Exploring coach perceptions of social identity, and its implications for teammate moral behaviour in youth sport

Abstract

Experiencing a strong sense of social identity can result in a variety of beneficial outcomes (e.g., morale, self-esteem; Haslam et al., 2009), and research highlights the significant role that leadership plays in facilitating identity perceptions (Slater et al., 2014). Whereas studies with youth athletes' have demonstrated relations between social identity and moral behaviour (Bruner et al., 2014, 2017), coach perceptions and experiences pertaining to this association remain unclear. As such, the current study sought to examine coaches' perceptions of the identification derived from team membership in youth sport and whether these social identities influence athletes' moral behaviour. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven head coaches (Mage = 48.29 years; SD = 6.73 years; Mexper. = 11.57 years; SD = 5.35 years) of male (n = 3) and female (n = 4) elite youth ice hockey teams. Thematic analysis (Braun et al., 2017) facilitated the identification of five themes (Ts). Generally, coaches discussed how athletes (and parents) joined elite hockey teams with a preconceived meaning and value attributed to team membership (i.e., cognitive centrality) (T1), and that the coaches' role in social identity development lies in ensuring athletes' enjoyment (i.e., in-group affect)(T2) and establishing connections with teammates (i.e., in-group ties) (T3). Interestingly, coaches identified parents who prioritize their child's individual performance as a barrier to the adoption of social identity (T4). Finally, whereas coaches highlighted several examples of moral behaviours, explicit links to identity perceptions were not made (T5). Both practical implications and future directions will be discussed.

Acknowledgments: SSHRC Insight Grant (435-2016-0591)