Predicting occurrence of and responses to psychological difficulties: the interplay between achievement goals, perceived ability and motivational climates among Korean athletes

The present study investigated the interrelationship of goal orientations, perceived ability, and perceived motivational climate to the experience of stress, perceived controllability, and choice of coping strategies. A total of 404 Korean intercollegiate athletes participated in the study. The results from moderated multiple regression analyses revealed that the experience of psychological difficulties was positively predicted by a perceived ego-involving climate and negatively predicted by perceived ability. The perceived controllability over stress was highest among athletes who had higher levels of task and ego orientation in a more taskinvolving atmosphere. Athletes used more approach coping as they perceived a higher level of task orientation regardless the level of perceived ability, and when they indicated higher task orientation scores in a low ego-involving environment. The avoidance/withdrawal coping strategies were positively related to an ego-involving climate. The findings implied that an examination of cultural variations in motivational factors and coping process among sport participants in a different culture may further extend theoretical applicability across diverse populations

The Influence of Climate on Flourishing and Motivational Outcomes for U.S. Masters Swimmers

The climate in which older adults exercise and participate in sport may play a role in promoting a lifetime commitment to exercising. However, little research has examined the relationship of caring (C) and task-involving (TI) climates, motivation, and well-being with respect to older adult athletes. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between Masters swimmers’ perceptions of the climate, effort, enjoyment, and flourishing as well as explore the mediating effects of effort and enjoyment on the relationship between climate and flourishing. U.S. Masters swimmers (n = 294; Mage = 63.57 years; 84.40% White) with 1–80 years of swimming experience (M = 34.54 years) participating in coach-led programs completed an online survey. The results of latent variable, multiple-mediator analyses via structural equation modeling revealed two important contributions to the literature: (1) when Masters swimmers perceived that they were in C and TI climates, they were more likely to report higher levels of effort and greater enjoyment and flourishing; (2) the Masters swimmers’ effort levels directly influenced their flourishing, mediating the relationship between climates and flourishing. This research has important implications for practice and policy, as U.S. Masters Swimming appears to be a fruitful avenue for promoting an enjoyable physical activity that can be experienced throughout a lifetime

The Influence of Leader Efficacy and Emotional Intelligence on Personal Caring in Physical Activity

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The Challenge to Care in a Premier League Football Club

Elite men’s football in the UK has previously been portrayed as a harsh and competitive micro-political environment. This environment has been described as ‘uncaring’. Paradoxically, care has been identified as an essential aspect of coaching pedagogy. Thus, this study drew upon the experience of a case-study strength and conditioning coach to explore care in a Premier League Football Club. Specifically, a naturally occurring reflective diary served as a primary data source. Findings revealed that the coach ‘cared for’ an athlete through a ‘rules based’ approach, which thus far has not been described within coaching research. The narrative presented also suggested that care was constrained by the competitive context in which the coach operates. This context requires coaches to ‘care about’ results, and the associated implications for their own careers and other individuals around the club e.g. staff and supporters. Thus, this caring relationship was situated and influenced by wider contextual influences. This study should prompt significant consideration by coaches who might examine how their care is influenced by social, economic and micro-political factors, whilst simultaneously providing novel insights for coaching researchers who may further consider ‘rule based’ approaches to care. Keywords: Care; Elite Football; Coaching; Noddings; Micro-Politic

Moving Toward Authentic, Learning-Oriented Assessment in Coach Education

As sports coaching continues to professionalize, the demand for and importance placed upon high-quality education and development programs for sports coaches is increasing. As a result, the landscape of provision is changing, and there is now a recognition of the key role that higher education institutes play in the education, development, and assessment of sports coaches. In this insights article, the authors argue that as there is a scarcity of research focused solely on assessment as a feature of coach education programs, there is something to be gained from examining how higher education institutes assess sports coaches. This represents an important contribution to the research literature, given that assessment is a feature of nearly all coach education programs and that the attainment of a specific award communicates to stakeholders (e.g., employers, athletes, parents) that a precise standard of practice has been met. As such, the authors identify how some higher education institutes are addressing the issue of assessment with sports coaches and highlight a series of assessment principles, alongside practical examples from the literature, which are intended to stimulate conversation in what the authors argue is an important area of study