The level of relationship between athletes and coaches among sport school students in Malaysia

Abstract

Coaches and athletes of different sport background can have a marked influence on their relationship. The objective of this study was to compare the relationship level between the athlete and coach, among sport school students. In addition, this study aimed to compare the level of athlete to coach relationship and vice versa. The Coach-Athlete Relationship Questionnaire (CART-Q) is used in the data collection process. In this study, the measurement is made from the contract of interpersonal relationships (closeness, commitment and complementarity). The findings are presented in the form of descriptive statistics. The comparison and relationship among variables was determined using t-tests and Pearson correlation tests. The study found that there was a significant correlation between coaches in the team sports category with the closeness of t = 2.098, sig = 0041* (p <0.05). The study also found that there was a correlation between the total time of training in a week with the commitment of athletes r = 0.155, sig = 0.016* (p <0.05). These findings indicate that the coaches have a higher level of closeness compared with athletes. Meanwhile, it appears to be no problem with athletes’ commitment with the training period set by their coach. It can be concluded that, the higher the level of interpersonal qualities (closeness, commitment and complement) the higher the level of relationship between athletes and coaches.