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Youth Cultures
Dr. Babson

Final Instructions

Length: 4000 words, NOT including references, protocols or any other appendices
Format: 12-Point Times New Roman; Name, Date, Section; References in APA
Goal: To present a final report of your project work.

Instructions:

Your papers should include 6 sections:

1. Research Question
2. Methods
3. Research Findings and First Analysis
4. Second Analysis and Addressing the Research Question
5. Summary and Ideas for Future Research
6. References

Section 1, Research Question: should derive from previous work you have done in the
course:

1. State your research question: What did you want to find out? (1-2 sentences)
2. Describe how you arrived at your research question, citing the five scholarly

sources you found that helped academically justify your research question in
terms of a “gap” or “puzzle piece” that called for empirical investigation. (10-12
sentences)

Section 2, Methods: should comprise the following:

1. State the types of interviews and observations you employed, and why you chose
them. (7-8 sentences)

2. Describe the types of interviews and observations you employed in detail. (25-30
total sentences in this part)
a) Interviews: tell us how many people you interviewed and who they were

(gender, race/ethnicity, class, location). In a few sentences only, say why you
chose these people to interview?

o If you created a formal interview protocol of 5-10 questions, describe
the protocol, and explain why you chose to ask those questions. (5-8
sentences).

§ Include this protocol after the References section in a section
called “Formal Interview Protocol”.

o If you conducted a semi-structured interview guided by 5 themes, list
what those themes were, and then provide 2-3 examples of questions
that came up while you discussed each theme. (5-8 sentences)

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b) If you conducted participant observation, describe the settings and interactions
you had. Describe your “informants” i.e., the people with whom you
interacted, in the same way you described your interviewees. (5-8 sentences
per setting)

c) If you conducted direct observation, provide a description of your observation
process, including the settings of each observation, and what you were
looking for vs. what you found. (5-8 sentences per setting)

Section 3, Research Findings and First Analysis: will include a descriptive presentation
of your research results: what you saw, heard, and/or learned in as much detail as
possible. (35-40 sentences)

1. Your chief mode of analysis will be the categorizing strategy of thematic
development, per Chapter 5 of Maxwell.

• You will work with the written data you have: notes, transcriptions or
both.

• Practically speaking: I am asking you to read Maxwell’s categorizing
strategy to mean, basically, organizing the data by patterns. You start by
marking any patterns in the data (coding), then naming them, then seeing
if they become larger, dominant patterns called themes.

• Not all important data is patterned, though. If there are significant
meanings in the data that were marked (“coded”) but don’t fit into any
patterns, describe them and explain their possible importance, and use the
section on connecting strategies in Maxwell.

2. Practical advice:
• When describing the significant themes in (1) above, use relevant

quotations, either from your own field notes or transcriptions, so that we
can hear participants in their own voices.

• If you record the interview, be sure to record a clear verbal consent to
interview about the specific subject matter. If you wish, you can include
transcribed interviews as an attachment. All data should be kept
anonymous, unless clear verbal consent is given otherwise.

Section 4, Second Analysis and Addressing the Research Question
This section will 1) deepen the first analysis by connecting it to the academic literature
and 2) address the research question. In Section 3, you were reporting what you found,
not interpreting it; here are you are interpreting it, namely: how do your data from
Section 3 help make a “puzzle piece” to help us resolve a research problem? In other
words, how do your data agree or disagree with the scholarly research on the youth
culture and with what other sources say (“the literature”)? Based on your findings, what
claims are you prepared to make? If your research findings suggest something different
from what you learned from your scholarly sources, how do you account for that
difference? What conclusions have you drawn about your youth culture? What led you to
them? (30 sentences)

Section 5, Summary and Ideas for Future Research: should include a summary of your
conclusions, how they relate to the course questions, and some suggestions for further

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research in the area. How do your responses for the youth culture you studied lead you to
draw conclusions about youth cultures in general? What’s next? (10 sentences)

Section 6, References: Only includes works you are actually using in your final paper.
You need a minimum of five scholarly sources of the three approved types (academic
book, article or reference text). APA format required.

Name Redacted

Dr. Babson

Youth Cultures (010)

30 April 2018

Qualitative Research Final

Research Question

For my research project I wanted to do something related to sports, but that was

challenging because it’s hard to connect athletics and youth subcultures. So, I thought about

other physical activities and realized skateboarding is the epitome of youth subcultures, but I still

wanted to connect it to athletics in some way. My research question is “Are skateboarders any

more likely to be careless, lazy or neglectful in comparison to kids who played organized

sports”.

The scholarly articles I used to help my research were very useful because of the depth of

research that has already been done with skateboarders. I changed a few of my sources from my

proposal, but the ones that I used were beneficial in the later parts of my research process. The

book by Michael D. Giardina and Michele K. Donnelly observes the effects of certain

characteristics and their relation to the youth sporting culture. They examine the politics that

reside with different events and groups such as youth skaters and the Little League World Series.

My next source from Margaret Gatz, Michael A. Messner, and Sandra J. Ball-Rokeach examined

the correlation between youth development and their activities and hobbies. The book also

discusses how the playing field can be a place of comfort for kids, but other distractions can take

away from it such as the access and competitiveness. Because I was never into skateboarding my

next source from Becky Beal and Lisa Weldman helped me understand the values and norms of

this group of people. Both of the authors have been associated with the skateboarding world for

over thirty years and they share stories and occurrences they have had with skateboarders and the

industry. In Holly Thorpe’s research, she looked into the differences and trends with non-

competitive and informal action sports. My final source from Christine Haines, Theresa Maria

Smith and Mary F. Baxter looks into some of the influences surrounding skateboarding, both

when first getting involved and later when it has become a norm for one. The authors conducted

interviews and provided analysis for it.

Methods

I don’t have a long history of research, but I feel like I can use that as an advantage by

bringing a different way of thought. This particular research was most beneficial through

conducting observational and interviewing methods. I conducted a direct observation, so I

watched everyone skating from a short distance away. My interview method was semi-formal

and I sat down with five people together at a friend of mines house. I think after the interviews I

really got a better understanding what separates skateboarders from the mainstream.

Interview Process

I was planning on doing a more formal interview, but I came to the realization that it

would be more favorable to my research if I had a more open discussion. You should know that I

knew some of the interviewees more well than others. All five of them attend Temple University

but their history in the skateworld varies. It was very easy to have this conversation and the

interviewees enjoyed it, but I cam up with five themes that I really wanted to go into more depth

about.

Themes and Example Questions

• History – How long is your history with skateboarding, and how did you

get into it?

• Qualities – What are the best characteristics that describe you?

• Discipline – Do you have any history of school disciplinary and/or have

you ever been arrested?

• Influences – What are some of the things that you have been influenced by

because of skating?

• Athletics – Do you have any history of sports?

I was able to get thorough and meaningful responses from all of them. They all had a different

backgrounds with skating so it was interesting to hear their thoughts. The process of the

interview couldn’t have more convenient as I was at my friends house and he had a few other

“skater” friends over, two of which I know, and I just asked them if we could have a discussion

about everything skateboarding. It’s easy to get people to talk, if they care or are appealed to the

topic. While there is no question that this was in a discussional manner, I made sure to collect the

information that I needed from each interviewee. It’s important to note that one of the

interviewees is is a phenomenal skater, and has multiple sponsorships. As you would expect he

has been skating for a pretty long time. Only one of the interviewees has been skating for less

than five years.

Interviewees

1. 19, Male (Skating for 7+ years)
2. 18, Male (Skating for 4+ years)
3. 19, Male (Skating for 8+ years)
4. 21, Male (Skating for 5+ years)
5. 21, Male (Skating for 7+ years)

Observation Process

The observation method was very enjoyable, but I’m not sure if had as much of an effect

as the interviewing method. For this method, I went to the little makeshift skatepark on Cecil B.

Moore across from Morgan Hall. During the fall semester I would stop by at time in between

classes to see some friends. It should well known that I’m terrified to put both feet on a

skateboard. It was a beautiful day and I just got of class, so I decided to sit down for a moment.

After talking briefly, he hopped back on his board and continued to skate. I stayed put on the

steps and observed all that was in front of me. Since it was a nice day it was very much crowded

there, there had to be over forty skateboarders out riding. I walk by there very often so I notice

when it’s more crowded in comparison to when it is not. It is always interesting to see of the

jumps and rails that they had made. They made a jump out of two cartons and piece of metal.

While you can’t get crazy air off the jump, it is still impressive some of the tricks that are done.

One thing that I was looking for was when someone made a mistake or if they had a

tough fall. I was curious to see this because I wanted to see how they would then respond to that

hardship. How some responds to a time of difficulty is very telling about that person. Another

characteristic I thought I would see was the creativity. Some of these guys are really good, and

they can get some real air and do some pretty wild things with that board. I also wanted to see

the kind of interactions that were taking place between the skaters. Because skateboarding is

such an individualistic activity, it was intriguing to see if there was much communication taking

place. Since I’m not the most familiar with skateboarding, I wanted to know if there was much

competitiveness to them. Would they get really frustrated after being unable to land a trick? Is

the goal to just always land a new trick? These were some of the thoughts that were running

through my head.

Research Findings and First Analysis

Observations Cecil B. Moore Skatepark, Thursday April 12, 2018, 3:30 pm

There was at least twenty people riding their boards around and probably another ten

more guys already sitting on the steps. Since my friend was there I talked to him momentarily

before he got back on his board. There was also a good amount of people sitting in the grass

area. The people sitting on the steps are all pretty much conversing. A couple of them are eating,

and four or five of them are smoking either a cigarette or a vape of some sort. A few of them are

drinking some beers as well. Their all pretty sweaty because it actually got up to seventy degrees

today. They sound their just joking around and having a good time. The morale between them all

seems very high and they appear to be really enjoying their afternoon. There is an endless cycle

of guys hopping off their boards to take a break, and then hopping back on just moments later. It

seems that they get tired and need a break after being out there for too long. Others just check

their phone real quick or take a smoke break. Most of them don’t take a break for any longer than

ten minutes or so. I think it’s interesting that there was only one girl there, and she was actually

pretty good. There was a sense of diversity there. The majority of the skaters were white. But I

would say at least a quarter of them were African American, and there was two Indians. After

taking the time to really examine the setting I was in I then turned my eye to the action.

The first thing I paid attention to was the little jump that they had. I wanted to see the

different tricks that they were able to do. I was also watching the rail that was set up. I noticed

that there was a sort of routine to it. There was three lanes, and only one person would go at once

in each lane. When you go you try one trick, and then you kind of just get hang out and converse

with the others for a quick minute before going again. It was crazy to see guys be able to two or

three feet in the air, and then be able to control yourself in the air before hopping onto a bench

and grind on it. I also saw people take some pretty bad falls, and I know that they did not feel

good. Not one person out there was wearing a helmet or any sort of protection for their body. I

guess if you wear a helmet that makes you not cool. I noticed that a couple of them had

headphones in listening to music, but most of them were free spirited and communicative with

each other.

Interviews

My semi-formal interview was an open conversation with five participants. My interview

had a main focus of five themes, which I shared before. Everybody kind of knew everybody if

not they were mutual friends so it had a nice flow because the five of them all shared something

in common. The conversation was sidetracked at times, but I was able to get the answers I was

seeking and they are transcribed below. (The number matches the person and their characteristics

from before)

What are the three best characteristics that would describe you? (It is worth noting that because

they were friends of each, they helped each other answer this which gave more honest responses)

1. “Responsible, Decisive, Creative”
2. “Quick-Thinker, Reliable, Honest”
3. “Funny, Loyal, Courageous”
4. “Optimistic, Creative, Risk-Taker”
5. “Friendly, Determination, Curious”

I think are all impressive attributes to have. I heard the word “creative” very often when

we were discussing this which came as no surprise. These are some diverse characteristics, but

they also have some similarities. That is interesting to consider if we tried to characterize these

group of skaters as a whole.

Do you have any serious discipline history with the law or in school?

1. “I got an underage and possession at senior week. But that’s really it, nothing in
school.”

2. “I got suspended in high school for packing a lip in school. I think I got like three
days. That’s the only thing.”

3. “Nope.”
4. “I never got an underage or even been close to a situation where I was in trouble

with the police. And that is pretty crazy considering the amount I drink. But I’m

allowed to now. But no I have never done anything wrong with the law.”

5. Yeah I got a couple underages. The first was when I was like seventeen and down
the beach, I got caught on the boardwalk. The second time I was at a house party

that got booked.”

The first thing that is worth nothing is that none of the offenses above are too serious.

Yeah kids drink and they make mistakes sometimes. These responses are critical to the research

question when considering any negatives these guys may have. I believe it is fair to say their not

significant.

How did you get into skating?

1. “I got into skating in middle school. It was hard before I had my license because I
wasn’t able to get to the skatepark. I know my parents would’ve drove me if I had

football practice though. But I’ve been pretty much skating since, other than when

I took a year off cause I broke my collarbone.”

2. “I’ve been skating since sophomore of high school. I really got into cause of this
guy (Interviewee #3). But he gave me a skateboard and I tried and it out and

decided I liked to do it.”

3. “Yeah, I’ve been skating since I was like ten or eleven. I wasn’t really the sports
guy, but I loved to skateboard. I just kept doing it and became pretty good at it.”

4. “Yeah, I’ve been skating since like sophomore of high school. I had a longboard
before and then got into skating. It became really convenient when I got to

college.”

5. “I got into when I was like fourteen or fifthteen. Some of my friends were really
into, so I decided to give it a go, and I haven’t stopped since.”

Interviewee #1’s response was very intriguing. It’s compelling that he feels his parents

mistreated him in way for deciding to skate. He believe it wasn’t because they didn’t like that he

did, it was more of that it was imperative and he didn’t have any real obligation to it. All of the

interviewees have a pretty decently long history with skateboarding.

Do you think skating has influenced you in any way?

1. “I really don’t think so. I don’t really see how it could have.”
2. “I wouldn’t say it influenced me, but it has helped me for sure. I say this because I

think it helped me build my sense of toughness and perseverance and creativity.”

3. “I mean I have been skating for so long that it’s just apart of me. I guess you
could say it influenced me in that way, but it’s just apart of who I am. I’m going

to be riding a skateboard when I’m fifty.”

4. “Nah, not really. Like he (Interviewee #2) said it’s helped me mature and grow as
a person in a way. But I don’t think it’s like actually influenced me to do

something.”

5. “I agree with you guys. Just because it’s an activity you do, it doesn’t necessarily
influence you. I just see it as the fact that I enjoy riding my skateboard and

landing tricks but there isn’t much more to it.”

This question really gives you something to think about. Many people stereotype skaters,

but the skaters themselves think that’s not fair and they have a great sense of individualism to

them. It’s important to that we note that a couple of the interviewees really emphasized how

much skating has helped them mature and grow.

Did you ever play any organized sports?

1. “Played soccer for a year in high school, that’s really it.”
2. “Yeah I played lacrosse and hockey. I thought I was pretty good, I was on varsity

for junior and senior year. Our team wasn’t that good, though.”

3. “I played like tee ball and soccer when I was like nine but that’s really it. I’ve
always enjoyed my time with more action sports.”

4. “Yeah I played lacrosse and wrestling. Wasn’t very good at lacrosse, I was alright
at wrestling though.”

5. “I just played soccer for like two years in high school, that is really it though.”

This was my favorite question, and I really looked forward to the responses. I think it’s

significant that they all gave it a try at one point or another in their lives but they all had different

feelings towards. Some really enjoyed and appreciated being apart of a team, while others didn’t

have as much love for it.

Second Analysis and Addressing the Research

My research question is the comparison of skateboarders and athletes in regard to

characteristics that may describe them. I believe it is fair to say that youth organized sports is

extremely beneficial for the development of young kids. It is necessary that I make that basis

now for which I will compare the data that I have collected to it. Gatz, Messner, and Ball-

Rokeach really emphasize this idea in their book, “…sport contributes to learning the skills and

values necessary to succeed in education, in the workforce, and throughout life” (Gatz, 2002, pp

43). I think this is a completely fair, but that doesn’t mean people who aren’t athletes can’t do

succeed as well. There is no reason why an athlete should have the ability to get a job or get

good grades versus a skater.

As I’ve mentioned throughout this piece, there is a sense of toughness for every skater.

To have the will to continuously fall and get back up is truly impressive. It’s something I noticed

in the observational method. All of the guys I interviewed had bumps and bruises on them, and

had stories of some serious injuries. Giardina and Donnelly discuss this fine attribute in their

book, “Regardless of this distinction, skateboarding requires physical strength, balance, agility

and bravery. To skate is to know how to fall and how to attempt complicated and risky tricks”

(Donnelly, 2008, pp 117). I have stressed the significance of this trait, and it’s something that

will help every skateboarder throughout life. The perseverance to fight through hard times can be

life-changing.

The term “creativity” is one that you have read a lot about. That is because it is one of the

most common characteristics between skateboarders. Skateboarders can make a sidewalk look

like an X-Games skatepark. Challenging yourself to think unlike others is how magnificent

things are accomplished. Creativity is needed to change the world. Beal and Weldman reiterate

this very common norm with skaters in their article, “The skaters asserted that this lack of

formality allowed them more freedom to explore and express themselves” (Beal, 2003, pp 338).

The world needs more creative minds, people can’t feel pressured by others. Being able to

express ourselves is how we grow as people. Creative is without question present in the

skateboarding world, and it is very much beneficial to every skater.

Another trend I believe was demonstrated through my research process was the

individualism. I think skateboarders have a competitive side to them, and that is the drive of self-

improvement. This sense of individualism contributes to qualities like responsibility, maturity,

and creativity. Holly Thorpe talks about the advantages that skateboarding can provide, but

organized sports are unable to, “ In contrast to organized sports such as soccer and basketball,

most action sports are non-competitive (although competitions are popular among elite

performers), thus offering opportunities for children and youth to gain a sense of achievement

without having to compete against, and beat, another team or player. Rather, participants can

learn alongside one another and gain a sense of accomplishment based on their own skill

development” (Thorpe, 2014, pp 100). Thorpe believes skaters can feel the same satisfaction as

athletes in their own way. This is very much true, we all find happiness different ways. If

something drives you and that’s why satisfies you, then you should continue to do. It is also

important that we challenge ourselves, because being uncomfortable can build character. Haines,

Smith and Baxter analyze the driving force behind skaters, “Skateboarders ultimately are

motivated by mastering the challenges they have set for themselves” (Haines, 2011, 240). After

we are challenged or go through a hard time, we learn both about the world and ourselves. I

believe the greatest skill one can have is perseverance.

With all that being said, I think it is fair to skateboarding can have just a great

contribution to self-improvement as as organized sports. The two themes that really stuck out to

me the most were creativity and toughness. I believe the majority of skateboarders have those

attributes, and those skills are extremely impactful in life. Going into this research project I

thought I would discover that I have reason to believe skaters are more careless and lazy than

others. And when I come to think of it, I truly had no reason to believe this. As the I progressed

through the research, I was forced to think otherwise.

Summary and Ideas for Future Research

As I previously stated, I thought differently of skateboarders prior to conducting this

research. I believe my research accomplished its goal which was to answer my question of, “Are

skateboarders any more likely to be careless, lazy or neglectful in comparison to kids who played

organized sports”. To give a complete and formal response to that I believe skating provides its

own sense of qualities and traits, and some of which organized sports aren’t able to provide. I

think the main influence of me coming to this conclusion was the interview method. It was very

informative to get these direct, honest responses which really helped me go into depth and

enlighten in certain areas. I think it’s hard to find much creativity in organized sports because of

the formalities and rules.

It’s well known that there is much research that has already been conducted in regard to

the subculture of skateboarding. I think my question was different from many others, though.

When discussing future research ideas, I think would be interesting to look into if skating is a

possible correlation of art, or the drop off of older skaters. Is the issue with age due to physical

reasons, or because skating is a newer hobby. It would also be interesting to see if there is a

relationship with skateboarding and concussions, because so few skaters wear helmets. I think all

of these questions have potential, and give people something to really think about.

References

Donnelly, M. K., & Giardina, M. D. (2008). Youth culture and sport: identity, power, and

politics. New York: Routledge. Vol 1, pp 71-90.

Gatz, M., Messner, M. A., & Ball-Rokeach, S. (2002). Paradoxes of youth and sport. Albany:

State University of New York. Vol 1, pp 13-30.

Beal, Becky & Weldmane, Lisa, (2003). Authenticity in the Skateworld. Faculty Publications.

Vol

1, pp 337-352.

Thorpe, Holly (2014). Action Sports for Youth Development: Critical Insights for SDP

Community. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, Vol 8, 91-116.

Haines, Christine, Smith, Theresa Marie & Baxter, Mary F (2011). Participation in the

Risk-Taking Occupation of Skateboarding. Journal of Occupational Science, Vol 17,

239-245