This study aims to identify the participation motives and sustaining factors of
parents whose children are involved in youth ice hockey as a form of sport for
all in Korea, and to explore strategies for its revitalization. Specifically, the
study anal...
This study aims to identify the participation motives and sustaining factors of
parents whose children are involved in youth ice hockey as a form of sport for
all in Korea, and to explore strategies for its revitalization. Specifically, the
study analyzes parents’ perceptions and experiences of their children’s
participation in youth ice hockey, with the goal of deriving key factors that
promote continued engagement and suggesting practical improvement measures.
A total of 241 parents of youth ice hockey participants across Korea were
selected as research participants. A non-probability sampling method employing
voluntary response sampling was used, and data were collected through an
online open-ended survey. The collected responses were refined and analyzed
through text mining and semantic network analysis, examining differences in
perception according to demographic characteristics. The findings are as follows.
First, the primary participation motives were identified as enjoyment of
exercise, physical fitness, children’s happiness, and social development. These- 73
results suggest that intrinsic motivations—such as enjoyment, teamwork, and a
sense of achievement—play a pivotal role in encouraging participation.
Second, the key sustaining factors included self-efficacy, psychological
fulfillment, and enhanced cooperation. Children’s confidence, positive emotions,
parental support, and coaching professionalism were found to strengthen
long-term participation, while financial burden, limited facilities, and time
constraints emerged as major sources of dissatisfaction.
Third, activation was influenced by factors such as program diversification,
tiered league structures, facility expansion and accessibility, and the training of
qualified
coaches. Notably, enhanced parent communication, SNS-based
promotion, and the reinforcement of community-level leagues emerged as
feasible strategies.
This study contributes by offering a comprehensive examination of parents’
perceptions of participation motivation, sustaining factors, and activation-related
facilitators and constraints in youth ice hockey as a lifestyle sport in Korea.
The findings also provide empirical evidence of its recreational value and serve
as a foundational resource for future policy initiatives aimed at promoting its
development.