Assessing the effectiveness of the transformational coaching workshop using behavior change theory

Abstract

The current study assessed how participation in the Transformational Coaching Workshop (TCW) influenced youth sport coaches’ perceived capability, opportunity, and motivation to incorporate transformational coaching behaviors into their coaching practices. Sixty-three volunteer youth sport coaches participated in the study as part of an intervention (n = 31; Mage = 45.65 years; SDage = 8.82 years) or comparison group (n = 32; Mage = 44.59 years; SDage = 11.86 years). The study employed a two-arm, pre- and post-intervention, non-randomized intervention design. Dependent- and independent-sample t-tests were conducted to assess within and between-group differences. Results indicated that participants in the intervention group reported slight improvements in their perceived capability and opportunity to use transformational coaching behaviors post-intervention. There were no significant differences between groups post-intervention. This study provides support for the effectiveness of the TCW, and the application of behavior change frameworks to evaluate coach development programs.