The terms ākonga need before they can analyse participation: what a socio-cultural influence is, what a sociological perspective asks of them, and how self, others and society fit together.
The ways social, cultural, economic, political and environmental factors shape people's beliefs, attitudes, values, behaviours, choices and opportunities in relation to health and wellbeing.
Looking beyond individual choice, and asking how society, culture, relationships and wider systems shape whether a person takes part in physical activity, sport and health-related behaviour.
A sociological perspective is a shift in the question. Instead of asking what is wrong with this person, it asks what is going on around them. Both explanations below describe the same Year 11 ākonga, Sam, who has stopped playing.
"Sam just isn't motivated any more."
"Club fees went up, Sam's friends left the team, and training now clashes with a part-time job."
Three interconnected circles of influence. Each sits inside the next, so what happens at the widest level shapes the conditions at the narrowest one.
The personal factors that influence a person's thoughts, feelings, values, beliefs, attitudes, abilities, motivations and choices.
Confidence · enjoyment of sport · physical skills and fitness · personal goals and interests
The people and relationships that influence a person's experiences, decisions and behaviours.
Whānau · friends and peers · teachers · coaches · teammates
The wider social, cultural, economic, political and environmental influences that shape opportunities, expectations and behaviours.
Media · gender norms · school systems · sporting culture · government policy · access to facilities and resources
A worked example of the model applied to one age group. The tags show which circle each influence mainly operates in, though most reach across more than one.
Friends strongly shape whether ākonga take part. At this age adolescents are less influenced by family and more by their peer group. Where friends value being active, participation is more likely; where a group prioritises other things, it drops away.
As students move up the school, academic demands rise and physical education often becomes optional. Many report less time for sport because of study, assessments, part-time work and responsibilities at home.
Encouragement, transport, time and money all matter. Fees, uniforms, travel and equipment can be a real barrier, particularly for families under financial pressure.
Aotearoa has a strong sporting culture, and it carries clear ideas about who belongs in which sport. Some ākonga feel pressure to play a particular code to fit expectations or prove themselves; others find their sport gets less coverage, fewer pathways or open judgement. Either way the growing focus on winning through the mid-teen years pushes people out.
A powerful influence at this age, and one that runs through all three circles at once: it shapes how ākonga see their own bodies, what their friends talk about, and which sports and body types get treated as normal.
How easy or hard it is to reach opportunities for physical activity and sport: facilities, transport, equipment, clubs, programmes, safe spaces, time and money.
For each of the six influences, work through what it is, who it acts on, why it matters and how it shows up in practice. Then name which circle it mostly sits in, and check whether you agree with the tag on the card.
| Influence | What | Who | Why | How |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peers | ||||
| School culture | ||||
| Family and money | ||||
| Sport culture | ||||
| Social media | ||||
| Accessibility |
Use each letter only as many times as it appears above: c, l, o and u appear twice, everything else once. Set a three-minute limit, then take the longest word from each group.
