Autonomy Supportive Coaching Style

Psychology of Sport Exercise Conroy, D.E., and Coatsworth, J.D. (2007). Assessing autonomy-supportive coaching strategies in youth sport. Psychology of Sport Exercise, 8(50, 671-684. Summary of Research Findings: Grounded in the application of self-determination theory to sports, this non-experimental study examines a component of motivational climate commonly referred to as autonomy support. The study was designed to examine whether youth engaged in organized sports could differentiate between the strategies used by their coaches to support the young athletes' autonomy.

The participants in the study consisted of 99 girls and 66 boys (N = 165) between the ages of seven and 18 years. Specifically, data was collected at three points during the six weeks the participants were engaged in a recreational summer swimming league. Measures were taken at the end of weeks 1 and 5 of perceived coaching behavior, and at week 1 and 6 for psychological need satisfaction.

The research instrumentation included the psychometric properties of the Autonomy-Supportive Coaching Questionnaire (ASCQ), the Perceptions of Coaches' Interpersonal Behavior Questionnaire (PCIBQ), and the Basic Need Satisfaction in Relationship Scale (BNSRS), as each pertained to the perceptions of young athletes experiencing two forms of autonomy-supportive coaching. The responses obtained for the ASCQ were reduced to two correlated factors that were classified as interest in athlete's input and praise for autonomous behavior. Different relations were exhibited across these correlated factors and the perceived coaching behavior ratings of the PCIBQ.

Three basic psychological needs -- as impacted by coaching behavior -- were the focus of the BNSRS in this study: autonomy, competence, and relatedness in life. Satisfaction in these three areas showed positive contrast for the two forms of autonomy-supported coaching the participants experienced. It was determined that the perceptions of young athletes about autonomy-supportive coaching could be validly assessed through the use of the ASCQ.

Although self-determination theory has been deeply researched in a number of disciplines, it has not been thoroughly considered within the context of experimental research designed to inform training programs for coaches. This article is a step toward meeting the need for empirical research in the provision of training for coaches of youth sports, and it provides insight that may inform the capacity of coaches to directly and indirectly effect youth development and motivation in sports.

This research focuses on the motivational climate in which sports take place -- a construct that is also described as autonomy support.

The authors assert that the functional importance of autonomy-supportive climates is that "individuals feel that their behavior originates from and expresses their true selves as opposed to being a response to external pressures or demands." The literature is replete with studies that argue for a strong association between autonomy support and high levels of desirable behaviors related to creativity, motivation, flexibility, persistence, self-esteem and competence, trust, and overall health. Article Strength: An important strength of the article is the scope of literature cited and discussed.

The authors' affiliations, which include the Department of Human Development and Family Studies and the Department of Kinesiology at Pennsylvania State University, and the funding source -- the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development --, indicate that the research interests driving this study extend well beyond the playing field.

Or, beyond [in the words of the authors] "the motivational climate and consequences of organized sports experiences for youth." A central interest of this research appears to have been an exploration of how to promote the internalization of behaviors and attitudes that contribute to the well-being of young athletes. Article Weakness: The study was designed to explore the perceptions of young athletes with regard to the autonomy-supportive behaviors and interactions initiated by their coaches. The intended audience is primarily individuals responsible for coach training programs.

Yet, the data was collected from the athletes, and apparently no data was collected from coaches with regard to their own perceptions or observations about their use of coaching strategies. Particularly of note is the absence of self-assessment by coaches of any differentiated treatment or interactions based on the gender or ages of the young athletes. Analysis of the relation between coaching styles and gender was not identified as an important variable in the initial approach to the study.

The age range of the participants is wide, and calls to question whether different strategies might have different impact on the youth athletes depending on their age, as well as their gender. Moreover, this study -- and many others related to this research topic -- are conducted during sports practice and not during actual competitions. The authors suggest that a different set of dynamics may prevail when competitiveness is emphasized.

Discussion of Hypotheses: The hypotheses proposed for this research include the following: Hypothesis 1: Autonomy-supportive coaching style is more effective for female than male athletes in team sports; and Hypothesis 2: Controlling coaching style is more effective for male than female athletes in team sports. For both hypotheses, the independent variable is gender (nominal data) and the dependent variable is the effectiveness of autonomy-supportive coaching style (ordinal data). Methods: Data analysis of the responses to the ASCQ was conducted for three models using confirmatory factor analysis with full-information maximum likelihood parameter estimates.

The models tested were: 1) Uni-dimensional -- all items loaded on the single factor that represented autonomy-supportive coaching; 2) two uncorrelated factors that represented coaches' interest in athlete's input and praise for autonomous behavior; and 3) two correlated factors that represented coaches' interest in athlete's input and praise for autonomous behavior. The one item-factor regression coefficient on each factor was set at 1.0 for the purpose of establishing a metric, and every item was set to load on a specific factor. To analyze the.