Influence of Peer Interaction through Peer Components on Talent Identification for Players in Rugby Clubs in Kenya

Abstract

The quality of the relationship between adolescents and their peers, as well as the type of peers they associate with, play important roles in aiding or impeding their career choices. The influence of peer interaction through peer components have, however, not been examined in talent identification amongst rugby players in Kenya. The objective of this study therefore was to investigate the influence of peer components on talent identification for players in rugby clubs in Kenya. The peer components included rugby being viewed as a prestigious sport, on the basis of social interaction and as a health and fitness gain. Data were collected using Questionnaires and interviews from rugby players (n= 125) and coaches (n=15) during the 2018/2019 Kenya Rugby Union league competition. Data were analyzed through both descriptive and inferential statistics of Chi- square test of independent measures. The study concluded that the peer components had a significant influence on talent identification for rugby players in Kenya. In addition, the most influential peer component was identified as health and fitness gains from the findings. The study recommends the use of friends as a key socio-economic variable for talent identification for rugby clubs in Kenya. Other studies involving other socio-cultural components that are likely to impact on talent identification like family, coaches, schools, club infrastructure, need to be conducted