COACH-ATHLETE RELATIONSHIP AS DETERMINANT OF SITUATIONAL

MOTIVATION IN SPORT AMONG ATHLETES OF OYO STATE SPORTS COUNCIL

Olulope, S.
Department of Human Kinetics,
University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.

Dr Jaiyeoba, O.M.
Department of Human Kinetics,
University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.

Corresponding author: olulopesamuel@gmail.com

Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate coach-athlete relationship as a determinant
of situational motivation among athletes of Oyo State Sports Council. The study adopted
descriptive design of correlation type. Participants were 200 athletes of Oyo State Sports
Council (male n = 149, female n = 51). The measures completed by respondents were
Coach-Athlete Relationship Questionnaire (CAR) (r = .95). Situational Motivation Scale
Questionnaire (SIMS) (r = .85). The result of the study showed significant correlation
between coach-athlete relationship and situational motivation (r = .305, N = 200, p <
0.05). Conclusively, coach-athlete relationship had positive significant relationship with
situational motivation. It was concluded that the quality of coach-athlete relationship can
be considered a key factor for the development of athletes situational motivation.

Keyboards: Coach-athlete relationship, situational motivation.

Introduction
Excellence in athletic performance is decided by many factors, both internal and external.
Besides the athlete’s own personal talents and hard work, coaches also play a crucial role
by transferring their experience, competence and knowledge to assist with athletes success
and achievement. Coaching has been often viewed as a context within which coaches operate to
largely bring about changes in athlete’s performance and wellbeing. According to Jowett (2017)
coach-athlete relationship is at the heart of coaching and then further stated that one key factor to
successful outcomes in coaching is the quality of the relationship between coaches and athletes.
Relationships are an essential part of life; they are extremely valuable and enriching, and have
the capacity to make people feel good, wanted, needed, and appreciated. Within the context of
sport coaching there are abundant number of relationships (e.g. coach-athlete, coach-parent,
coach-sport administrator, athlete-athlete, athlete-partner, and athlete/coach-consultant) that are
developed and dissolute. However the dyadic coach-athlete relationship is considered to be at the
heart of coaching and sport generally (Jowett & Cockerill 2002). In another study, Jowett (2005)
stated that the coach–athlete relationship is not an add-on to, or by-product of, the coaching
process, nor is it based on the athlete’s performance, age or gender – instead it is the foundation
of coaching.
According to Jowett (2017) coach-athlete relationship is at the heart of coaching and then further
stated that one key factor to successful outcomes in coaching is the quality of the relationship
between coaches and athletes. The coach and the athlete intentionally develop a relationship,
which is characterised by a growing appreciation and respect for each other as individuals.
Overall, the coach–athlete relationship is embedded in the dynamic and complex coaching
process and provides the means by which coaches and athletes needs are expressed and fulfilled
(Jowett & Cockerill, 2002).
According to Amorose and Anderson-Butcher (2007) there are various social factors present in
the sport context which may impact upon athletes motivation. Of these, perhaps one of the most
important is the influence of the coach. Some coaches behavior are said to affect athletes
motivation. One of the approaches that may be a potential variable in understanding motivation
is a coach-athlete relationship, which might influence the level of motivation (Buning &
Thompson, 2015). This was supported by Ampofo-Boateng (2009), suggesting that motivation
can be obtained through environmental approaches, which environmental factor such as the
relationship with the coach, can influence an athlete’s motivation. Adie and Jowett (2010) also
affirmed that great things and positive consequences, such as motivation, can be earned if the
coach and athlete are in perfect harmony.
The hierarchical model of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation (Vallerand, 1997; Vallerand,
Carbonneau & Lafrenière 2009) posits that the different types of motivation proposed in the self-
determination theory exist at contextual and situational levels. Contextual motivation refers to an
individual’s general motivation in a specific context (e.g., sport, education, work), while
situational motivation refers to the motivation individuals experience in a specific activity at a
given moment in time. The situational motivation refers to the “here and now” of motivation,
which represents the motivation experienced while engaged in a particular activity
(Vallerand,1997). According to Weathington, Alexander, and Rodebaugh (2010), coaches have
important roles and have significant consequences towards their athletes’ motivation and effort.
In order to increase their athletes’ motivation level, coaches usually use strategies through
positive verbal feedback, non-verbal communication and challenge their athletes.
Studies on motivation created by the interpersonal relationship between coaches and athletes
have received less attention within the sport psychology area (Olympiou, Jowett, & Duda, 2008).
Therefore, there is a need for this study to determine the influence of coach-athlete relationship
on situational motivation of athletes in sport.

Research Question
What is the correlation between coach-athlete relationship and situational motivation among
athletes of Oyo State Sports Council?

Hypotheses
The study hypothesized that;
1. There is no significant relationship between coach-athlete relationship and situational
motivation among athletes of Oyo State Sports Council.
2. Coach-athlete relationship is not a significant determinant of situational motivation among
athletes of Oyo State Sports Council.

Methods

Participants
A total of two hundred (200) athletes were used for this study. The participants were athletes of
Oyo State Sports Council, Adamasingba, Ibadan. There were 149 males and 51 female
participants proportionally sampled from different sports (athletics n = 42, ball games n = 84,
combat sports n = 27, weight lifting n = 18, racket sports n = 29). Age range of 16 to 32 years.

Measures
Coach-athlete relationship was determined using Coach-Athlete Relationship Questionnaire
(CART-Q) by Jowett and Ntoumanis (2004). The questionnaire is categorized as a Likert scale
which ranged from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). It consist of 11 items that
measured how the athletes perceived the quality of their relationship with their coaches through
three interpersonal constructs which are closeness, commitment and complementarity. Four
items assess about closeness (e.g., “I like my coach”), three items assessing commitment (e.g., “I
am committed to my coach”) and four items assessing complementarity (e.g., “When I am
coached by my coach, I am ready to do my best”). The Coach-Athlete Relationship
Questionnaire (CART-Q) has an internal consistency reliability of Cronbach’s alpha range of
0.83 – 0.95 (Nascimento, Silva, Freire, Granja, Silva & Oliveira, 2020). After a field testing on
20 athletes of Kwara State Sports Commission, the internal consistency of CART-Q was found
high with the Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.95
Situational motivation was determined using The Situational Motivation Scale (SIMS) by Guay,
Vallerand, and Blanchard (2000). This was used to assess athletes’ situational (or state)
motivation. With the SIMS, participants are asked to rate different reasons for currently engaging
in an activity on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (corresponds not at all) to 7 (corresponds
exactly). The Situational Motivation Scale Questionnaire (SIMS) has an internal consistency
reliability of Cronbach’s alpha range of 0.74 – 0.92 (Osterlie, Lohre & Haugan, 2019). After a
field testing on 20 athletes of Kwara State Sports Commission, the internal consistency of SIMS
was found high with the Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.85.

Procedure
Procedure for Ethical clearance was obtained from the appropriate authority. Oyo State Sports
Council, Adamasingba, Ibadan, Nigeria were the participants recruited for the study. The
authorities of the various teams responded to the authors permission to conduct the study after
which the participants’ informed consent was sought and secured, The participants complied to
voluntarily participate in the study. The essence of the research was explained to the participants
and administration of the self-report measures followed immediately for about 15 minutes,

Data Analysis
The descriptive statistics of frequency and percentage (%), were used to analyse the demographic
information of the participants, while inferential statistics of parametric, using Pearson Product
Moment Correlation (PPMC) and regression analysis, were used to test the null hypotheses at
0.05 alpha level.

Results
The result of table 1 below showed that coach-athlete relationship was tested significant on
situational motivation among athletes of Oyo State Sports Council (r=0.305, p<0.05). It was
further established that coach-athlete relationship had positive correlation with situational
motivation; while correlation coefficient’s magnitude was weak. The null hypothesis was
therefore rejected. The positive relationship implied that, coach-athlete rapport would positively
influence situational motivation among athletes of Oyo State Sports Council.
Table 1: Summary of Result on Correlation between Coach-athlete Relationship and
Situational Motivation
Variables Mean Std. Situational Coach-athlete N Sig. Remark
Dev. motivation relationship (p value)
Situational 53.64 8.34 1 .305**
 motivation
Coach-athlete 42.65 9.36 1 200 .000 Significant
.305**
relationship
Correlation is significant at 0.05 alpha level (p<0.05)

The result of table 2 below showed that coach-athlete relationship, the unstandardised regression
weight (ß), the standardized error of estimate (SEß), the standardized coefficient, the t-ratio and
the level at which the t-ratio are significant. As indicated in the table, coach-athlete relationship
(ß=-0.305, t=4.501, p<0.05) was tested significant on situational motivation among athletes of
Oyo State Sports Council. It implied that coach-athlete relationship was a significant determinant
of situational motivation among athletes of Oyo State Sports Council. The null hypothesis was
therefore rejected.

Table 2: Regression Analysis on Contribution of Coach-athlete Relationship to Situational

Motivation
Unstandardized Standardized
Coefficients Coefficients
Model B Std. Error Beta t Sig.
1(Constant) 42.060 2.632 15.979 .000
Coach-athlete relationship .271 .060 .305 4.501 .000

Discussion
This study examined the coach-athlete relationship as a determinant of situational motivation in
sport among athletes of Oyo State sports council. The finding of the study on demographic
characteristics of the respondents revealed that most of the respondents were in the age range of
24-28 years, while majority were male. Also, most of the respondents were involved in ball
games, while majority had 1-5 years’ experience.
The finding of this study was established that coach-athlete relationship had positive correlation
with situational motivation; while correlation coefficient’s magnitude was weak. The positive
relationship implied that, coach-athlete rapport would positively influence situational motivation
among athletes of Oyo State Sports Council. This current finding is consistent with the previous
studies that showed a positive significant correlation between coach-athlete relationship and
motivation (Nascimento et al, 2020; Zaker & Parnabas 2018). Zaker and Parnabas (2018) finding
of their study showed that coach-athlete relationship and motivation were linearly correlated to
each other. Based on the findings of the study, it can be concluded that coaches’ behavior
towards athletes have a greater influence on athletes’ situational motivation.
The finding of this study further revealed that coach-athlete relationship was tested significant on
situational motivation among athletes of Oyo State Sports Council. It implied that coach-athlete
relationship was a significant determinant of situational motivation among athletes of Oyo State
Sports Council. The outcome this study was in line with the finding of (Jowett & Cramer, 2010;
Abu, Adekalu, Omar, & Ismail, 2013). In their study it was found that coach-athlete relationships
was a determinant of motivation. This revealed that a good quality of the relationship between
coach and athlete tend to motivate athletes in sports. It concluded that a positive relationship with
the coach based on admiration, respect, trust and affiliation seems to be a fostering factor for the
motivation in the school sports context.
It can be concluded that the quality of coach-athlete relationship can be considered a key factor
to the development of athletes situational motivation in sport. Athletes who have a positive and
close relationship with their coaches tend to be highly situationally motivated in sports. A good
quality of the coach-athlete relationship can prevent conflict and thus, nurture the situational
motivation among athletes.

Limitations
The study possesses certain methodological limitations. First, the study made use of small
sample size which could limit the generalization of the result. Lager sample size should be
considered in further studies to increase the statistical power of the parameter estimates. Second
this study made use of athletes of whom some of them are not yet on the professional level.
Professional teams such as state football clubs and basketball clubs should be considered as
participants in further studies. Third, this study made use of Athlete’s Subjective Performance
Scale (ASPS) to assess athletes’ sport performance, which could limit the accuracy of data. An
experimental approach to access performance should be implemented in further studies.

Acknowledgments
The authors will like to thank all participants (athletes of Oyo State Sports Council) and
collaborated authorities for their efforts and contribution to this study.

Conflict of Interest
The authors declare no potential conflict of interest in respect to the research, authorship, and/or
publication of this article.

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