Date of Award

Winter 2012

Abstract

Parent-coaches are individuals who coach their own children (child-athletes) in sports. Although their presence is widespread in the realm of recreational sports, little research has been conducted on the relationship between parent-coach and child-athlete. This is an exploratory study with the goal of better understanding the parent-coach phenomenon in the recreational sports context, from the perspective of both parent-coaches and child-athletes. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine parent-child dyads, focusing on positives, negatives, and the unique nature of the parent-coach and child-athlete relationship. Inductive analysis revealed a number of positive and negative themes, many of which were identified by both parent-coaches and child-athletes. Both parent-coaches and child-athletes perceived higher expectations for child-athletes, as well as a desire for equal treatment of all athletes on a team. Suggestions for applications to coaching education, as well as possible implications for future research are discussed.

First Advisor

Christopher Harrist

Department or Program

Recreation Management and Policy

Degree Name

Master of Science

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