Nakayama Saori, Izawa Makoto
Institute of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
School of Physical Education, Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
Front Sports Act Living. 2025 Apr 25;7:1569274. doi: 10.3389/fspor.2025.1569274. eCollection 2025.
This study examined the relationship between transformational leadership (TFL) behaviors of coaches and positive youth development (PYD) outcomes in Japanese youth sports settings. Research has shown associations between TFL and various athlete outcomes in Western sports contexts. However, limited attention has been paid to how cultural factors shape these relationships in East Asian settings, particularly within Japanese sports culture that emphasizes hierarchical relationships and collectivist values.
The study included 112 first-year undergraduate students from a sports science program at a Japanese university. Athletes' perceptions of their coaches' TFL behaviors and PYD outcomes were assessed using the Differentiated Transformational Leadership Inventory for Youth Sport (DTLI-YS) and the Youth Experience Survey for Sport (YES-S).
Correlation analyses revealed a particularly strong association between high performance expectations and initiative ( = .53, < .01), notable when compared to American research where correlations between PYD outcomes and TFL dimensions were typically weaker ( = .11 - .43). Regression analyses further showed that high performance expectations were significantly associated with both goal setting ( = .29, < .05) and initiative ( = .39, < .01). Analysis by competition level revealed significant differences in initiative ( = 4.07, < .01, ² = .10) and total YES-S scores ( = 2.75, < .05, ² = .07).
These findings contribute to understanding how cultural context shapes the relationship between coaching leadership and youth development in sports. While the prominence of high performance expectations reflects Japanese sports culture's emphasis on discipline and collective achievement, results suggest the importance of incorporating a more balanced leadership approach that includes elements beyond high performance expectations to foster comprehensive athlete development.
本研究考察了在日本青少年体育环境中，教练的变革型领导行为（TFL）与青少年积极发展（PYD）成果之间的关系。研究表明，在西方体育背景下，TFL与运动员的各种成果之间存在关联。然而，在东亚环境中，尤其是在强调等级关系和集体主义价值观的日本体育文化中，文化因素如何塑造这些关系却很少受到关注。
该研究纳入了日本一所大学体育科学专业的112名一年级本科生。使用青少年体育差异化变革型领导量表（DTLI-YS）和体育青少年体验调查（YES-S）评估运动员对教练TFL行为和PYD成果的看法。
相关分析显示，高绩效期望与主动性之间存在特别强的关联（r = 0.53，p < 0.01），与美国的研究相比，这一关联较为显著，在美国的研究中，PYD成果与TFL维度之间的相关性通常较弱（r = 0.11 - 0.43）。回归分析进一步表明，高绩效期望与目标设定（β = 0.29，p < 0.05）和主动性（β = 0.39，p < 0.01）均显著相关。按比赛水平进行的分析显示，主动性（F = 4.07，p < 0.01，η² = 0.10）和YES-S总分（F = 2.75，p < 0.05，η² = 0.07）存在显著差异。
这些发现有助于理解文化背景如何塑造体育领域中教练领导与青少年发展之间的关系。虽然高绩效期望的突出反映了日本体育文化对纪律和集体成就的强调，但结果表明，纳入一种更平衡的领导方法很重要，这种方法应包括高绩效期望之外的要素，以促进运动员的全面发展。
