American Press: Applied Research in Coaching and Athletics Annual #25 (2010)

ARCAA Contents & Abstracts Volume 25, 2010

ISBN 978-0-89641-488-4

Image and Identity in Organizational Adaptation: A Case Study of the New England Small College Athletic Conference — Dan Covell— This research seeks to test the applicability of the model established by Dutton and Dukerich (2001) in assessing how stakeholders in the New England Small Conference Athletic Conference (NESCAC) make sense of the key strategic issues and developments and microprocesses involved in organizational adaptation, specifically changes in stakeholder expectations in the goals and values of the intercollegiate athletic experience. Dutton and Dukerich posit that an organization’s image and identity guide and activate individual’s interpretations of an issue and motivations for actions on it, and those interpretations and motivations affect patterns of organizational activities over time. This article reviews the constructs of organizational identity and image, and links them to the context of NESCAC and American intercollegiate athletics. The results of this study demonstrate support for the model, indicating that organizational images displayed by key managers (school athletic directors and presidents) substantially shaped responses to stakeholder demands.(1-41)

Change in Coach’s Gender and the Effect on Team Performance — Thomas Aicher, Michael Sagas — Grounded in the similarity-attraction paradigm, this study focused on determining the effect a change in gender may have on a team’s performance. Data were gathered from 288 NCAA Division I schools competing in women’s basketball, softball, and volleyball in which a change in the head coach’s gender occurred between 2000 and 2005. A repeated measures ANCOVA indicated changing from a head coach who is dissimilar, in terms of gender, to one who is similar did increase the team’s winning percentage; however, through an analysis of variance results showed the change did not affect the team’s on-field performance variables. Additionally, results demonstrated the opposite gender change (similar to dissimilar) had no effect on the team’s performance or winning percentage. (42-61)

Gaining an Edge: Negative Recruiting in Division I Athletics — Amanda L. Paule, M. Ryan Flett — Grounded in the similarity-attraction paradigm, this study focused on determining the effect a change in gender may have on a team’s performance. Data were gathered from 288 NCAA Division I schools competing in women’s basketball, softball, and volleyball in which a change in the head coach’s gender occurred between 2000 and 2005. A repeated measures ANCOVA indicated changing from a head coach who is dissimilar, in terms of gender, to one who is similar did increase the team’s winning percentage; however, through an analysis of variance results showed the change did not affect the team’s on-field performance variables. Additionally, results demonstrated the opposite gender change (similar to dissimilar) had no effect on the team’s performance or winning percentage. (62-90)

Youth Sport Coaches’ Attitudes Towards the Use of the Spanish Language in Coaching and with Coaching Education— Margaret M. Flores, Robbi Beyer, Tiffanye Vargas-Tonsing — The popularity of youth sports continues to be on the rise as is the number of Hispanic individuals within the United States. This may have resulted in a need for more bilingual youth sport coaches. However, little research has been conducted in this area. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to begin introductory research to assess volunteer youth sport coaches’ attitudes towards coaching in Spanish as well as offering coaching education in Spanish. 221 coaches completed an 11-item questionnaire designed to gather basic demographic data and attitudes. Results found an overall positive opinion towards coaching in Spanish and offering coaching education in Spanish; however, Hispanic coaches were more likely to hold favorable views than their non-Hispanic peers. Implications of these findings and suggestions for further research are discussed. (91-104)

Off the Playing Field and into the Classroom: Evidence for Implementing Applied Sport Psychology Courses on College Campuses — Brandonn Harris, Amanda Visek — Academic courses in applied sport psychology have preliminarily been found to be effective, but require additional research support (Curry & Maniar, 2003) attesting to their efficacy and supporting their implementation across college campuses. The purpose of this research study was to evaluate an undergraduate applied sport psychology academic course taught for athletes. Participants (N = 64) included Division I collegiate student-athletes enrolled in the course. Results suggested that the course provided participants with an experience that: (a) positively impacted their sport and academic performances, while also (b) enhancing their relationships with teammates and coaches. Data also suggested the format and structure of the class was appropriate given the purpose and learning objectives of the course. Strategies for addressing the dual-role relationship (teacher-practitioner) that is created with this format, in addition to other logistical strategies for implementing an undergraduate applied sport psychology course are discussed. (105-124)

Predicting Job Insecurity in College Coaches from Background Variables — Timothy D. Ryan, Michael Sagas — The purpose of this study was to do an exploratory examination on factors correlating to job insecurity within college coaches including a focus given to the effect of the gender of a coach and the gender of the team coached. Based on a Näswall and De Witte (2003) study which compared job insecurity factors for individuals within different countries, coaches answered questionnaires detailing background information and employment factors. Correlation and multiple regression were used to examine the significance of the background variables on job insecurity among three different groups of coaches. For men coaching men’s teams, base salary and age were significant predictors. For men coaching women’s teams, base salary and education level were significant, and for women coaching women’s teams, significant predictors included children at home under 12, and a Division III effect. In evaluating the factors for all coaches and by gender, higher base salary and coaching at the Division I level corresponded to the greatest job insecurity. The greatest unique variance produced between genders appeared to the presence of young children at home. (125-144)

Disengagment from Organized Sports — Robert Pankey — Retirement from sport generally occurs as a result of deselection, injury, or expiration of eligibility. In today’s sport environment, one may be cut from a team, traded to another team, graduate from high school or college, become seriously injured, transfer to another school, or the team itself may be disbanded. There are a host of behavioral problems that accompany the process of being retired from sport. The purpose of this article is to address the issues of disengagement from organized sport and provide recommendations pertaining to the intervention strategies that can be applied to individuals who are entering the disengagement process. (145-174)

Perceptions of Senior Woman Administrators (SWAs), within NCAA Institutions Relative to Sexual Harassment within Their Own Institutions: Part A —William F. Stier, Jr., Robert Schneider,Timothy E. Henry, Gregory E. Wilding — This is the first part of a two-part national study of Senior Women Administrators (SWAs) on the topic of sexual harassment/discrimination. A national survey of SWAs of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) athletic departments (Divisions I, II, III) was conducted in order to determine their perceptions of the possible existence of sexual discrimination within their own athletic departments, specifically, in terms of: (A) existence of sexual harassment in the work environment, (B) frequency of sexual harassment, (C) issuance of complaints, (D) existence of hostile environments, (E) unwanted verbal expressions, (F) graphic sexual commentaries, (G) devaluation of women; (H) prejudice toward women; and, (I) separation between males and females (exclusion, avoidance, distancing). An examination/comparison of the data was made in terms of the respondent’s (A) marital status, (B) years of experience as a SWA, (C) division of the institution, (D) level of education; and, (E) to whom the SWA reports. Findings indicate that sexual harassment, where it is perceived to exist, is relatively infrequent in the perceptions of the SWAs. In addition, significant differences were found between the Senior Woman Administrator demographics: (1) marital status, (2) reporting structure, (3) education, (4) years of experience, (5) and the NCAA Division of the respondents’ institutions. (175-212)

The Profile of the Professional Coach — Boris Blumenstein, Iris Orbach —The current study was undertaken in an attempt to better understand and compare the profiles of professional coaches in different achievement levels. There were four groups of coaches who took part in the study: Experts coaches (n = 9), national coaches (n = 22), federation coaches (n = 19), and experts from abroad coaches (n = 13). In addition, elite athletes (n = 16) were asked to evaluate their coaches. Participants (n = 79) completed an anonymous self-report questionnaire which focused on three dimensions: Personality (82 items), knowledge (general and specific: 47 items), and skills (73 items). Differences between groups were usually found in the skills dimension. There were 10 skills in which the expert group was significantly different than the national group and 5 skills that differentiated between the expert group and the federation group. Based on the data a profile of the successful coach with three dimensions (personality, knowledge, skills) was suggested. In addition some recommendations for coaching educational programs are discussed. (213-230)

A Model for the Job Search Process in College Sports — Howard Gauthier — The Sports-Related Job Search Model was developed using research from the business world that was applied to college sports. The model is an excerpt from the book Getting Hired in College Sports. The Sports-Related Job Search Model outlines two main phases of a job search—the Discovery Phase and the Search Phase. The Discovery Phase has two stages—self-assessments and testing. The Search Phase is a continual loop that has four stages—preparation, connection, interviewing, and strategic follow-up. The model was designed to enhance the body of knowledge for career development within the scope of college sports. 231-245)

BOOK REVIEWS
Applied Sport Management Skills by Robert N. Lussier & David C. Kimball, reviewed by Warren K. Simpson (246-247)
Applied Sport Psychology by Jean Williams, reviewed by Warren K. Simpson (248-250)

Dreaming of the Majors: Living in the Bush by Dick "Lefty" O'Neal, reviewed by Warren K. Simpson (251-252)

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