Article
Elite coaches’ perceptions of coaching athletes from different cultures
International Journal of Coaching Science
(2017)
Abstract
Individuals' culture can have a large impact on many levels, including coach-athlete relationships (Alfermann, Geisler, & Okade, 2013). Most of the research exploring cross-cultural issues within this relationship has focused on the athletes' perceptions and preferences. The purpose of the present study was to investigate coaches' perceptions of coaching athletes from different cultural backgrounds. Five elite gymnastics coaches were interviewed and the perceptions and experiences that they shared were analyzed through a grounded theory approach (Strauss & Corbin, 1998). It was found that though the coaches possessed varying levels of comfort in regards to discussing cultural issues, all of them perceived differences among their athletes based on the athletes' culture. Furthermore, some of the coaches were able to articulate changes in their coaching behaviors as a result of these differences, while others were persistent that they did not modify their coaching style on the basis of their athletes' culture. Implications for applied coaching practice and future research directions are discussed in addition to limitations of the study.
Disciplines
Publication Date
July, 2017
Citation Information
Ikuko Sabasa, Sean Fitzpatrick, Alison Pope-Rhodius and Haruo Sakuma. "Elite coaches’ perceptions of coaching athletes from different cultures" International Journal of Coaching Science Vol. 11 Iss. 2 (2017) p. 15 - 30 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/sean-fitzpatrick/10/