Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Coach-athlete relationships Coaching (Athletics)'

Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 2005.
Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 111 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

This study examined the relationship between coaching behaviors and traits and their impact on athlete motivation and affective learning in a collegiate coactive team setting. By conducting in-depth interviews with NCAA Division I men’s tennis players at a Midwestern, mid-sized University it was discovered that Coach Craig Keller’si credibility and caring behaviors had the most salient impact on athlete intrinsic motivation, his use of mild verbal aggression and his career record had the most salient impact on athlete extrinsic motivation, and his extreme verbal aggression and lack of feedback/praise significantly decreased their levels of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Moreover, the athletes noted that Coach’s credibility and caring behaviors increased their levels of affective learning, his will to win and desire to be professional increased affective learning through trait modeling, and his inability to follow through with claims decreased their affective learning. The most significant finding was that Coach’s dynamic leadership had the most positive impact on player intrinsic motivation while his mild verbal aggression had the most positive impact on player extrinsic motivation. However, it was discovered that this type of leadership ceased being motivational when the sentiment of the messages became negative and singled out individual players.
Department of Speech Communication

Effective leadership is a concept shown to be important for successful team performance in the fields of business, education, and sport. In sport, the role of the athlete leader has been under-examined and specifically, how coaching behaviors can affect athlete leader behaviors and how various leadership models (e.g., trait, behavioral, situational) relate to the athlete leader role has never been studied. The present study examined how autocratic, democratic, and collaborative coaching styles affect the athlete leader behavior preferences of athletes of different genders and sport types. Three coach scenarios reflecting the three aforementioned coaching styles were created so that athletes could imagine that they were coached by the individual presented in the scenario and then rate what type of athlete leader behaviors that they would prefer given the style of the coach that they read about. Results showed that the coach scenarios failed to have a significant impact; however, significant differences were discovered between men and women and between individual and team sport athletes on variables measuring preferred performance/task, relationship, motivation, and representation behaviors. Data were gathered on the style of athletes' current coach and this variable also produced significant differences for such behaviors as resolving conflict, providing positive reinforcement, and acting respectfully towards others. In addition, exploratory analyses showed that athletes who hold different leadership positions prefer different athlete leader behaviors. The current study seemed to offer concrete evidence on how coaching style can affect athlete leader preferences and how the athlete leader role can be explained by trait, behavioral, and situational leadership theories; however, future studies will have to further explore the impact that a coach's style can have on the behavior of athlete leaders as well as analyzing the relationship between athlete leaders and teammates utilizing the transformational leadership approach.

Based in Self-Determination Theory (SDT), the overall objective of this thesis was to explore how the coaching context, coach psychological needs, and coach motivation influenced coaches’ interpersonal behaviours when they interacted with their athletes, and how these interpersonal behaviours impacted athletes’ psychological needs and motivation in sport. This objective was achieved through a series of 10 studies, looking at different samples of coaches and athletes, divided into four manuscripts. First, there was a need to create a measure that captured both perceptions of others’, as well as self-reports of the six interpersonal behaviours according to SDT (autonomy-support, competence-support, relatedness-support, autonomy-thwarting, competence-thwarting, and relatedness-thwarting). As such, in Manuscript #1, the Interpersonal Behaviours Questionnaire (IBQ) was created and validated as a general measure of perceptions of other people’s interpersonal behaviours (Study 1 N = 534 students; Study 2 N = 351 students) and as a self-report of interpersonal behaviours used in general (Study 3 N = 607 students). In Manuscript #2, the validity of the measure was extended to include the sport context by testing the scale with coaches and athletes. Specifically, Study 1 (N = 239 athletes) validated the measure with a sample of athletes reporting on their coaches’ behaviours, and Study 2 (N = 240 coaches) looked at coaches’ reports of their own behaviours in their interactions with their athletes. Overall, the results of these five studies provided support for the factor structure and validity of the IBQ as a measure of perceived and self-reported interpersonal behaviours in both the general context, as well as sport. Next, Manuscript #3 explored the antecedents of coaches’ reported interpersonal behaviours. Specifically, Study 1 (N = 56 coaches) looked at the coaching context in order to identify the factors that had the largest impact on coaches’ experiences. In Study 2 (N = 310 coaches), the relationship between coaches’ psychological needs, motivation for coaching, and interpersonal behaviours was explored to confirm the sequence occurred as would be expected according to SDT. Finally, in Study 3 (N = 225 coaches), the influence of the contextual factors on coaches’ psychological needs, motivation, and interpersonal behaviours was examined. Overall, the results supported that coaches in a supportive context experienced increased need satisfaction, higher autonomous motivation for coaching, and were more likely to engage in supportive interpersonal behaviours with their athletes; while coaches in a thwarting context experienced increased need frustration, higher controlled motivation, and were more likely to engage in thwarting interpersonal behaviours. Finally, Manuscript #4 explored the outcomes of coaches’ interpersonal behaviours. First, Study 1 (N = 180 athletes) looked at athletes’ perceptions of their coaches’ behaviours and how their perceptions impacted psychological needs and motivation in sport. Lastly, Study 2 (N = 278 athletes; N = 53 coaches) explored whether coaches’ self-reports of their interpersonal behaviours were in line with their athletes’ same perceptions of these behaviours, and explored the factors that were related to whether coaches and athletes were in agreement. These last two studies found that supportive interpersonal behaviours promoted need satisfaction and autonomous motivation for athletes; while thwarting interpersonal behaviours promoted need frustration and controlled motivation for athletes. Overall, this thesis helped extend the existing research in motivational psychology and helped address some important limitations.

Coaching efficacy is largely influenced by mastery experiences such as formal education, coaching experience, and sport participation. Further examining specific experiences, such as exposure to sport psychology, may prove helpful in advancing our understanding of coaching efficacy. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore male high school coaches' coaching experience to determine whether sport psychology education and interactions with sport psychology consultants relate to coaches' coaching efficacy. Participants, 585 males (Mage = 43.89 + 10.02), completed an online survey measuring coaching efficacy and coaching and sport psychology experience. A hierarchical regression analysis revealed that after controlling for years of coaching experience and school size, sport psychology education and interactions with sport psychology consultants were associated with higher overall coaching efficacy scores (p < .001). Additionally, analysis of covariance revealed that those with extensive sport psychology education had statistically higher coaching efficacy scores than those reporting no sport psychology education (p < .05). Knowledge of these phenomena may be relevant for sport psychology consultants, coach educators, and researchers.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
This study examines professional Australian coach and athlete perceptions of effective coaching. Rather than assess the ability or effectiveness of the coaches and teams involved, the purpose was to gather perceptions of what professional coaches and players believe it takes to be an effective coach. Given the broad range of tasks that fit under the auspice of coaching, an important question to address was ‘what’ a coach does in order to be considered effective. In addition, an understanding of ‘why’ and ‘how’ these factors are effective was also essential. These questions formed a starting point in order to find out what professional coaches do (including how they behave), and why players and coaches perceive certain coaching strategies to be effective. This study employed a qualitative research design to identify perceptions about, and strategies of, effective coaching within the professional sport context. Interviews enabled participants to discuss their interpretations of the world in which they live, from their own point of view – a key feature of the present research. Observational data allowed me to view coaching behaviours and interactions with players in training and competition contexts. Using professional Australian coaches and players from cricket, rugby union and rugby league, 6 coaches and 25 players were interviewed while up to 16 coaches and 80 players were observed during 41 observation sessions at training and competition venues. The constant comparative method (Côté, Salmela, Baria, & Russell, 1993; Côté, Salmela, & Russell, 1995b; Glaser & Strauss, 1967) was used to analyse the observation and interview accounts. This enabled rich descriptions of what effective coaches do as well as providing information regarding how and why they carry out certain actions. Findings from the current research indicated that an effective coach possesses specific personal characteristics, qualities and skills as well as a general philosophy or direction for the team. The effective coach uses their own unique leadership, player management, communication and planning skills to create and maintain the team environment to ensure that everyone involved with the team ‘works off the same page’. The interaction of all these features leads to the primary goal of player development, improvement in player performance and winning matches. This thesis identified key perceptions and applications of effective coaching based on Australian professional coach and player experiences.

This study was based upon the Multidimensional Model of Leadership (Chelladurai, 1978, 1990), and the administration of the Leadership Scale for Sport (LSS) and the Sport Orientation Questionnaire (SOQ) (Gill and Deeter, 1988). The purposes of the study were: 1) To determine the competitive achievement orientations (competitiveness, goal and win) and coaching behavior preferences (training and instruction, democratic, autocratic, social support, and positive feedback) among young male Thai athletes (n=403); and 2) to examine the relationships between competitive orientations and coaching behavior preferences among athletes for two different levels of competition, high and low; two different age groups, from ages 13-15 and 16-18; and two types of sports, team and individual. A preliminary MANOVA and ANOVAs indicated that significant age x type interactions contributed to the competitiveness achievement orientation and all coaching behavior preferences. Thai athletes showed the highest score for goal orientation, followed by competitiveness and win orientations. They preferred training and instruction, and social support coaching behaviors over democratic and positive feedback coaching behaviors. Autocratic coaching behavior was least preferred. Results of the ANOVAs indicated significant group differences in competitiveness orientation variables and all coaching behavior variables. Multivariate multiple regression demonstrated significant relationships between competitive achievement orientations and coaching behavior preferences. Canonical correlation analyses of the four age x type interaction groups were utilized, indicating bidirectional relationships between all of the competitive achievement orientations, and all of the coaching behavior preferences for older athletes who participated in either team sports or individual sports. The younger individual sport athletes presented a relationship between training and instruction, democratic and social support coaching behavior preferences and all competitive achievement orientations, whereas younger team sport athletes showed no relationship. This finding indicated a stronger influenced of coaching behavior preferences on younger individual sport athletes' competitive achievement orientations.
Graduation date: 1993

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of San Diego, 1999.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 124-132). Also available online (PDF file) by a subscription to the set or by purchasing the individual file.

Pre-competitive preparations in elite sport have been shown to be important to performance. In particular, mental preparation and mental readiness have been shown to be important determinants of successful performance. For example, Orlick and Partington (1988) highlighted that mental preparation in Olympic athletes was perceived to be important to successful performance. In the search for understanding of performance excellence researchers (e.g., Durand-Bush & Salmela, 2002, Mahoney & Avener, 1977; McCaffey & Orlick, 1989; Orlick & Partington) have highlighted the role of the coach in the development and maintenance of elite performance. Above all, the coach has been found to be a critical element of performance and has been perceived to be influential to athletic performance in both a positive or negative manner. In addition, researchers have highlighted that coaches and the coaching processes/practices that they adopt are influential in constructing a performance environment that could aid or hinder athletes preparing for and performing in competition (Côté & Sedgwick, 2003). In particular, coach-athlete interactions immediately prior to performance are suggested to be an important determinant of mental preparation and performance (Gould, Guinan, Greenleaf, Medbery, & Peterson, 1999). There is limited information, however, on coach-athlete interactions immediately prior to performance and the influence on mental preparation and performance. In this thesis, I investigated coach-athlete interactions immediately prior to performance in semi-elite basketball teams. The participants in the study were four single sex (2 male and 2 female) coach-athlete dyads competing in Australian Basketball Association (ABA) conferences. I applied a multi-method study comprising the following four linked phases for each dyad. Phase 1, involved a semi-structured interview with the coach focused on their coaching intentions/practices immediately prior to a game. Phase 2, involved observation of training and of the final hour prior to a game. Phase 3, involved a semi-structured interview with a targeted player on their perceptions of the coach prior to performance. Phase 4, involved a Verbal Cued Stimulated Recall Interview (VCSRI) with the coach. The VCSRI was focused on the coaches’ explanations and reflections on their actions and communications immediately prior to the game recorded in Phase 2. The data were analysed using ground theory methods and constant comparative analysis. Overall, I found that the four coaches aimed to construct a pre-performance environment that fostered players’ physical preparation, mental preparations and readiness, and reinforced the game plan and tactics practiced during the week. In addition, coaches were also found to spend time focused on personal preparation in order to ready themselves mentally for their role in the pre-game period and in the game. Coaches suggested that a key aspect of mental preparation was the use of pregame routines. All four coaches proposed that pre-game routines either individual or team based aided their own and athletes’ mental preparation for competition. In particular, pre-game routines facilitated athletes into a game centred focus and narrowed their attention onto the game, the team, and their individual role within the team. Coaches’ were found to have structured the pre-game preparations differently depending on the preferences of the team or their own preferred coaching style, giving players more or less free time to complete their own pre-game routines. A number of external factors mediated the structure and style of the pre-game routines. These factors included the time of the season, the level of development, player experience, and the coaches’ assessment of player preparations prior to the game. To aid players’ mental preparation coaches were found to apply a combination of motivational strategies (praise, positive reinforcement, and confidence). In particular, coaches stated that they used individual interactions to focus players and aid the players in mentally preparing for the game. The coaches achieved this through structured warm-ups, individual interactions and individual coaching, motivational strategies, player assessment, and the pre-game talk. I also found that coaches monitored their players throughout the preperformance period and used their background knowledge of the players’ personality, preferred coaching style, game state, current form, and body language to assess the progress to assess the mental readiness of players before a match. Coaches applied this mental framework to players’ pre-game preparations to assess their progress. If coaches perceived one of their players to be unprepared they would take them aside and speak individually to the player and try to refocus them by showing confidence in their ability, praise, encouragement, and individual goal setting. A key finding related to the players perception of their coach. The majority of players perceived their coaching to be a positive influence on their preparations, a source of motivation, and confidence. Players’, however, did not always agree with their coach’s decisions and style of coaching before a game. Specifically, players’ were found to have perceived coaches as organisers and facilitators, whom aided them to reach their optimal preparation for performance. The interactions between coach and player were found to differ depending on several mediating factors. The mediating factors included players’ level of development, time of the season, player’s form, opposition, the teams place on the ladder, and players’ preferred coaching style. The mediating factors determined the content and focus of the pre-game talk and the interactions with players. The results depicted in the Pre-Performance Coaching Model (VRICPP). The VRICPP model depicts the processes and interacting factors that influence coaches and athletes during the pre-game preparation, in particular mental preparation and performance. The model highlights the interaction between coach and player personal variables, the coach-athlete relationship, mediating factors, mental framework of players, coach intervention, preparation, and performance. In conclusion, coach-athlete interactions immediately prior to performance are focused on the optimal mental and physical preparation, player mental readiness and game focus, positive reinforcement of team plan/strategies, team cohesion, and coach preparation. Coach-athlete interactions were focused on motivation, confidence, positive reinforcement, and game focus. Importantly, coaches needed to be aware of all aspects of their players’ behaviour and personality in order to be an effective coach. Furthermore, coaches’ interventions were a compromise between players’ needs, what was best for the team, and what coaches perceived to be best for the player. In addition, a key aspect of coach-athlete interactions before a game was open and honest communication. Coaches and players needed to be able to openly communicate important information under pressure and with limited time available. The results from this study have important implications for coaches and athletes. In particular, knowledge of players preferred coaching style and knowledge of players’ form, mental state, and preparation before matches are important skills for elite coaches to know. In addition, coaches need to know how to effectively intervene with each player in order to aid players’ mental and physical readiness.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Michigan State University, 2004.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 262-269). Also available online (PDF file) by a subscription to the set or by purchasing the individual file.