1. Running head: RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COACHES AND STUDENT ATHLETES 1
Relationship Between Coaches and Student Athletes
Rachel Rainville
Grand Valley State University
2. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COACHESAND STUDENT ATHLETES 2
The subject of this research will focus on the relationship between college coaches
communication with their student athletes. The proposed research question is: Do college
coaches communicate effectively with their student athletes?
Previous research has found that coaches for team sports show a higher competency
than coaches for individual sports, indicating that coaches for team sports show more
competency in playing their roles for motivation, deciding game strategy, introducing good
coaching techniques, and successfully building character among athletes, (Chiu, Mahat,
Marzuki, Hua, 2014.)
The level of competency that a coach carries effects the way in which student athletes
are able to develop. Chiu, Mahat, Marzuki, and Hua (2014), for the Review of European Studies,
evaluate how the competency level of coaches effect the student athletes achievement
motivation at Higher Educational Institutions (HEI) in sports competitions.
The study was conducted using 332 student athletes chosen from four different
universities. The students were identified by athletic administrators, and chosen from various
sports including team and individual sports and chosen randomly. The study used a Coaching
Competency Scale (CCS) which includes four categories: Motivation competency (MC), game
strategy competency (GSC), techniques competency (TC), and character building competency
(CBC). The study also included the Sport Orientation Questionnaire (SOQ) to measure
achievement motivation among the athletes. This questionnaire was to find three main factors
which were competitiveness, goal, and win orientation using a five point scale for 25 different
3. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COACHESAND STUDENT ATHLETES 3
items. The students completed the questionnaires and a quantitative approach was used by
two trained research assistants.
The results showed many different variables in coaching competency and the effects
that they have on the student athletes. The study showed that there were no strong
correlations between gender of either the coach or the athlete when the coaches’ competency
was rated high. There was also no gender bias based on the student athletes’ achievement of
his/her sport. The study found that motivation competency of coaches was a significant
contributor to the athletes sport achievement motivation. Chiu, Mahat, Marzuki, and Hua state
that from their study, “it can be implied that coaches who have an ability to affect mood
psychology and skills of athletes likelihood to produce athletes with high achievement
motivation pertaining to their competitiveness, win and goal orientation,”(2014).
The implications of this study show that coaches with a higher rate of competency are
able to have a greater effect on their student athletes’ achievement motivation. The research
lacked what actually went into the coaches’ competency though. It does describe what the
different levels of competency mean for the different categories, however the way in which the
coaches are actually perceived by the athletes are left out. Student athletes are receptive to the
levels of competency that coaches show, and it would be beneficial to explore the way in which
these coaches are actually communicating through these different levels of competency. The
study could be improved upon by analyzing the coaches communication on the field. It could
also be improved by studying the behaviors of these student athletes before, during, and after
games or practices.
4. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COACHESAND STUDENT ATHLETES 4
References
Chiu, L. K., Mahat, N. I., Marzuki, N. A., & Hua, K. P. (2014). Student-athletes' evaluation of coaches'
coaching competencies and their sport achievement motivation. Review of European
Studies, 6(2), 17-30. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/docview/1545106726?accountid=39473
