countries as a result of the erosion and depletion of this capital, especially its main source, the family (Mohareghi, 2015). Social activities at the unorganized level have the ability to motivate, inspire and create social spirit in the society. Sports can be used as a means to create new friendships and social connections, especially between different classes in terms of religion and ethnicity. These people can include athletes, non-athlete participants (spectators) and finally it can lead to an increase in the norms of trust and interaction.

Putnam [3], the most famous social capital theorist, believes that most sports are a communicative activity due to their nature, and participation in sports involves the conscious participation of people as participants and spectators, who are mutually connected and as a result of these mutual relationships, social rewards between them. is exchanged Putnam defines membership and participation in horizontally organized groups (such as sports clubs, voluntary unions, etc.) and civic participation networks..) and considers civil partnership networks as one of the necessary forms of social capital (Parasamhru et al., 2012). Getting out of the current situation requires suitable and appropriate tools, including sports activities as a multidimensional tool with extensive health, economic, and social effects, helping to have healthy leisure time and creating vitality and vitality (Razavi and Taheri, 2008). Recreational sports can compensate for the inactivity of daily life in free time, and it is one of the most suitable and perhaps the most necessary types of free time in today's era. (Jalali Farahani, 1390). The social function of sports in the development and consolidation of social relations is a basic and fundamental function that leaves significant effects on the entire structure of society and the relationships in social strata and individuals (Krimian et al., 2013). But in parallel with the increase in population, face-to-face relationships lose their function and are replaced by other types of relationships. According to Simmel[4], the result of such conditions is the instability of relationships and the reduction of social trust. Social capital is one of the multifaceted concepts in social sciences, which was scientifically and academically proposed in the early 20th century and entered the political science and sociology texts since 1980. The application of the concept of social capital as it is considered today has gradually become common in the 1990s (Sheikhi, 2013). However, in the third world countries, the lack of these connections and of course the undesirable and non-functional efficiency of trade union or group centers and associations is significant and tangible. (Researcher, 2015). In the meantime, sport is known as a social and cultural phenomenon that has forced people to interact and interact in a social network that has complex social relationships, and has become the arena for the emergence of meaningful behaviors, attitudes, and representations in the current century. (Fathi, 1388).

         Social capital and social networks are one of the environmental factors that determine the level of adaptation and health of the society, because social activities and movements require more physical activities than activities that are in social isolation (Terkano Parsamehr, 1391).

This research is based on the six-dimensional division Grotert [5] will use, which is as follows:

1- Groups and networks [6]

    Groups can be formal organized groups or informal groups and volunteers. These groups contain a wide range of diversity (Grotert, 2004). Performing volunteer activities due to the transfer of knowledge and personal trust increases social growth and promotes human value in the society (Razavi and Taheri, 2018). 2- Trust and unity [7] This dimension goes a little beyond the conventional trust and unity in societies, it seeks to show how much people are willing to trust their neighbors, government, local or central authorities (Grotert, 2004). ). Trust is considered the basic prerequisites for the economic, social, cultural and political development of any society. By expanding the culture of trust, instead of negative values ??such as lies, fraud, flattery, hypocrisy, etc., positive moral values ??such as honesty, truthfulness, fairness, trustworthiness, commitment and courage can be cultivated in the society (Hyderabadi, 2013). Other larger communities contribute and participate in collective projects; And in response to the crises, they do the necessary cooperation (Grotert, 2004). In this regard, the Ministry of Sports and Youth declares that social participation and the development of youth humanitarian activities can reduce social harm and lead to the control and prevention of cyberspace harm (Portal of the Ministry of Sports and Youth, 2013).

4- Information and communication [9]

This dimension is explored to show how people use information sources to obtain important information that they need throughout the day. they do