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Women coaches' perceptions of their sport organizations' social environment: Supporting coaches' psychological needs?

Researchers have argued that coaches are performers in their own right and that their psychological needs should be considered (Giges, Petitpas, & Vernacchia, 2004; Gould, Greenleaf, Guinan, & Chung, 2002). The purpose of this research was to examine high performance women coaches’ perceptions of their sport organizations’ social context, with specific attention to psychological need support. Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985; Ryan & Deci, 2002) was employed to frame the examination of the coaches’ experiences. Eight high performance women coaches from two sport organizations participated in semistructured interviews. All reported autonomy and competence development opportunities. Organizational relatedness was critical to the experience of a supportive environment. The findings provide insight into the “world of coaching” from the coaches’ perspective. Coaches have been the focus of considerable research including examinations of coach behavior, athlete relationships (see reviews in Jowett & Lavallee, 2007) and coach development pathways (Erickson, Cote, & Fraser-Thomas, 2007). Such research typically aims to enhance the quality of athletes’ experience by understanding their perspectives and ultimately influencing coaches’ preparation for coaching and their interactions with athletes while coaching. However, researchers have also argued that coaches should be viewed as performers in their own right (Gould, Greenleaf, Guinan, & Chung, 2002) and that coaches’ psychological needs should be considered (Giges, Petitpas, & Vernacchia, 2004). Furthermore, research has demonstrated that sport organizations’ practices and culture influence coaches’ experiences and effectiveness (Gould et al., 2002; West, Green, Brackenridge, & Woodward, 2001). Consequently, research into the social contexts in which coaches operate is required to further our understanding of the support for their psychological needs. The general purpose of the present research was to examine high performance coaches’ perceptions of their sport organizations’ social environment and the extent to which their psychological needs are supported within this environment. In addition, the current study focused specifi