An Examination of the Relationship Between Coaches’ Transformational Leadership and Athletes’ Personal and Group Characteristics in Elite Youth Soccer
Peer reviewed, Journal article
Published version
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https://hdl.handle.net/11250/2990422Utgivelsesdato
2021Metadata
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Originalversjon
Erikstad, M. K. Høigaard, R. Côté, J. Turnnidge, J. Haugen, T. (2021). An Examination of the Relationship Between Coaches’ Transformational Leadership and Athletes’ Personal and Group Characteristics in Elite Youth Soccer. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.707669Sammendrag
There is a growing body of the literature highlighting the positive impact of transformational
leadership behaviours across contexts, including sport. However, there is a lack of
knowledge of this relationship within elite sport settings. Thus, the purpose of the present
study was to examine the relationship between elite youth athletes’ perceptions of
coaches’ transformational coaching-behaviours and variables that have been linked to
transformational leadership in other settings (i.e., group cohesion, motivational climate,
self-regulation of learning and athlete satisfaction). Norwegian elite youth soccer players
(n = 753) selected into the national talent development program completed questionnaires
to measure the variables of interest. Using structural equation modelling, results revealed
a positive path from transformational leadership to both task and social cohesion, taskoriented motivational climates, self-regulation of learning and athlete satisfaction. Finally,
a negative path from transformational leadership to ego-oriented climates was identified.
The findings are in line with previous research in associating transformational leadership
behaviours with adaptive outcomes, and further indicating that such relationships may
also be valid in elite sport contexts.