A study of team cohesion and player satisfaction in two face-to-face games

In this paper we investigate the link between game rules, team cohesion and players’ satisfaction with their teams within face-to-face team-based games. To measure team cohesion, rules from two games were analysed from the perspective of Social Identity Theory in order to form a hypothesis as to which game would be more likely to lead to more cohesive teams, where team cohesion is measured by the extent to which each player identifies with their team. Player satisfaction was measured by looking at three factors: communication within the team, player outcome versus team outcome, and fairness. Significant differences were found in the team cohesion measure suggesting that, as predicted by Social Identity Theory, team cohesion can be fostered by game rules. Team cohesion also correlated positively with player satisfaction. Taken together, this suggests that for games in which team cohesion is an important part, game designers can incorporate game rules in such as a way as to increase the likelihood of both team cohesion and player satisfaction

It's a team game: exploring factors that influence team experience

Many multiplayer games feature teams, and whether they are pitted against each other or against the game itself it seems likely that the way these teams bond will affect the players' experience. What are the factors that influence the experience of being a team member in a game? To what extent can the game designer manipulate the cohesion of the teams by changing the game design? How does the satisfaction of the player with their team relate to their feeling of cohesion? How does cohesion differ between tabletop and online games? These issues become particularly important where the group dynamic is central to the desired outcome of the game e.g. educational games aiming to place the players in specific social situations. Four studies were conducted on four similar simulation games (two tabletop, two online) used for teaching in International Development Studies. These games explore farming in sub-Saharan Africa and require 12-30 players to play in small groups. The group dynamics are important for the learning outcomes. Similar groups of participants (all students of International Development Studies) played one game each. Each group played for 3 hours before completing a questionnaire about their experience and wrapping up with a full-group reflective discussion. Results from the two tabletop games suggested that, as expected, altering the rules of the game manipulated levels of team cohesion. However, the lack of significant result from the two online games suggests that careful design is required to achieve the same outcomes in the online environment. This suggests that seemingly small changes between tabletop and online implementations may impact the game play experience in unanticipated ways. The team cohesion reported by the players was found to correlate strongly with the team member satisfaction levels of the players. The gender composition of the teams was shown to have a large impact on both team cohesion and team member satisfaction: having one or more females in the group significantly increased both measures

Cyberbullying in \u27Left 4 Dead 2\u27: a Study in Collaborative Play

This study sought to further our understanding of the role of cyberbullying in the cooperative team-based game Left 4 Dead 2 (L4D2). A sample of 41 4-person groups generated a total n = 415 messages used for evaluating the behavioral content of game play. Four hypotheses were advanced assessing cyberbullying behavior and game outcome (success vs. failure), group cohesion, target participation, and perceptions of bullies. Out of the 41 groups 25 groups had cyberbullying behavior present and 16 groups had prosocial behavior. Overall, cyberbullying behavior had little effect on game outcome, group cohesion and target participation. Groups using only prosocial messages were more successful than groups with cyberbullying messages and had a significantly better survival score when prosocial messages occurred late in the game. Additionally, cyberbullying behavior and prosocial behavior increased a sense of belonging compared to groups where cyberbullying occurred earlier in the game. Furthermore, the amount of cyberbullying in groups generated no effect on target participation. Finally, players considered leaders influence the game more than non-leaders and players identified as both leader and cyberbully generate no effect on game influence compared to players not identified as both cyberbully and leader. Results are discussed in terms of study limitations and possible conceptual and operational applications

Eye quietness and quiet eye in expert and novice golf performance: an electrooculographic analysis

Quiet eye (QE) is the final ocular fixation on the target of an action (e.g., the ball in golf putting). Camerabased eye-tracking studies have consistently found longer QE durations in experts than novices; however, mechanisms underlying QE are not known. To offer a new perspective we examined the feasibility of measuring the QE using electrooculography (EOG) and developed an index to assess ocular activity across time: eye quietness (EQ). Ten expert and ten novice golfers putted 60 balls to a 2.4 m distant hole. Horizontal EOG (2ms resolution) was recorded from two electrodes placed on the outer sides of the eyes. QE duration was measured using a EOG voltage threshold and comprised the sum of the pre-movement and post-movement initiation components. EQ was computed as the standard deviation of the EOG in 0.5 s bins from –4 to +2 s, relative to backswing initiation: lower values indicate less movement of the eyes, hence greater quietness. Finally, we measured club-ball address and swing durations. T-tests showed that total QE did not differ between groups (p = .31); however, experts had marginally shorter pre-movement QE (p = .08) and longer post-movement QE (p < .001) than novices. A group × time ANOVA revealed that experts had less EQ before backswing initiation and greater EQ after backswing initiation (p = .002). QE durations were inversely correlated with EQ from –1.5 to 1 s (rs = –.48 - –.90, ps = .03 - .001). Experts had longer swing durations than novices (p = .01) and, importantly, swing durations correlated positively with post-movement QE (r = .52, p = .02) and negatively with EQ from 0.5 to 1s (r = –.63, p = .003). This study demonstrates the feasibility of measuring ocular activity using EOG and validates EQ as an index of ocular activity. Its findings challenge the dominant perspective on QE and provide new evidence that expert-novice differences in ocular activity may reflect differences in the kinematics of how experts and novices execute skills

Influences on the Formation of Coach-Athlete Relationships

For a team to be successful, coaches and players need to have a good relationship. Without this relationship there can be tension within the team that hinders success. The many factors that impact the formation of these relationships depend on both the coach and the athlete. From the data it shows that the athletes that were part of the sample, their motivation and other factors were affected by the poor relationships that were built. If there can be information on what affects the relationship, future coaches and athletic directors can use this information to their advantage

Transformational Leadership, Task-Involving Climate, and Their Implications in Male Junior Soccer Players: A Multilevel Approach

Despite the well-known positive consequences of transformational coaches in sport, there is still little research exploring the mechanisms through which coaches’ transformational leadership exerts its impact on athletes. Multilevel SEM was used to examine the relationship between coaches’ transformational leadership style, a task-involving climate, and leadership effectiveness outcome criteria (i.e., players’ extra effort, coach effectiveness, and satisfaction with their coach), separately estimating between and within effects. A representative sample of 625 Spanish male soccer players ranging from 16 to 18 years old and nested in 50 teams completed a questionnaire package tapping the variables of interest. Results confirmed that at the team level, team perceptions of transformational leadership positively predicted teams’ perceptions of task climate, which in turn positively predicted the three outcome criteria. At the individual level, players’ perceptions of transformational leadership positively predicted teams’ perceptions of task climate, which in turn positively predicted teams’ extra effort and coach effectiveness. Mediation effects appeared at the team level for all the outcome criteria, and at the individual only for extra effort. Transformational leadership is recommended to enhance task climate, in order to increase players’ extra effort, their perceptions of the effectiveness of their coach, and their satisfaction with his/her leadership style

FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE COMPLETION OF ELIGIBILITY IN DIVISION III WOMEN’S INTERCOLLEGIATE SPORTS

The major topic considered for this qualitative research study was the identification of the factors that encourage women, according to the female athletes themselves, to make the four- season commitment as players on an intercollegiate sports team at the Division III level (D-III). More specifically, this study focused on the reasons that caused female athletes to choose their universities, the factors that positively influenced them to remain members of a team, and the obstacles they overcame while completing four seasons of eligibility. The student-athletes’ perceptions of their athletic ability, their relationships with their team and coach, and the support provided by the university and family also were integrated into the study. The importance of this topic stemmed from the observed number of women who chose to continue their high school athletic careers at D-III colleges and universities yet did not complete four seasons of collegiate eligibility. Of the 1,223 women listed on the 2008-2009 varsity intercollegiate sports rosters of the eight universities that comprise the Conference, only 162 (13%) of them were seniors (Little East Conference Web Site, n.d.). Despite coaches engaging in countless hours recruiting, practicing, and playing, coupled with the financial commitment of colleges and universities for women’s intercollegiate sports, women at the D-III level do not complete their athletic eligibility. Coaches may not be aware of the specific factors that retain female student-athletes on teams for four seasons because little or no research has been conducted in this area. The researcher-designed survey, semi-structured interviews, and a focus group were utilized to gather information from senior athletes who had completed four seasons of eligibility in one sport. The information gathered from these data-collection methods was analyzed to determine what factors positively influenced the women to complete four seasons of eligibility, the criteria they used to choose their universities, and how the student-athletes’ perceptions of their athletic experience impacted their decision to play for four seasons. The obstacles that they faced which made it difficult for them to complete four seasons of eligibility also were identified and appropriate support services were determined that encouraged completion of the college athletic career. The intent of this study was to discover the reasons women remain on D-III teams despite encountering obstacles, by surveying, interviewing, and discussing the issue with female athletes from University A and University B who reached this goal, and by conferring with athletic personnel from both universities regarding the plausibility of the theories generated from the study. The results of the study suggest several factors that positively influenced female student- athletes at the D-III level to persevere and complete four seasons of athletic eligibility. The factors that encouraged the women to complete their college athletic careers included the support of teammates, coaches, and family; the acknowledgement of their athletic ability, the presence of team cohesiveness, and a sense of collective efficacy. Each of the female student-athletes expressed a feeling of passion about the sport that, despite obstacles, drove her to play for four seasons

Team cohesion, performance outcome and player satisfaction in state league netball

Team cohesion repeatedly has been emphasised as important in the development of performance success. This research examined the importance of team cohesion as a multidimensional construct through three inter-related studies with elite netball players. The first study examined differences between successful and unsuccessful teams on (a) overall team cohesion. (b) overall task cohesion including attraction to group-task (ATG-T) and group integration-task (GI-T) components, and (c) social cohesion including attraction to group-social (ATG-S ), and group integration-social (GI-S) components. The second study examined the multidimensional nature of cohesion in relation to player satisfaction. Finally, study investigated the relationship between pcrfom1ancc outcome and player satisfaction. Seventy-two elite netball players from divisions one and two of the Western Australian \u27Quit\u27 State Netball League were selected from six teams. Three of these teams were categorised “successful \u27 and three were categorised as \u27\u27Unsuccessful . Both groups provided mid-season data on overall, task, and social cohesion by responding to the Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ) (Widmeyer, Brawley, & Carron, 1986) and a single-item questionnaire on player satisfaction. In the first study, independent samples t-test reveals no significant difference between successful and unsuccessful teams on overall team cohesion. Furthermore, 2 x 4 (Performance x Cohesion) MANOVAs and ANOVAs find that successful teams do not differ from unsuccessful teams in overall social cohesion or ATG-S and GI-S components. However, this study reveals that successful teams significantly differ from unsuccessful teams in overall task cohesion and ATG-T and GI-T components. In the second study, Pearson product moment correlation finds no significant relationship between player satisfaction and overall team cohesion. Furthermore, no significant relationship is found between player satisfaction and overall social cohesion. However, a significant relationship between overall task cohesion and player satisfaction is found. Further examination of the task dimensions reveals a significant relationship between the ATG-T component and player satisfaction. However, this is not found for the GI-T component. Study three, reveals a significant relationship between player satisfaction and performance outcome. The findings of this research demonstrate the importance of examining team cohesion as a multidimensional, rather than as a unitary construct .Whilst successful teams did not differ from unsuccessful teams on overall team cohesion and social cohesion, it was clear that successful teams were higher on task cohesion. In addition, this study demonstrated that player satisfaction was clearly related to task rather than social, or overall cohesion. Finally, the findings support previous research in demonstrating that player satisfaction is strongly linked to performance outcome. These findings have practical implications for sports scientists and netball coaches alike. Elite netball coaches need to address these findings so appropriate programs may be developed to enhance player satisfaction and effective levels of cohesion for the future success of their teams

Collegiate Athletic Leadership Model for NCAA Athletic Teams: Context, Leadership Behaviors, and Outcomes mediated by Leader-Member Exchange Theory

The purpose of this paper is to propose the Collegiate Athletic Leadership Model (CALM) for National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) athletic teams. The CALM will provide clarity on the interaction and range of transformational and transactional behaviors that may be able to foster positive outcomes at the team and individual level. A review of the literature will suggest that the CALM behaviors be placed in three tiers. The first tier or Foundation behaviors are contingent reward, articulating a vision, fostering acceptance of group goals, and providing an appropriate role model. The second tier or Supporting behavior is individual consideration which is most effective at the individual level of analysis. Intellectual stimulation and high performance expectations are the third tier or Developmental behaviors . Leader-member exchange (LMX) is posited as the mediating variable between the CALM behaviors and outcomes at the team and individual level. The CALM will be viewed in the context of academic institutions. These institutions are inherently complex, both in terms of organization and personnel

Personal and Group Environment Factors of Water Polo Players

This study examined to see if Division I female water polo players (n = 113) had a distinct personality profile when compared to their counterpart of other female college students (n = 170). Also, this study analyzed to see the impact personality traits and team cohesion variables had on overall athletic satisfaction in female water polo players. The measures used were as follows: for personality, the Personal Style Inventory for College Students (PSI, Lounsbury & Gibson, 2008); for team cohesion, Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ, Carron, Widmeyer, & Brawley, 1985) ; and for athletic satisfaction, Athletes Satisfaction Questionnaire (ASQ, Riemer & Chelladurai, 1998). The results looking at the differences between means and effect sizes in regard to the Big Five Personality traits in water polo players and other college students showed a significant difference in 3 out of the 5 traits (conscientiousness, emotional stability, and openness). Then, when looking at overall athletic satisfaction in their athletic experience a hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed. The Big Five Personality traits only accounted for 7% of the variance (statistically insignificant change in R2 [coefficient of determination], p = .16), while the four team cohesion measures accounted for 55% (p \u3c .001) of the variance, a large effect. In particular, a part correlation showed that significant results between athletic satisfaction and Individual attraction to the group-Task (ATG-T, rpart [part correlation]= .37, p \u3c .001) and Group Integration-Task (GI-T, rpart [part correlation]= .29, p \u3c .001). These findings have implications to help players and coaches understand if they would be a good fit for a Division I water polo team and to understand how to best make a team successful. Future research can also be done to see if these results are generalizable to other similar team sports as well (i.e. soccer, hockey, etc.)