Sport psychology

To what extent does the role of coaches influence individual and/or team behaviour in sport?

Refer to the paper 2 assessment criteria when awarding marks.

The command term “to what extent” requires candidates to consider the contribution of the coach’s role in affecting individual and/or team behaviour in sport.

Coaches can have a positive or negative effect on the athletes they coach.

Candidates may consider topics such as, but not limited to:
• the role of the coach with regard to the motivation of the athlete
• self-efficacy
• goal-setting
• the role of feedback in improving performance
• the role of coaches in team cohesion
• the role of coaches’ expectations in the performance of athletes.

Candidates may discuss the difficulties of assessing the influence of coaches. This approach could include discussion of the difficulty in isolating variables, the problem of generalizability (transference) or the general subjectivity of this type of research.

It is appropriate and useful for candidates to address the role of other factors related to individual and/or team behaviour in sport such as personality characteristics, financial motivations, peer influences, team cohesion, etc. in order to respond to the command term “to what extent”.

Relevant studies may include, but are not limited to:
• Garcia-Bengoechea (2003) on peers’ versus coaches’ effect on athlete motivation
• Jowett and Cockerill (2003) on coaches’ characteristics and successful Olympic swimmers
• Duda and Pensgaard (2002) on improving intrinsic motivation
• Chase et al. (1997) on coaches’ sense of self-efficacy and team performance
• Slavin (1965) on facilitating a community of cooperative learners
• Horn and Lox (1993) on the role of coaches’ expectations on athlete performance
• Alfermann et al. (2005) on coaches’ influence on skill development in athletes.