5 Scoring Goals in Youth Literature: Examining Soccer Presence and the Possible Impact on Reader Engagement

Faculty Mentor: Lauren Liang (Educational Psychology, University of Utah)

Research has indicated that children’s books can positively impact a child’s curiosity, general exposure to new things, and interest in and attitude toward sports. Research on children’s sports literature is, however, scarce. The number of youth playing soccer at some time in their life is rising as the sport gains popularity. As a result, “soccer stories” are now regularly requested by children and teens from libraries or sought after in bookstores and schools. Secondary educators also report searching for soccer-themed, well-written, and captivating fictional works to “hook” reluctant middle and high school readers into reading for pleasure. However, these books are frequently hard to find. Searches for “youth soccer literature” yield many titles but the actual presence of soccer practice and play within the book varies. This can affect reader engagement with the books; expectations that a book centers on soccer might not be met. In a larger study of middle-grades soccer fiction the overall soccer “presence” was calculated and examined in relationship to other book characteristics.

The larger study aimed to analyze characteristics typical to the fictional soccer books for middle-grade readers, to examine patterns that relate to plots, diversity presence, themes, and portrayal of main character and secondary characters, and to look at the representation and authenticity of soccer details in play and related values. All titles included met the following criteria:

• Fiction novels or chapter books with more than 100 pages,
• aimed at an audience of ages 10 to 15/grades 5th through 9th,
• including a main character who plays or is learning how to play soccer, and
• the sport of soccer is integral to the plot.

The information about the books was categorized using content analysis, and typical characteristics and potential significant relationships were investigated using descriptive statistics.

A subsequent study of overall soccer presence and its relationship to other book sub- categories was conducted. Chapters were coded for soccer presence into four categories: (1) formal soccer play of games or practices with a coach present, (2) informal soccer played or discussed, (3) both informal and formal soccer in chapter, and (4) no soccer in chapter. These code categories were compiled to examine the total soccer presence in each book by comparing the total number of chapters coded as category 1, 2, or 3 to the total overall number of chapters in the book. Using these percentages, we calculated the average overall total soccer presence in middle grades soccer books to be 47.3%, or just under 50%.

Because the soccer presence in the set of books had a wide range (12 – 86%), we sorted the books into three categories: (1) low total soccer presence (0-32% of the book), (2) medium total soccer presence (33-66%), and (3) high total soccer presence (67-100%). This resulted in a fairly even split: 8 books in Category One (Low), 10 books in Category Two (Medium), and 6 books in Category Three (High). We then examined the data to determine any significant interactions between level of soccer presence and other book characteristics.

Analysis found no significant relationships between level of soccer presence and most other book characteristics. However, the relationship between Main Character Soccer Skill Level and Level of Soccer Presence was approaching significance (p < 0.10) at 0.06 and indicated that if the main character is “highly skilled,” the book is most likely to have medium soccer presence. If the main character is a “mid-range player,” then the book is most likely to have low soccer presence. The relationship between Coach Skill Level and Level of Soccer Presence was also approaching significance (p < 0.10) at 0.09 and indicated that if the coach is “exceptional” (defined as involved with the players outside of games and practices, helping out with issues around home life, school life, etc.), then the book is likely to have low soccer presence. Both relationships are understandable in the context of the books: highly skilled players will have more regular mention of soccer in their described daily life and experiences than mid-range players, and books with a coach notably more involved with players’ lives outside the field will contain more text related to this depiction, thus showing more of the player’s life outside the field.

Soccer is integral to the plot of all the books in the study, but the actual description of soccer games, practices, and soccer discussion at 47 % is lower than might be expected when thinking about “soccer books.” This lower presence of soccer play and practices within the books might deter children who are specifically seeking high levels of soccer play description to pursue more of these titles after reading one. However, for other young readers seeking soccer books, the depiction of soccer as being a part of the everyday lived experience of the main character, something that always affects their overall life, may be more authentic to their own experiences and allow for greater engagement. Educators helping students in the search for sports-related literature should be aware of the different motivations and desires of their young readers in this regard, and thus consider the level of soccer presence as a potential key factor in successful match of a student to a book. Additionally, future research in sports literature should consider this aspect of sport presence as a possible key element in their findings.