Factors that Affect Athlete’s Perception and Evaluation of Coaching Behaviors

A Plan C Paper presented by Jessica R. Mathews in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education from the College of Education and Human Service Professions, University of Minnesota Duluth, May 2019.The purpose of this study was to investigate specific factors that affect an athlete’s perception and evaluation of coaching behaviors. All great relationships are built on key components such as time commitment, trust, and compatibility. Student-athlete and coach relationships are no different, and it’s important that athletes see their coaches’ behaviors and interactions in a positive light. Thirty-five student-athletes in a range of five different sports in a mid-size university in the Midwest participated in this study. The vast majority were white and roughly two thirds of the responses were female. Results indicated that there was a significant positive correlation between athlete-coach compatibility and athlete’s perception on positive coaching behavior, and between coache-initiated motivational climate and athlete’s perception on positive coaching bhavior. However, there was no correlation between the amount of athlete’s time spent with coach and their perception of their coach’s behavior. Together, these findings suggest the importance of the coaches’ sharing their goals, values, and beliefs with their athletes and creating positive motivational climate