Exploring the Relationship between Coaches’ Leadership Behaviours and Athletes’ Positive Developmental Outcomes and Negative Experiences in Canadian University Sport

Abstract

The purpose of this dissertation was to a) examine the correlational relationships between Canadian university athletes’ perceptions of coach leadership behaviours and their perceptions of positive developmental outcomes (e.g., life skills) and negative experiences related to university sport, and b) explore how coach leadership behaviours and the associated developmental outcomes and negative experiences were described by both coaches and athletes. Data for this dissertation were collected over four stages. In Stage One, an online survey was used to collect data from a pan-Canadian sample (n = 605) of university athletes. In Stage Two, semi-structured open-ended interviews were conducted with fifteen university athletes. In Stage Three, semi-structured open-ended interviews were conducted with fourteen university coaches. In Stage Four, an online survey was used to collect data from a second pan-Canadian sample of university athletes (n = 498). Five articles were written to address the purpose of this dissertation. In Article One, data from two pan-Canadian samples of athletes were used to modify and confirm a new measurement tool known as the University Sport Experience Survey (USES). The USES provides a reliable and factorially-valid instrument for measuring development in university sport. In addition, Article One provided the first operational definitions of the positive developmental outcomes and negative experiences that could be reliably and validly assessed in a university sport context. Article Two qualitatively explored athletes’ perceptions of the developmental outcomes associated with their participation in university sport, as well as their perceptions of transfer. Results provided additional support for certain USES categories to be used for understanding positive development within the context of Canadian university sport programs. Further, results suggested university sport programs offer rich opportunities for developing skills, qualities, experiences, and relationships needed to become functioning members in our society. In Article Three, quantitative survey data were used to assess the cross-sectional relationships between athletes’ perceptions of their coaches’ leadership behaviours and outcomes from the USES. Coach leadership behaviours were conceptualized within the Full Range Leadership Model and assessed using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire. Findings showed that transformational coaching was generally related to positive developmental outcomes and inversely related to athletes’ negative experiences in sport. Moreover, coaches’ passive/avoidant behaviors were commonly related to athletes’ negative experiences in university sport. Contrary to expectations, passive/avoidant coaching behaviors were also positively related with a number of positive developmental outcomes. Article Four qualitatively assessed athletes’ perceptions of who they believed was responsible for their positive development within the university sport context. Athletes specified other athletes, the head coach, the coaching staff, and their parents as the people who influenced their positive development within the context of university sport. Notably, athletes felt they themselves were the ones who contributed the most to their own development. Article Five qualitatively explored coaches’ perceptions of and strategies for fostering their athletes’ positive development through university sport. The coaches believed there were inherent conditions surrounding university sport that facilitated positive development. However, the coaches maximized their athletes’ development by establishing a support network, building team culture, and empowering their student-athletes by teaching them fundamental skills related to self and social regulation. Together, the five articles make novel theoretical and practical knowledge contributions to the field of positive development through sport, and set a precedence for positive development research in university sport, as well as other emerging adult sport contexts.