Towards a more refined insight in the critical motivating features of choice : an experimental study among recreational rope skippers

Objective: The question whether choice is a motivation and engagement-enhancing practice is a much debated subject, both theoretically as well as in practice. Therefore, the present study examined the impact of different types of choice on engagement and intended perseverance. Design: and method: In a sample of Belgian rope skippers (n = 159; M-age = 17.17; SDage = 8.43) an experimental field design was implemented, in which three different choice conditions were compared to a no-choice comparison group. Results: Results indicated that being offered choice with regard the type of exercises (i.e. option choice) were mixed, with choice yielding a clear engagement and perseverance-enhancing effect compared to a no choice control group in cases the offered options differed clearly from one another (i.e., high contrast option choice), while no benefits were observed in case choice options leaned closely to one another (i.e. low contrast option choice). Athletes' involvement in the order of exercises during a training session (i.e. action choice) tended to enhance athletes' engagement, but not their intentional perseverance, compared to a no choice control group. Finally, all experimentally offered choices yielded a positive effect on two aspects of autonomy need satisfaction, that is, perceived choice and felt volition. These two variables functioned as a chain of mechanisms through which different types of choice related to athlete engagement and intended perseverance. These effects emerged irrespective of rope-skippers' dispositional indecisiveness. Conclusion: The discussion highlights the importance of a nuanced discussion regarding the topic of choice, thereby contrasting the different pros and cons associated with each type of choice

Coaching the coach : intervention effects on need-supportive coaching behavior and athlete motivation and engagement

The present intervention study examined whether youth sport coaches can be trained in adopting a need-supportive (i.e., autonomy support and structure) coaching style to the benefit of youth athletes' autonomous motivation and engagement. Participants were 43 coaches (33 men, 10 women) and 326 youth athletes (221 boys, 105 girls), active in 12 team or individual sports. Sport coaches were randomly assigned to either a control or intervention condition. The training involved a workshop trajectory spanning four sessions on how to incorporate a (more) need-supportive coaching style. As for coaches' self-reported coaching style, results of multilevel modelling revealed positive effects on autonomy support and control at posttest, and additional effect on structure and control from pre-test to follow-up (i.e., 4 months later) compared to coaches in the control condition. As for athletes' reports, multilevel modelling showed that athletes of coaches in the intervention, relative to those involved in the control group, perceived their coach to be more autonomy-supportive, more structuring, and less chaotic from pre-to posttest, with these effects being more pronounced for athletes of team sports. Further, athletes of coaches in the intervention group reported being more autonomously motivated and more engaged compared to those of coaches in the control group. Overall, the present findings indicate that sport coaches can become more skilled in adopting a need-supportive coaching style, to the benefit of athletes' autonomous motivation and engagement

Can Autonomy-Supportive Coaches Protect Their Team from the Negative Effects of Stressors? A Cross-Sectional Multilevel Analysis of Team Resilience

In sports, team resilience refers to the capacity of a group of athletes to positively adapt to stressors they collectively encounter (Sarkar & Fletcher, 2014). By definition, team resilience is characterized by underlying group processes such as the group’s structure, social capital, mastery approach, and collective efficacy in situations under pressure. This definition has originated from qualitative research that additionally implicates two hypotheses. One, a team’s resilience is more than the sum of its members’ individual resilience. Two, team resilience can be affected through underlying group processes. However, these two hypotheses have never been tested quantitatively. Therefore, the first objective of this cross-sectional study is to explore the relation between team and individual resilience at team level. The second objective is to elaborate the knowledge on team resilience by testing coaches’ need-supportive behaviours as predictors and athletes’ performance strategies as outcomes. We expect coaches’ need-support to be positively related with their team’s resilience, because prior research already showed a positive relation between the need support of the coach and group processes underlying team resilience (e.g., group cohesion, mastery approach, and collective efficacy). We also expect team resilience to be a criterion for the team level variance in athletes’ emotional control, distractibility, and negative thinking. Highly resilient teams are better protected against in game stressors and, therefore, are expected (a) to show higher emotional control when under game pressure, (b) to be less easily distracted by their fans or opponents, and (c) not to think negatively when things go wrong. Paper and pencil questionnaires are conducted in 60 teams, stratified over 5 sports (basketball, handball, hockey, soccer, and volleyball) at high and low level, and for both genders. In total, we aim to collect data of approximately 600 team athletes and 60 coaches. The questionnaire assesses individual and team resilience, the peer motivational climate, the perceived need support of the coach and athletes performance strategies (emotional control, distractibility, and negative thinking). Multilevel structural equation modeling will be used to test both hypotheses. The results of this study will be presented and discussed at the symposium.status: publishe

Sports Psychology: Maximizing Team Potential

The application of sport psychology is often overlooked in favor of the more familiar training of physical abilities and technical volleyball skills. Sport psychology interventions are too often perceived as the last call for help if all else has failed to generate success. However, sport psychology is much more than picking up the pieces after a defeat and instead should be regarded as a very useful tool in all stages of the training and coaching process. The present chapter will outline the broad variety of contexts in which sport psychology can be used to foster team function, including goal setting and establishment of expectations at the beginning of the season, developing athlete leadership skills and motivational coaching ability during practices and games, and dealing with interpersonal conflicts. This chapter will also offer practical tools to assist the coach in creating a team that has the capacity to effectively function autonomously and is therefore able to positively withstand stressors, even without the constant supervision of the coach. As such, we argue that the various aspects of sport psychology are not a one-time technique for the coach to employ when conflicts arise, but are consistently valuable to foster, indeed to train, team effectiveness.edition: 2ndstatus: publishe

The effects of a student-centered versus teacher-centered teaching approach on tactical learning outcomes: a volleyball case

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Can losing teams cope with destructive voice behaviour? The role of game results and athletes’ perceived motivational climate

This study examined the relation between losing a game and players’ destructive voice about the coach. As team performances would suffer when such behaviours are not managed properly, we tested the motivational climate as a potential mechanism by which coaches can manage these destructive behaviours. Twelve volleyball and basketball teams (N = 136) were weekly assessed during eight weeks using questionnaires. Players rated the extent to which their teammates expressed destructive voice about their coach. Each player’s indegree centrality (i.e. the average score received from all teammates) functioned as measurement of his/her destructive voice about the coach. As hypothesized, losing a game increased players’ expression of destructive voice about the coach. At both the within- and between-person level, perceived mastery (performance) climate negatively (positively) predicted players’ destructive voice about the coach. When players perceived a more salient performance climate than usual after a loss, their increase in destructive voice about the coach was magnified. These results highlight the dynamics of players’ destructive voice about the coach and how a single loss can start the utterance of such voice. A coach would be able to counter this process by increasing the focus on a mastery rather than a performance climate.status: publishe

Proactivity in sport teams: Mastery climate mediates the relation between need support from the coach and proactive behaviors in sport teams

Team sport settings are challenging, dynamic environments in which coaches might profit from proactive players who correct each other, provide suggestions and feedback. Despite the proven benefits of proactivity for organizational team functioning (e.g., Morrison, 2014), research about proactivity in sport-settings remains sparse. This study aimed to test a hypothetical model in which a mastery motivational climate mediates the relation between need support from the coach and proactivity in sport teams. Based on Self Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000) and previous empirical work (e.g., Cox & Williams, 2008), it was expected that a need supportive coaching style would be positively linked to a mastery climate. Such a climate defines success in terms of self-referenced progression and stresses the importance of cooperation (Ames, 1992). It was therefore hypothesized that a mastery climate would positively predict proactive behaviors in sport teams. 180 senior volleyball players (Mage = 21.92) completed a questionnaire assessing need support from their coaches, the motivational climate and three types of proactive behaviors (voice, taking charge and upward communication). Results. The results of confirmatory path modelling indicated a good fit of the hypothesized model and standardized regression coefficients were significant. Further examination of direct and indirect effects suggested that mastery climate mediated the relation between need support and proactivity. The results of the present study indicated that coaches can stimulate players’ proactive behavior by adhering a need-supportive coaching style. Furthermore, this study revealed the creation of a mastery climate as an underlying mechanism through which need-supportive coaches can stimulate proactivity in sport teams.status: publishe

Coaching is teamwork! Het stimuleren van proactief gedrag in sportteams.

De sportwereld is een zeer dynamische en veeleisende setting die continu in verandering is. In zulke omgeving is het zeer moeilijk voor coaches om continu alle atleten aan te sturen. Steeds meer wordt van atleten verwacht dat ze initiatief nemen en elkaar aansturen waar nodig. Voor deze reden onderzochten wij hoe coaches zulke proactieve gedragingen kunnen stimuleren in hun team. Aan de hand van een vragenlijststudie bleek dat hiervoor een belangrijke rol is weggelegd voor een noodondersteunende coachingstijl. Coaches die deze stijl hanteren, creëren namelijk een taakgericht klimaat. Dit klimaat focust op intra-individuele progressie en samenwerking, wat uiteindelijk resulteert in een zelfregulerend team.status: publishe

Leading from the top or leading from within? A comparison between coaches’ and athletes’ leadership as predictors of team identification, team confidence, and team cohesion

The present study used a sample of team sport athletes (N = 343) to investigate to what extent the leadership quality of the coach and the athlete leaders was related to athletes’ team confidence and team cohesion. The findings demonstrated that the leadership quality of both coaches and athlete leaders predicted a unique part of the variance of team confidence and team cohesion. In addition, members’ identification with the team was demonstrated to be an important mechanism underlying this relation, thereby supporting the Social Identity Approach to Leadership. We conclude that both coaches and athlete leaders can inspire players to identify with their team. In turn, this feeling of ‘us’, rather than being a group of I’s, predicts a stronger confidence in obtaining team goals and fosters the task and social cohesion within the team. When coaches share the lead with their athletes, an optimal team environment can be created.status: publishe

The Competence-Supportive and Competence-Thwarting Role of Athlete Leaders: An Experimental Test in a Soccer Context

The aim of this experiment was to study the growth-promoting and adverse impact of athlete leaders’ competence–supportive and –thwarting behavior on the motivation and performance of team members. Male soccer players (N = 144; MAge = 14.2) were allocated to ad-hoc teams of five soccer players. These teams participated in two sessions, being randomly exposed to an athlete leader who acted either competence-supportive, competence-thwarting, or neutral during the second session. When the athlete leader was competence-supportive (versus competence-thwarting), his teammates’ intrinsic motivation and performance increased (versus decreased) compared with the control condition. The leader’s impact on intrinsic motivation was fully accounted for by team members’ competence satisfaction. These findings recommend coaches to invest in the competence-supportive power of their athlete leaders to establish an optimally motivating and performance-enhancing team environment.status: publishe