Verbal aggression in basketball: Perceived coach use and athlete intrinsic and extrinsic motivation

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine how coaches’ verbal aggressiveness, as perceived by the athletes of basketball team sport, is related to athletes’ intrinsic-extrinsic motivation. One hundred eighty basketball athletes completed two questionnaires, during their training sessions. Statistically significant differences were observed in coaches’ verbal aggressiveness (t1,178=3.53, p<.05), intrinsic motivation (t1,177=-6.31, p<.05), identified regulation (t1,178=-8.80, p<.05), external regulation (t1,172=8.56, p<.05) and amotivation (t1,173=8.82, p<.05), between the two genders of the athletes. Correlation analysis revealed that there was a negative significant relationship between coaches’ verbal aggression with intrinsic motivation (r=-.49) and identified regulation (r=.44), but there was a positive significant one with external regulation (r=.46) and amotivation (r=.40). The results of regression analysis revealed that perceived coaches’ verbal aggressiveness could significantly predict the variables of athletes’ intrinsic motivation and external regulation. Findings and implications for coaches’ type of communication are discussed as well as future research suggestions. © 2015, Editura Universitatea din Pitesti. All rights reserved.