Applying Generalizability Theory to Examine the Antecedents of Perceived Coach Support

Abstract

Although social support is integral to the coaching process, there is only a limited understanding of the antecedents of perceived coach support. We applied generalizability theory to examine perceived coach support and its antecedents at perceiver, provider, and relational levels of analysis. Two studies were conducted in which athletes rated the degree to which they identified with a selection of coaches, and the personality, competency, and supportiveness of those coaches. Univariate analyses demonstrated that the relational component accounted for a significant amount of variance in perceived coach support in both studies. Multivariate analyses demonstrated that when athletes perceive specific coaches to be highly agreeable, competent, and individuals with whom they share a common identity, they also perceive these same coaches to be particularly supportive in comparison to other coaches.Keywords: coach-athlete relationship, coach competency, personality, social identity, social support ANTECEDENTS OF PERCEIVED COACH SUPPORT 4 Applying Generalizability Theory to Examine the Antecedents of Perceived Coach SupportSocial networks are crucial to our health, well-being, and the learning and transfer of skills (Bolger, Foster, Amiram, & Ng, 1996;Chiaburu, van Dam, & Hutchins, 2010; Cohen & Janicki-Deverts, 2009; Ertel, Glymour, & Berkman, 2009; Thoits, 2011; Uchino, 2004;Umberson & Montez, 2010). It is, therefore, not surprising that social support has been recognized as a key factor for the success and well-being of athletes (Bianco & Eklund, 2001; Connaughton, Wadey, Hanton, & Jones, 2008; DeFreese & Smith, 2013; Fletcher & Sarkar, 2012;Kristiansen & Roberts, 2010;Rees & Hardy, 2000). Social support is also integral to the coaching process (Antonini Philippe & Seiler, 2006;Chelladurai & Saleh, 1980;Kristiansen & Roberts, 2010;Mageau & Vallerand, 2003), and coaches are key providers of support (Bianco, 2001;Rosenfeld, Richman, & Hardy, 1989). Thus, examining the antecedents of perceptions of coach support is vital for sport psychology. At present, we have only a limited understanding of this process. The current research addresses this lacuna in two studies that examine the influence of coach personality, coach competency, and shared identity on perceptions of coach support.Social support is comprised of three key constructs: social integration, perceived support, and received support (Lakey, 2010). Social integration refers to the structure and quantity of social relationships (Schwarzer & Knoll, 2007), perceived support refers to appraisals of support availability (Vangelisti, 2009), and received support refers to the type or amount of support obtained from social networks (Vangelisti, 2009). Perceived and received support are distinct but related concepts (Haber, Cohen, Lucas, & Baltes, 2007), and can have different effects on athlete outcomes. Indeed, while effects for received support are inconsistent (e.g., see Uchino, 2004Uchino, , 2009, those for perceived support suggest that this type of s...

A Social Support Intervention to Reduce Intentions to Drop-out from Youth Sport: The GAA Super Games Centre

“…As Cohen, Underwood, and Gottlieb (2000) advise, selecting appropriate support strategies from an intervention perspective are not without its challenges. Coussens et al (2015) demonstrated that when athletes perceive specific coaches to be highly agreeable, competent, and individuals with whom they share a common identity, they also perceive these same coaches to be particularly supportive in comparison with other coaches. Future researchers should, therefore, consider completing a baseline support network assessment on the key relationships underpinning the goal of a social support intervention, as this can ensure that interventions are focused on the appropriate antecedents of perceived support.…”

“…The findings relating to social identity also point to a key practical implication whereby the cultivation of a common identity can translate effects of perceived available support. These findings suggest that adults (e.g., coaches) who cultivate a common social identity between them and their participants could help to promote participants' perceptions of them as supportive (Coussens et. al., 2015).…”

Percepción de los deportistas sobre el estilo de liderazgo de los entrenadores y la tendencia a cooperar en equipos competitivos

“…Social support is a complex construct (Bianco & Eklund, 2001), comprised of three key facets [social integration, perceived support, and received support (Lakey, 2010)] and has been recognized as a key factor for the success and well-being of athletes (DeFreese & Smith, 2013;Fletcher & Sarkar, 2012). Since the sample of the study was composed by professional athletes with several years of experience, with a combination of heterogeneous personalities and different personal goals, the impact of Perceived social support could be diminished; also, athletes may systematically disagree in their perceptions of the supportiveness of coaches (Coussens, Rees, & Freeman, 2015;Rees, Freeman, Bell, & Bunney, 2012). Although social support is integral to the coaching process (Coussens et al, 2015), based on the results obtained, we can assume that athletes' prosocial behaviors are not dependable of the Perceived social support provided by the coaches.…”

“…Since the sample of the study was composed by professional athletes with several years of experience, with a combination of heterogeneous personalities and different personal goals, the impact of Perceived social support could be diminished; also, athletes may systematically disagree in their perceptions of the supportiveness of coaches (Coussens, Rees, & Freeman, 2015;Rees, Freeman, Bell, & Bunney, 2012). Although social support is integral to the coaching process (Coussens et al, 2015), based on the results obtained, we can assume that athletes' prosocial behaviors are not dependable of the Perceived social support provided by the coaches. However, future investigations should address if some specific dimension of social support (emotional, esteem, informational, and tangible) may promote and potentiate cooperation within competitive teams.…”

Investigation of the interaction between coach transformational leadership and coaching competency change over time

“…Research suggests that coaching competency is associated with athletes’ satisfaction with their coaches, 5 , 6 self-perceived antisocial behaviors, 7 perceptions of role ambiguity, 8 and perceptions of coach support. 9 These empirical findings imply that coaching competency serves as a means to predict many important athlete behavioral and attitudinal outcomes.…”