| Description |
Coaches are integral in determining the quality of the athlete experience. Therefore, it is important to understand leadership styles that foster positive outcomes. Transformational leadership (TL) is proposed as a means of positively impacting followers by motivating them to perform beyond expectations through influencing beliefs and values. While TL has been the focus of a plethora of studies in business, medical, and military domains, it has just recently begun to gain attention in sport. Therefore, TL in sport was examined in three studies in this dissertation. The first study qualitatively investigated the nature of TL in sport. Little is known about what constitutes TL in a sport setting from a qualitative perspective. Eleven female collegiate athletes were interviewed about their positive experiences with coaches. Thematic analysis of the interviews revealed four major themes: caring, motivating, teaching life lessons, and trusting. Similarities and differences emerged when comparing the themes with other models of TL. Unique elements of sport that may affect the manifestation of transformational leadership in sport include physical coach-athlete interactions, group size, and the motivational reasons for participation. The second study examined the contribution of coach TL to positive youth development (PYD) related to sport competencies and personal attributes. Players from twenty-eight competitive youth basketball teams completed questionnaires about their coaches' TL and two measures of PYD. Multilevel analysis indicated that coach TL contributed to PYD sport competencies (β = 0.18, p < .001) and PYD personal attributes (β = 0.27, p = .002). Cross-level (individual by team) interactions of TL were present for PYD sport competencies (β = .62, p <0.001). The third study examined motivational goal orientations and coaching efficacy as factors that might influence the development of TL in coaches. One-hundred twenty-two coaches of youth basketball teams completed an online questionnaire. A structural equation model yielded an acceptable fit χ2122 = 190.19, p < .001, CFI = .91, and SRMR = .07. Only the regression pathway connecting coaching efficacy with TL was significant (r = 0.69, p < .001). These results suggest that coaches' TL behaviors can be enhanced by promoting their sense of coaching efficacy. |
