A qualitative investigation exploring the motivational climate in early career sports participants: Coach, parent and peer influences on sport motivation

By R. Keegan, C. Harwood, Christopher M. Spray, D. Lavallee. 2009

305 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Abstract Objectives The objectives of this research were a) to explore the applicability of ‘motivational climate’ research to early career athletes under the age of twelve, b) to re-examine the concept of ‘motivational climate’ in the light of recent scientific developments, and c) to concurrently study the influences of coaches, parents and peers on athletic motivation. Design and Method Using a qualitative design, 40 participants (7–11 years of age) from various sports were interviewed in focus groups, using a semi-structured format to investigate the roles played by coaches, parents, and peers in influencing athlete motivation. An inductive content analysis was conducted to determine which behaviours among these social agents influenced key motivational outcomes. Findings The analysis indicated that young athletes experience a motivational climate which shows consistencies with existing models of motivation; suggesting this population is worthy of further study. The influences of coaches related most strongly to the manner in which they perform their roles of instruction and assessment, whereas parents' influences were most salient in terms of the way they support the child's participation and learning. Both parents and coaches exerted influences through their leadership styles, affective responses and pre-performance behaviours. Peers influenced participants' motivation through competitive behaviours, collaborative behaviours, evaluative communications and through their social relationships. Conclusions This study provides an insight into the motivational climate experienced by young athletes and helps to delineate the different roles of social agents in influencing their motivation at this early stage of development.

Subfields: Developmental and Educational Psychology, Safety Research, Social Psychology

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/10fe341777474d291399027897a0905799bf0635

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In Developmental and Educational Psychology

In Safety Research

In Social Psychology

Citations in the corpus

The Motivational Atmosphere in Youth Sport: Coach, Parent, and Peer Influences on Motivation in Specializing Sport Participants (2010, methodology): “In this paper and several others (e.g., Garcia Bengoechea & Strean, 2007; Keegan et al., 2009), the emergent picture of social and environmental influences on motivation has not been a dichotomy between performance-versus-mastery definitions of competence, or approachversus-avoidance motivational va”
Why do children take part in, and remain involved in sport? A literature review and discussion of implications for sports coaches (2013, background): “…finding within the literature is that coaches who mostly use positive coaching behaviours increase effort, whereas coaches who mostly use negative coaching behaviours reduce the effort of children (Amorose & Weiss, 1998; Barker & Graham, 1987; Bartholomew, et al., 2011; Keegan et al., 2009).”
A systematic review of the intrapersonal correlates of motivational climate perceptions in sport and physical activity (2015, background): “…White, 6 Kavussanu & Guest, 1998), and whilst other papers have also attempted such analyses (Carr & 7 Weigand, 2001; Chan, Lonsdale & Fung, 2012), the issues remains unresolved, largely due to the 8 use of different questionnaires for each social agent (cf. Keegan et al., 2009; 2010b; 2014a; b).”
Youth athletes’ perception of autonomy support from the coach, peer motivational climate and intrinsic motivation in sport setting: One-year effects (2012, background): “The authors have noted that peer social relations among children are comparatively equal whereas the young athleteecoach relationships may often be characterized by an imbalance of power (Keegan et al., 2009).”
A qualitative investigation of the motivational climate in elite sport (2014, result): “In comparing the data from this study to those by Keegan et al. (2009) and Keegan, Spray, et al.”
Relations of Parent- and Coach-Initiated Motivational Climates to Young Athletes’ Self-Esteem, Performance Anxiety, and Autonomous Motivation: Who Is More Influential? (2014, background): “Findings by Keegan et al. (2009) reflect this concept, as parents and coaches are shown to influence motivation in different ways.”