Transformational coaching and leadership: athletic administrators' novel application of social and emotional competencies in high school sports

PurposeThe coach−athlete relationship mediates the relationship between sports participation and student-athlete character, health and well-being outcomes. High school athletic administrators (AAs) can provide critical leadership, mentorship and direction for coaches to optimize student-athlete performance and human development. Social and emotional learning (SEL) is an evidence-based approach to developing adult and student competencies for holistic development across the lifespan that has been primarily performed and researched in the classroom. The purpose of this research is to capture the lived experiences of AAs applying a novel SEL-based curriculum (InSideOut Initiative, ISOI) with coaches and student-athletes in high school sports.Design/methodology/approachInterviews of 10 AAs captured their lived experiences of applying SEL-based leadership and coaching and their perception of its impact on coaches and student-athletes in high school athletics.FindingsAAs described leadership and coaching that are characterized by (1) safety, support and mentorship; (2) skill and support-based behavior modeling; (3) trusting, loving and supportive relationships; (4) self-reflection of values/beliefs and behaviors that impact self, student-athlete and culture; (5) the influence of emotions on the aforementioned; (6) the ability to have a long-term, sustainable impact on student-athletes and (7) alignment with their immediate environmental context.Research limitations/implicationsThe data captured in this study suggest that ISOI-trained AAs practice SEL-competent leadership and coaching. Evaluation of the novel application of SEL-based interventions in athletics will be useful to understanding their effects on participant social and emotional competencies and outcomes traditionally associated with classroom-based SEL applications.Practical implicationsAthletic administrator interviews describe an approach to high school sports that requires a reconceptualization of the purpose of athletics. When the high school sport operates as a curriculum, integrated opportunity for its student-athletes and athletic administrator and coach leadership aligns with this overarching philosophy, there may be increased potential for positive youth development.Originality/valueThe results of this research are valuable in demonstrating preliminary evidence of how SEL-based leadership and coaching is applied and impacts adult and student-athletes in a unique sport context.

Athletic Administrators' Reporting of Emergency Preparedness Regarding Policies and Procedures in [State] Secondary Schools.

ABSTRACT Context: Secondary schools that offer school-sponsored athletic events should follow best-practice guidelines to provide policies that promote student health and safety. Objective: To assess emergency preparedness from the perspective of athletic administrators (AAs) in [State] secondary schools. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Online survey. Patients or Other Participants: Ninety-eight AAs from [State] completed the survey (age=45.33 ± 10.22 years, years as an AA= 9.37 ± 8.14, years in current role=7.72 ± 7.09). Intervention(s): Six-section survey, with questions about access to ATs, emergency action plans (EAPs), Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), automated external defibrillator (AED), concussions and heat illness. Main outcome measures (s): Descriptive statistics (percentages and frequencies) were reported. Relative risk was calculated to compare schools with and without access to athletic trainers (ATs) (P<.05). Results: Most respondents (76.5%, n = 75/98) reported their school had access to a licensed AT. The majority had a written EAP (83.3%, n = 70/84), but less than half (39.2%, n = 31/79) reviewed it annually and less than 10% (n=6/85) reported practicing it each year. All respondents (100%, n = 78/78) reported having an AED on campus. All respondents (n = 77/77) reported that they were familiar with the [State] High School Athletic Association's (XHSAA) concussion policy and had a concussion guideline in place. Many respondents (95.9%, n = 71/74) reported being familiar with the XHSAA's heat illness policy, but over half (62.1%, n = 41/66) reported not having a heat policy in place at their school. Conclusions: Most respondents indicated their school has access to ATs, follows the state-mandated concussion guidelines, and has an AED. Although participants reported having written EAPs in place, there were low levels of annual EAP review and practice. These results suggest schools would benefit from educational opportunities to improve safety policies.

A Mixed Methods Approach to Identifying Administration Issues Pertinent in Interscholastic Sports

The purpose of this study was to investigate three propositions: a) What are the administration issues most pertinent to interscholastic sport today, as well as the next five years?, b) How important are those administration issues to athletic administrators?, and c) What are the potential implications of those pertinent administration issues to practicing athletic administrators? The literature provides a general overview of relevant issues surrounding interscholastic athletics. However, the importance and implications of relevant issues to practicing high school athletic administrators are difficult to discern. To answer the first proposition, the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) provided 10 contemporary administration issues that were most pertinent to interscholastic sport today, as well as the next five years. To answer the second proposition, a Likert-Scale was created so that practicing athletic administrators could rate each issue on a scale of 5 = extremely important to 1 = very little importance. A national study was conducted with athletic directors from the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (N = 170) annual conference. A one-tailed ANOVA was executed to determine significant differences among the 10 administration issues identified by the MSHSL. Four issues were found to be significant; Athletic Facilities, Athletic Training, Health Issues and Travel Teams. A Games-Howell post hoc was executed to determine significant differences across geographical regions of the United States. For the third proposition, semi-structured interviews were completed to provide insight on the implications for practicing athletic administrators. The results offer insight from which further investigations could be conducted to continue building on policies that influence interscholastic athletic administrators’ day-to-day accountability when overseeing their athletic programs.

Toward an Understanding of Critical Success Factors for Student-Athlete Mental Health and Wellness, Academic Success, and Athletic Performance at the NCAA Division III Level

Current athletic administrators are not only charged with overseeing programs that are critical to student-athletes’ athletics success, but must be increasingly aware of resources to also support success in student-athletes’ academic and personal lives. In turn, this empirical study explored the needs of student-athletes, coaches and administrators pertaining to mental health and wellness, academic success, and athletic performance at the NCAA Division III level. Implications and recommendations are presented for athletic administrators as they develop programmatic support for millennial student-athletes who experience heightened mental health and wellness challenges during the transition to college.

Mentoring Characteristics and Functions Important to Men and Women within Intercollegiate Athletic Administration

Female athletic administrators were asked about the role of mentoring in their careers as women while male athletic administrators were asked about the role of mentoring in their careers as men working in intercollegiate athletic administration. The researchers gathered and compared information on mentor characteristics as well as career and psychosocial benefits of having a mentor. Participants were 518 female and 778 male athletic administrators working at NCAA Division I, II, and IIII, NAIA, NCCAA, and NJCAA schools. A three-step content-analytic procedure was used to analyze the qualitative data. Men identified being trustworthy, supportive, respected, and a good listener while women identified being supportive, hardworking, and knowledgeable as the most important mentor characteristics. Men most frequently named coaching and challenging assignments as career benefits from mentors while women named exposure/visability and coaching. Both men and women most frequently identified counseling and role modeling as psychosocial benefits from mentors.