Athletes’ perceptions of coaching competency and team conflict in sport teams: A multilevel analysis

This study examines the relationship between coaching competency as evaluated by athletes and their perceptions of trust in their coaches. The authors hypothesize that athletes’ evaluation of four dimensions of coaching competency is positively related to their trust in their coaches, and that this relationship is stronger at the team level than at the individual level. In total, 438 basketball players (251 males and 187 females) from 34 teams completed the Coaching Competency Scale (CCS) and the trust in the coach questionnaire during the postseason. The hypotheses were tested through hierarchical linear modeling. The analyses revealed that individual- and group-level evaluations of the four-dimensional CCS (motivation, game-strategy, technique, and character-building competencies) positively predicted trust in the coach; furthermore, group-level coaching competency was the primary contributor to this relationship. Therefore, improving the psychological and tactical skills of coaches and their skill detection abilities and instruction at training together with a positive attitude toward sports may help improve the trust of athletes in their coaches.

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Athletes’ Perceptions of Role Ambiguity and Coaching Competency in Sport Teams: A Multilevel Analysis

Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology ◽

10.1123/jsep.34.3.345 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 34 (3) ◽

pp. 345-364 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Grégoire Bosselut ◽

Jean-Philippe Heuzé ◽

Mark A. Eys ◽

Paul Fontayne ◽

Philippe Sarrazin

Keyword(s):

Role Ambiguity ◽

Two Dimensions ◽

Group Level ◽

Four Dimensions ◽

Individual Level ◽

Main Contributor ◽

Sport Teams ◽

The Relationship ◽

Coaching Competency ◽

Level Of Analysis

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between athletes’ perceptions of role ambiguity and two theoretically derived dimensions of coaching competency (i.e., game strategy and technique competencies). A total of 243 players from 26 teams representing various interdependent sports completed French versions of the Role Ambiguity Scale and the Coaching Competency Scale. Multilevel analyses supported the existence of relationships between the four dimensions of role ambiguity and the two dimensions of coaching competency at both individual and team levels. When the levels were considered jointly, athletes perceiving greater ambiguity in their role in both offensive and defensive contexts were more critical of their coach’s capacities to lead their team during competitions and to diagnose or formulate instructions during training sessions. The results also indicated that the dimension of scope of responsibilities was the main contributor to the relationship with coaching competency at an individual level, whereas role evaluation was the main contributor to this relationship at a group level. Findings are discussed in relation to the role episode model, the role ambiguity dimensions involved in the relationships according to the level of analysis considered, and the salience of ambiguity perceptions in the offensive context.

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