Parental expectations of coaches

Parental expectations of coaches: Closing the communication gap

Ms. Candace Barton* and Professor Craig Stewart^, *MS, Montana State University, ^Dept. of Health and Human Development, Bozeman, Montana.   

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Introduction

Ask a group of coaches what the most challenging part of their job is, and they will probably state, “parents”. Many young coaches are shocked at how much time they spend dealing with parents. The relationships coaches have with the parents of their athletes can be either helpful and supportive, or stressful and frustrating. Hooper and Jefferies (1990) described a healthy parent/coach relationship in terms of an “athletic triangle” involving the coach, the athlete, and the parents. By appropriately including parents in the triangle, and thus involving them in the sports program in a positive manner, coaches can improve not only the relationship with parents, but also improve the experience of the athletes.
The purpose of this study was to determine parental preferences of coaches of their children, and additionally, have parents articulate how they measured those characteristics. The research was a continuation of Stewart’s (1994) survey of parents of high school athletes where he hypothesized that if coaches were better aware of the characteristics parents valued, then that understanding could foster a stronger parent/coach relationship. A second goal was an informal comparison of parent values from previous work. If indeed parents prioritized coaching characteristics differently than ten years ago, coaches could use this information to improve an ever-evolving parent/coach relationship. Finally, these results could aid coach educators in their efforts to prepare future coaches to better communicate and maintain healthy relationships with parents.

Review of Related Literature

Csikszentmihalyi, M., Rathunde, K., & Whalen, S. (1993) presented a strong conceptualization of the relationship between family and the development of talented children. In their work, they described the ‘complex’ family as one who provides an integrated environment, one that is stable and consistently supportive, combined with a differentiated surrounding, that is, one that encourages family members to develop their own individuality through attempting new challenges and opportunities. The authors further recognized that while there were other important factors that influenced talent development, a family setting that provided the child with enough security that he/she was both cheerful and energetic, but concurrently offered enough meaningful challenges to develop goal directed behaviors, increased the chances of refining talent.

Côté and Hay (2002) applied the work of Csikszentmihalyi, et al (1993) by observing that the complex family is the most effective family environment for young athletes. Furthermore, the complex family is compatible with the authoritative (not authoritarian) parenting style that establishes clear objectives for responsible behavior. An authoritative parent uses reason, power, and reinforcement to assist children in achieving objectives. In addition, Côté and Hay (2002) cited the work of Hellstedt (1987) who surmised that parental involvement in their child’s sport ranges from under-involved, to moderately (appropriately) involved, to over-involved. The level of parental involvement heavily influences the type of relationship that exist between coach, parent, and athlete. The under-involved parents isolate themselves away from the sport. In doing so, that behavior often increases the burden on the coach-athlete relationship. Players, who do not have parental support by even limited involvement, rarely are totally committed to a program.

Conversely, the moderately, thus appropriately, involved parent constructs a positive triangular relationship with the coach and young athlete. On the other extreme, the over-involved parent creates a negative situation in one of two ways. They either isolate the coach from the triangle by placing too much pressure on the athlete, or they cause conflict with the coach by overstepping program boundaries. This in turn can cause either isolation or conflict between coach and player. This knowledge can assist coaches in understanding what type of relation they can expect to have with certain types of parents.

Unfortunately, few theoretical models exist in the area of parent/coach relationships. However, some researchers (Martin, Dale, & Jackson, 2001; Stewart, 1997; Stewart, 1994) have examined the coaching characteristics most preferred by parents and players. Understanding parental expectations is the first step to successful parent-coach communication. Stewart (1994) based his original work on the premise that coaches must first understand what parents expect in a coach. Once coaches know that, they can plan and prepare for a positive season. In that earlier work, Stewart (1994) surveyed the parents of high school athletes and found that they most desired coaches who were:

• fair and honest in dealing with athletes
• committed to having players enjoy their sport
• and dedicated to the development of sportsmanship

In fact, high school parents ranked these more traditional characteristics last:

• commitment to winning
• personal experience as a player
• and improving players’ chances of playing at a higher level

Stewart (1997) later hypothesized that as athletes began playing at a higher level, their parents’ expectations would probably change. With that premise, parents of Olympic Development soccer players at both the State and Regional levels were given the same survey from the 1994 study. The three most important characteristics picked by parents of Olympic Development players varied only slightly from the parents of high school athletes. Olympic Development parents preferred coaches who:

• were able to teach well
• had knowledge of skills
• and were fair and honest

They too, ranked commitment to winning low. Stewart (1997) also found a slight discrepancy between parents’ reported preferences and what coaches thought parents would prefer. Parents valued sportsmanship more and playing at a higher level less than coaches thought they would (Stewart, 1997). Similarly, Martin, Dale, and Jackson (2001) completed a study of parents of young players aged ten to eighteen years. In the study, they used a modified Participation Motivation Questionnaire to compare the preferences of parents to their young athletes’. Adolescent athletes preferred a coach who:

• implemented effective instructional practices
• could perform the skills required of the sport
• and provided opportunities for the athletes to compete and achieve their goals

In comparing Stewart’s (1994 & 1997) and Martin’s (2001) studies, it appeared that parents’ preferences were changing. However, it is pertinent to consider not only the various levels of play of the athletes, but also the demographics of communities in which the studies were performed. Levels of play ranged from summer youth sports programs to Olympic Development teams, and Martin’s (2001) study was performed in a large urban area in Texas, while Stewart’s (1994) study was performed in a smaller rural community in Montana.
Similarly, Rich (1998) provided suggestions for teachers in their interactions with parents:

• making expectations for learning clear to parents and children
• clarifying classroom expectations
• and sharing learning goals with parents

By comparison, it has been established that coaches should:

• make their training and team expectations clear to parents and athletes
• create team goals with the athletes
• and share them with the parents

This, too, emphasizes the importance of the teacher/coach and parent having the same understanding of goals and expectations. Likewise, Giannetti and Sagarese (1998) gave similar advice to middle school teachers dealing with critical parents. They stated that by conveying shared values with parents, a teacher would foster greater acceptance and communication. Reassuring parents that the adults in the athletic program value similar coaching characteristics can put them at ease and turn a potential challenger into a supportive ally.
There is no doubt that coaching is an inherently stressful job and much of the stress comes from parents. However, taking time to understand parental expectations of coaches and then working towards open communication can relieve much of that tension.

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