Para qual time de futebol você torce? Validação de um instrumento para avaliação da formação do gosto pelo time de futebol do “coração” em crianças

Abstract

In the Brazilian scenario, soccer goes beyond the sports limits and appears as a social, cultural and identity phenomenon. The act of choosing a favorite soccer team in childhood includes several symbolic processes that fall into categories such as belonging and socialization, thus becoming a long-lasting identity mark. Despite its relevance at the cultural level, the absence of validated instruments to understand the phenomenon is observed. Such instruments would go beyond common-sense discussions to focus on factors that influence children’s preferences regarding soccer teams. Therefore, this thesis was structured as a multi-paper based on the following guiding question: How can a measurement instrument be designed and validated to assess the main factors that influence the development of children’s preferences for their “favorite” football team at 10 years of age? The main aim was to establish the purpose of to develop and validate an instrument capable of measuring and understanding the main categories involved in the formation of children’s preferences for their “favorite” football team at 10 years of age. To answer this study guiding question and achieve the main aim set, this research starts with a theoretical introduction that discusses soccer as a cultural and identity phenomenon, gathering contributions from several areas of knowledge such as psychology, sociology and physical education. From this starting point, the study unfolds into four independent articles which together support the development of the investigation. Article 1 identifies, by means of a theoretical review, the main external factors influencing the development of children’s preferences in the lag phase, highlighting categories such as family, culture and social class as determinants of their preferences and behaviors. Article 2 presents the systematic of psychometric properties of instruments devised to measure the supporter-soccer club relationship, allowing the recognition of methodological gaps to support the process of construction of a new instrument including children. Article 3 describes the validation phase of the initial instrument face validity/appearance by means of experts’ analyses of the target audience, ensuring clarity, pertinence, and understanding of the questions. Finally, article 4 reports the validation of content and reliability tests, confirming the psychometric suitability of the instrument and its ability to measure accurately the theoretical dimensions proposed. The results of the four productions in articulation indicate that the construction of soccer team preferences in children is influenced by interdependent social, cultural and affective factors and that the instrument validated presents satisfactory properties regarding validity and reliability. The thesis contributes to the theoretical-methodological advancement in both applied social sciences and the sports, psychology and education interdisciplinary field, delivering a novel tool that will inform future research on development of preferences and social identity in childhood. In addition to the methodological and psychometric rigor, this study highlights the power of soccer as a legitimate object of study in the scientific investigation field focusing on belonging, culture and socialization.