SAN BEDA UNIVERSITY

College of Arts and Sciences

Human Kinetics Department

The Impact of Coaching Behavior and Styles on

The Competitive Orientation
of Male and Female
Collegiate League Student-Athletes
in Competitive Sports

An Undergraduate Thesis presented to

the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences

Department of Human Kinetics Development

San Beda University, Manila, Philippines

In partial fulfillment of the requirements in

Research 1

Submitted to:

Prof. Greg Emmanuel D. Baniaga

Research Supervisor

Presented by:

Salas, Calvin Joshua

09/02/2024
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Department of Human Kinetics Development

Review of Related Literature of Studies

The literature review for this study aims to to explore the diverse coaching

styles and behaviors, ranging from democratic, autonomy-supportive, and others that

will be cited in this literature review, then determine their implications in how these

aspects of coaching affect the competitive orientation of an athlete. Through the

examination of existing research, the researcher will be able to highlight and identify

the way these coaching styles and behaviors can either hinder or enhance the

competitive orientation of collegiate student-athletes. The exploration of the related

literature will not only contribute to the theoretical and conceptual understanding of

the styles and behaviors that coaches utilize with their athletes but will also offer

practical insights for coaches seeking to optimize their effectiveness in cultivating a

positive competitive orientation within their athletes. Through this synthesis of

related literature, the researcher aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the

intricate relationship between coaching styles and competitive orientation, setting the

stage for future research and application in the field of sports coaching.

Coaching Styles and Behaviors

According to a study conducted by Love (2020) wherein she analyzed the

perceived effectiveness of coaching styles in collegiate athletes. The findings in their

research have suggested that coaching styles that have a significantly higher

autonomy-supportive behavior lead to the athletes being much more confident in

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Department of Human Kinetics Development

their coaches. The findings also state that coaches that have been perceived to have

a much more dominant and higher autonomy-supportive and lower controlling

behavior are found to be the most effective coaches, with the least effective coaches

being that of those who have a significantly higher controlling behavior and lower

autonomy-supportive behavior. Furthermore, according to Turner (2021) who also

conducted a study analyzing collegiate student-athletes and their preferred coaching

styles. Their findings suggested that autocratic coaching style was the least preferred

coaching style, whilst the most preferred coaching styles were those of training and

instruction style and situational consideration style. Thus, through the statements and

findings from the cited literature find that coaching behaviors that are effective in

fostering growth in athletes lean more on an autonomy-supportive approach and less

of controlling and autocratic coaching styles. With this literature, the researcher will

be able to draw analyses from these existing studies that coaching styles play a bigger

role in the effective development of an athlete and in turn, nurturing the competitive

orientations of an athlete.

Competitive Sports

According to Saarinen (2022) the world of competitive sports is a harsh

environment in which competitors are constantly compared to one another in regard

to the performance they have displayed. These critiques and undesired outcomes can

be disheartening to the player and affect them deeply. Such issues that young athletes

must face especially in the field of competition. According to Jekauc, Fritsch, &

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Department of Human Kinetics Development

Latinjak (2021) further supporting and cementing the claims made by Saarinen,

competitive sports can have a deep impact on the emotional life of athletes, due to

pursuance of personal and relevant goals, uncertain outcomes, which can lead to

extremes in both positive and negative emotions felt by the athlete. Competition in

sports is an essential part of an athlete’s development, however it can also prove to

be a detriment due to the anxiety it can possibly bring. Thus, with the statements

listed above from the literature provided, it can be argued that competitive sports and

the pressure it can bring can deeply affect the mental health of an athlete, and possibly

even their competitive orientation. Factors such as undesired outcomes and even the

style of coaching that the athlete is subjected to, can have a significant impact on an

athlete’s mental health, that may then translate into their competitive orientation.

Competitive Orientation

According to Jordan and Serrano (2023) their study revealed that the role of

coaches’ leadership in sports has a notable mediating role in the relationship between

the implementation of a sports training program and the competitive orientation of

athletes. Furthermore, Jordan and Serrano (2023) add that they have observed that

one of the main reasons for poor performance in sports competitions’ stem from the

low competitive orientation of an athlete. In contrast to this, athletes with a relatively

high performance appear to also have a significantly high competitive orientation

that matches their high performance in their respective sporting events. Through

these statements and citations collected, it can be considered that coach leadership

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Department of Human Kinetics Development

and in turn coaching style has a mediating role in the competitive orientation of an

athlete. Furthermore, it has been evidenced from the cited existing studies that there

is a significant effect that competitive orientation plays a significant role in sports

performance as well in the context of sports competitions.

Motivation and Game Enjoyment

According to Diffley (2021) wherein he conducted a study on youth soccer

athletes and their enjoyment and retention in their sport, he states that it is essential

that coaches understand a young athletes’ motives for their continued participation

in their sport. Creating a positive environment that promotes growth within a team

and during training sessions can have a significant impact on the enjoyment and, the

retention of the members of the team. In addition to this, the findings of the study

provide additional support for specific coaching methodologies, such as including

players in the decision-making process, which can be attributed to an autonomy-

supportive style of coaching, providing positive feedback and encouragement to

specific players within the team, creating realistic goals and expectations of the

athletes’ performance in their sport, providing social skills for teammates to make

friends, and creating an environment that all in all reduces athletes’ fear of trying

new skills in their chosen sport. Furthermore, according to Ho (2020) while

motivation is an important factor in all sports, at the highest level of sports

performance it is what makes the difference between success and failure in sports

competitions. Thus, with the statements collected and examined with the related

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Department of Human Kinetics Development

literature, it can be determined that game enjoyment and motivation can also be

factors that can be considered and included when determining the aspects of sports

participation affected by the coaching styles and methodologies that athletes are

subjected to.

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Department of Human Kinetics Development

References:

Arikatla, V., & Gregorich, G. (2021). The effect of sports experience and competitive
orientation on entrepreneurial priorities, attitudes, and decision making. Journal of
Student Research, 10(3). https://doi.org/10.47611/jsrhs.v10i3.2129

Diffley, J. (2021). "YOUTH SOCCER COACHING METHODOLOGIES’ IMPACT

ON ENJOYMENT OF THE GAME AND RETENTION". Theses and Dissertations.
253. https://scholar.stjohns.edu/theses_dissertations/253

Dutchak, Y., Zhuravlov, Y., & Galchenko, L. (2024). Theoretical substantiation of the
definition “sports activities of highly qualified athletes.” In Scientific Journal of
National Pedagogical Dragomanov University. Series 15. Scientific and pedagogical
problems of physical culture (physical culture and sports).
https://spppc.com.ua/index.php/journal/article/download/1753/1726

Havrylovych, O. (2021). Compatibility Features between Athletes-Players with

Different Efficiency of Team Activities. Collection of Research Papers Problems of
Modern Psychology, 53, 60–77. https://doi.org/10.32626/2227-6246.2021-53.60-77

Ho, B. (2020). Player autonomy in Sport: impact of coach’s passion.

https://doi.org/10.26153/tsw/8252

Jekauc, D., Fritsch, J., & Latinjak, A. T. (2021). Toward a theory of emotions in
competitive sports. Frontiers in Psychology, 12.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.790423

Jordan, R., & Serrano, L. (2023). Sports training program implementation and
competitive orientation of athletes as mediated by coaches’ leadership role in sports.
Journal of Education and Practice. https://doi.org/10.7176/jep/14-25-06

Love, K. (2020) "The Perceived Effectiveness of Autonomy-Supportive and

Controlling Coaching Styles”. Theses and Dissertations. 1233.
https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/etd/1233

Pestano, R. D. (2021). Sports-Teachers’ coaching style, behavior, Competency and

Student-Athletes Performance in sports. Kinestetik Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Jasmani,
5(1), 9–16. https://doi.org/10.33369/jk.v5i1.14619

Preston, P. (2020). Preferred Leadership Styles of Coaches: Collegiate Athletes’

Perception of Quality Coaches). Leadership Education Capstones. 35.
https://openriver.winona.edu/leadershipeducationcapstones/35

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Department of Human Kinetics Development

Saarinen, P. (2022). Shaping self through sport: the link between competitive sports
and development of self-concept among young athletes. University of Oulu, Faculty
of Education. Bachelor’s Thesis.

Su, W., Wang, L., Ding, Y., & Zhao, D. (2024). Development of the Chinese coaches’
autonomy-supportive—laissez-faire coaching style scale. In Frontiers in Psychology.
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/bb610393aaab1c625eb68d4dd104a4354ab0a
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Turner, B. (2021). Preferences of Collegiate Volleyball Players Regarding Leadership

Style. Journal of Sport Pedagogy and Research, 7(6), 4–12.
https://doi.org/10.47863/spex3129