How to Cultivate Self-Determination in High School and College Student Athletes…and their Peers

by Emely Oviedo and Dr. Benjamin M. Drury

The coach-athlete relationship and the athlete perception of such relationship are primarily known to influence athlete motivation. Self-determination theory (SDT) supports this idea as it is heavily associated with the research of athlete motivation. SDT is a theory of motivation that suggests that humans have the natural tendencies to grow through life experiences (Rocchi & Pelletier, 2018). In many ways, SDT and coaching ‘theory’ can be practically applied to the world of teaching and learning.

In considering the coaches impact on adolescent athletes, various aspects such as contextual factors, psychological needs, social identity, leadership styles, and behavior should be considered with SDT (Benson et al., 2017; Choi et al., 2013; Rocchi & Pelletier, 2018). All aspects are interrelated with one another as they may determine the type of motivation experienced by the athlete. SDT implements the idea that if the sport context structure meets the satisfaction of the athletes’ basic psychological needs (i.e., autonomy, competence, and relatedness), then the athlete will experience autonomous (i.e., self-determined) motivation (Choi et al., 2013; Rocchi et al., 2020; Rocchi & Pelletier 2018). This is likely to occur because when one’s basic needs are satisfied, one tends to have an increase in interest, effort, and learning experience. Additionally, an environment ripe for personal and professional development is born. On and off campus, coaches impact student behaviors the most when they are absent. Coaches who can build frames inside of your mind to support of vision of success that even you yourself cannot see are educators at heart.

In contrast, if the basic psychological needs are not met within the sport context structure and the athlete experiences dissatisfaction, the athlete will also experience controlled (i.e., not self-determined) motivation (Choi et al., 2013; Rocchi et al., 2020; Rocchi & Pelletier 2018). When one’s basic needs are discouraged, the self-motivation for sport is also discouraged. Thus, the continuation for sport is forced due to other reasons other than self-interest, such as not wanting to disappoint others or the need for reward. Furthermore, sport context structure is known to shape the sport environment based on the behaviors of other people (Rocchi & Pelletier 2018). Therefore, because the coach creates the sport context for the team environment, the coach heavily impacts and influences the athletes experience and their overall motivation for sport. In relation to education, we can see a great deal of similarity in the way teachers contribute to the overall educational context in which their teaching and learning occurs.

Coaches and teachers (and even coach-teachers) are an invaluable component of the educational experience for millions of students of all ages. Young children need coaches who can motivate them and encourage them and challenge them to grow. Old children (and I am talking about people beyond the age of 40…you know who you are) need coaches to keep them accountable and on track and to challenge them. If you think about it, a coach is also a leader. You can follow a coach through hell, if you can trust that they have your best interest at heart. Coaches and teachers each can develop and cultivate lasting and meaningful relationships with their players and students that can last a lifetime. By taking the time to invest of yourself into the progress and promotion of people through education, a piece of you moves forward with them on their journey.

References

Benson, A. J., Bruner, M. W., & Eys, M. (2017). A social identity approach to understanding the conditions associated with antisocial behaviors among teammates in female teams. Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, 6(2), 129.

Choi, H., Cho, S., & Huh, J. (2013). The association between the perceived coach–athlete relationship and athletes’ basic psychological needs. Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal, 41(9), 1547–1556.

Rocchi, M., & Pelletier, L. (2018). How does coaches’ reported interpersonal behavior align with athletes’ perceptions? Consequences for female athletes’ psychological needs in sport. Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, 7(2), 141.

Rocchi, M. A., Guertin, C., Pelletier, L. G., & Sweet, S. N. (2020). Performance trajectories for competitive swimmers: The role of coach interpersonal behaviors and athlete motivation. Motivation Science, 6(3), 285.