{"id":{"repo_id":"uwo","oai_identifier":"oai:uwo.scholaris.ca:20.500.14721/36333"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uwo/oai:uwo.scholaris.ca:20.500.14721/36333","repository":{"repo_id":"uwo","name":"Western University","base_url":"https://uwo.scholaris.ca/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Understanding the Volunteer Youth Coaching Environment: A Psychological Contract Perspective","abstract":"The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the volunteer coaching environment using psychological contract theory. Psychological contract posits that volunteers and their organization have implicit and explicit expectations of each other, and the breach and fulfillment of these expectations impact volunteers’ attitude and intended behaviour. Study 1 explored the content of volunteer coaches’ psychological contract, and influences to the development of it. Interviews with 22 coaches of team sports, representing different demographic factors were included. The results revealed that volunteer coaches possess both transactional and relational expectations. Variation was found by coaching tenure and level of play. Sources external to the club primarily influenced the content of the psychological contract. Study 2 built upon the conceptual framework revealed in Study 1 by developing a survey measure to assess the content and fulfillment of coaches’ psychological contract, and the impact of fulfillment on coaches’ satisfaction, commitment, and intent to continue. A sample of 187 volunteer sport coaches completed an online survey. The results indicated that contract fulfillment positively predicted satisfaction, commitment, and intent to continue. Study 3 investigated the content of sport clubs’ psychological contract. Focus groups were conducted with three sport clubs that had both recreational and competitive programming, and volunteer coaches. Sport clubs’ common expectations of themselves were fundamental resources, club administration, formal training, coach support and conflict resolution. Their common expectations of coaches were team administration, certification, assigned coaching role, team leadership, positive experience, and professionalism.","abstract_html":"The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the volunteer coaching environment using psychological contract theory. Psychological contract posits that volunteers and their organization have implicit and explicit expectations of each other, and the breach and fulfillment of these expectations impact volunteers’ attitude and intended behaviour. Study 1 explored the content of volunteer coaches’ psychological contract, and influences to the development of it. Interviews with 22 coaches of team sports, representing different demographic factors were included. The results revealed that volunteer coaches possess both transactional and relational expectations. Variation was found by coaching tenure and level of play. Sources external to the club primarily influenced the content of the psychological contract. Study 2 built upon the conceptual framework revealed in Study 1 by developing a survey measure to assess the content and fulfillment of coaches’ psychological contract, and the impact of fulfillment on coaches’ satisfaction, commitment, and intent to continue. A sample of 187 volunteer sport coaches completed an online survey. The results indicated that contract fulfillment positively predicted satisfaction, commitment, and intent to continue. Study 3 investigated the content of sport clubs’ psychological contract. Focus groups were conducted with three sport clubs that had both recreational and competitive programming, and volunteer coaches. Sport clubs’ common expectations of themselves were fundamental resources, club administration, formal training, coach support and conflict resolution. Their common expectations of coaches were team administration, certification, assigned coaching role, team leadership, positive experience, and professionalism.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Harman, Alanna"],"institution":"The University of Western Ontario","degree_name":"Ph D","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":"Kinesiology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Doherty, Alison"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2013,"date_issued":"2013-08-14","date_published":"2013-08-14","updated_at":"2026-07-27T21:56:14Z","subjects":["psychological contract","volunteer coaches","community sport"],"languages":["en_ca"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14721/36333","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Doherty, Alison"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Harman, Alanna"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2025-07-10T21:21:04Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2025-07-10T21:21:04Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2013-08-14"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["The University of Western Ontario"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Kinesiology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ph D"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["psychological contract","volunteer coaches","community sport"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en_ca"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14721/36333"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["The thesis cover page in the PDF document includes references to Western University’s previous institutional repository platform, known as Scholarship@Western, and links to that platform (beginning with ir.lib.uwo.ca). In citing or referring to this thesis, use the DOI or handle from this page instead. Sample citation: Author name, \"Thesis title.\" (Year). Western University Open Repository. https://doi.org/10.71858/123456."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the volunteer coaching environment using psychological contract theory. Psychological contract posits that volunteers and their organization have implicit and explicit expectations of each other, and the breach and fulfillment of these expectations impact volunteers’ attitude and intended behaviour. Study 1 explored the content of volunteer coaches’ psychological contract, and influences to the development of it. Interviews with 22 coaches of team sports, representing different demographic factors were included. The results revealed that volunteer coaches possess both transactional and relational expectations. Variation was found by coaching tenure and level of play. Sources external to the club primarily influenced the content of the psychological contract. Study 2 built upon the conceptual framework revealed in Study 1 by developing a survey measure to assess the content and fulfillment of coaches’ psychological contract, and the impact of fulfillment on coaches’ satisfaction, commitment, and intent to continue. A sample of 187 volunteer sport coaches completed an online survey. The results indicated that contract fulfillment positively predicted satisfaction, commitment, and intent to continue. Study 3 investigated the content of sport clubs’ psychological contract. Focus groups were conducted with three sport clubs that had both recreational and competitive programming, and volunteer coaches. Sport clubs’ common expectations of themselves were fundamental resources, club administration, formal training, coach support and conflict resolution. Their common expectations of coaches were team administration, certification, assigned coaching role, team leadership, positive experience, and professionalism."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Understanding the Volunteer Youth Coaching Environment: A Psychological Contract Perspective"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Doherty, Alison"],"dc:creator":["Harman, Alanna"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2025-07-10T21:21:04Z"],"dc:date.available":["2025-07-10T21:21:04Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2013-08-14"],"dc:description":["The thesis cover page in the PDF document includes references to Western University’s previous institutional repository platform, known as Scholarship@Western, and links to that platform (beginning with ir.lib.uwo.ca). In citing or referring to this thesis, use the DOI or handle from this page instead. Sample citation: Author name, \"Thesis title.\" (Year). Western University Open Repository. https://doi.org/10.71858/123456."],"dc:description.abstract":["The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the volunteer coaching environment using psychological contract theory. Psychological contract posits that volunteers and their organization have implicit and explicit expectations of each other, and the breach and fulfillment of these expectations impact volunteers’ attitude and intended behaviour. Study 1 explored the content of volunteer coaches’ psychological contract, and influences to the development of it. Interviews with 22 coaches of team sports, representing different demographic factors were included. The results revealed that volunteer coaches possess both transactional and relational expectations. Variation was found by coaching tenure and level of play. Sources external to the club primarily influenced the content of the psychological contract. Study 2 built upon the conceptual framework revealed in Study 1 by developing a survey measure to assess the content and fulfillment of coaches’ psychological contract, and the impact of fulfillment on coaches’ satisfaction, commitment, and intent to continue. A sample of 187 volunteer sport coaches completed an online survey. The results indicated that contract fulfillment positively predicted satisfaction, commitment, and intent to continue. Study 3 investigated the content of sport clubs’ psychological contract. Focus groups were conducted with three sport clubs that had both recreational and competitive programming, and volunteer coaches. Sport clubs’ common expectations of themselves were fundamental resources, club administration, formal training, coach support and conflict resolution. Their common expectations of coaches were team administration, certification, assigned coaching role, team leadership, positive experience, and professionalism."],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14721/36333"],"dc:language.iso":["en_ca"],"dc:publisher":["The University of Western Ontario"],"dc:subject":["psychological contract","volunteer coaches","community sport"],"dc:title":["Understanding the Volunteer Youth Coaching Environment: A Psychological Contract Perspective"],"dc:type":["thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Kinesiology"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ph D"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T21:56:14Z"}