An Examination of the Effect of Coach Leadership Behaviors on the Psychosocial
Development of Division III College Football Players
by
Gary P. Williams
A Dissertation presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
Doctor of Philosophy degree in
Leadership for the Advancement of Learning and Service in Higher Education
College of Education and Leadership
Cardinal Stritch University
May, 2010
This study explores the relationship between student athlete development and
coach leadership behaviors in NCAA Division III football players. Three key elements support this study. The first, Thelma Horn's model of coaching effectiveness, provided the framework for the impact of coaching behaviors on student athlete development. The second, Chickering and Reisser's work in student development, was used as the framework for assessing athlete development over the course of the season. The final, Pakinathan Chelladurai's work on the Leadership Scale for Sports (LSS), provided the framework for assessing the preferred and actual leadership behaviors perceived by the
student athletes. 384 student athletes, from 5 Midwest, small, private Division III
institutions were surveyed. Student athlete developmental outcomes were measured using researcher-created Student Athlete Development Survey (SADS), based upon the work of Chickering and Reisser. Student athlete leadership perceptions were measured using Chelladurai's Leadership Scale for Sports (LSS). This study investigated five issues: (a) do student athletes experience