A Closer Look at Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: Athletes Experiences with Coaches who have High and Low Expectations for Them

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine athletes’ experiences with coaches who have either high or low expectations (i.e., as perceived by the athletes) for them. The present study employs a qualitative research design. Existential phenomenology is a qualitative research method that seeks to describe lived experiences. This research design provided the self-fulfilling prophecy framework to understand athletes’ perceptions of high and low expectancy coaches’ coaching style. The interview guide was created from Fiske and Taylor (1991) rendition of the Expectancy Confirmation Model. Participants (N = 20) were asked to describe their experience with both a high and low expectancy coach they encountered at some point in their sport career. All responses were recorded and transcribed, and the data were analyzed through a series of iterations, which led to the identification of five themes that constitute athletes’ experiences with high and low expectancy coaches. The five themes derived from the athletes’ reports were the following: overall coach approach, feedback, mistakes, team culture, and life beyond sport. These five themes were consistent in both high and low expectancy coaches. Athletes perceived that high expectancy coaches ultimately provided athletes with a positive sport experience while developing them into better athletes and better people, whereas low expectancy coaches ultimately provided athletes with a negative sport experience decreasing athletes’ enjoyment, effort, and motivation. Future research should consider coaches’ perceptions of their athletes to compare to the athletes’ perceptions of their coaches.