Coach perceptions of psychological characteristics and behaviors of male and female athletes and their impact on coach behaviors

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Suzanne L. Tuffey (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
Daniel Gould

Abstract: An interpretive investigation was conducted to gain an in-depth understanding of (1) coach perceptions of psychological characteristics and behaviors of male and female athletes and (2) how these perceptions impact coach behavior. The participants were fourteen collegiate head cross country coaches (1 female, 13 male) who were identified by their peers as having knowledge and experience in coaching males and females. They have been coaching an average of 23.2 years (range = 8-29) and have coached both females and males an average of 15.7 years (range = 3-28). A semi-structured interview format was used to achieve the investigative purposes. More specifically, the interview consisted of three parts. In the first part, coaches were asked to identify and describe characteristics and behaviors or their male and female athletes. Content analyses were conducted on the identified raw data themes to aid in describing and interpreting coaches' perceptions of their female and male athletes. The following themes emerged as characteristic of female athletes: emotional / sensitive; need from coach; coachable; feel expectations / want to please; competitive with teammates; weight conscious / eating disorders; academically conscious and; additional attributes conducive to athletic success. Themes emerging as characteristic of male athletes included the following: know it all attitude / challenge coach; tend to get off track; ego-involved / struggle with not winning; team emphasis; less emotional than female / hide feelings and; additional attributes conducive to athletic success.

Additional Information

Publication
Dissertation
Language: English
Date: 1995
Subjects
Coaches (Athletics) $x Attitudes
Coach-athlete relationships
Coaching (Athletics) $x Psychological aspects
Cross-country running $x Coaching
Sex differences (Psychology)

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