The Relationship between Personality Traits and Coachability in NCAA Divisions I and II Female Softball Athletes

Abstract

Coaches at all levels desire coachable athletes whose personalities are a good fit for their teams. Coachability is a complex construct that is not well understood in the sport science literature, but appears to be demonstrated through several behaviors. Costa and McCrae's Five Factor Model framework proposes that personality traits are inherent and predispose a person to behave in relatively stable ways. This study used survey methodology to investigate relationships between head college coaches' (n = 36) perceptions of coachability and 12 personality traits from the Agreeableness and Emotional Stability domains in NCAA Divisions I (n = 94) and II (n = 96) female softball athletes. Results indicated that coaches might glean the most useful insights regarding how coachable a female athlete might be by learning more about her personality in three specific areas: Anger, Immoderation, and Cooperation.

Personality in sport: a comprehensive review

“…These findings compliment recent research in amateur coaches that found coaches perceive athletes as easier to instruct and mentor if they are highly agreeable and/or 22 emotionally stable (Favor, 2011). The contribution of personality to relationship commitment and relatedness is apparent both inside and outside competitive sport (Jackson et al, 2011).…”

Intercollegiate coaches’ experiences and strategies for coaching first-year athletes*

“…The athletes' personal characteristics and level of development refer to the variables pertaining to athletes' current stage of learning, personal background, and other characteristics that influence interactions with their coach (Côté et al, 1995). Many expert intercollegiate coaches view the athletes' personal characteristics as an important, sometimes even stronger predictor, of the athletes' success than performance excellence in their previous level of athletics (Favor, 2011;Giacobbi, Roper, Whitney, & Butryn, 2002). In fact, Giacobbi and colleagues found that college coaches viewed athletes' psychological qualities including commitment and responsibility as important predictors in making successful transitions from high school to college athletics.…”

“…Coachability is a complex construct often described as athletes' receptivity towards coach feedback and instructions (Favor, 2011).…”

“…Furthermore, coachability may be particularly relevant to team sport settings because it influences interactions between the coach, the athletes, and the team. Team sport coaches understand that an uncoachable athlete can damage overall team dynamics by spreading negative attitudes in the team environment (Cope, Eys, Schinke, & Bosselut, 2010;Favor, 2011). As a result, successful intercollegiate team sport coaches evaluate and recruit athletes based on their coachability and compatibility to their programs rather than their talent alone (Duchesne et al, 2011;Favor, 2011;Solomon, 2010;Vallée & Bloom, 2005).…”

“…Coachability is a complex construct that has been linked to a number of personal attributes such as receptivity to coach feedback, openness to change, trust and respect for the coach, ability to positively interact with others, and emotional and mental maturity (Favor, 2011;Solomon, 2010). It appears that the coaches were looking for a number of these attributes in the potential recruits, which they assessed by personally interacting with them and watching their behaviours in their high school settings.…”