Identifying effective communication strategies for motivating student athletes at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa

Abstract

Motivation plays a significant role in the development and performance of student athletes throughout college athletics. This motivation can come from a variety of different areas, a large factor being how and what type of motivation their coach uses. As a key figure in a student athlete’s experience throughout college athletics, coaches can use different motivation strategies and methods of communication to best connect with and bring out the best success from their athletes. Coaches at the Division 1 level are critical for student athlete success, as they have the potential to completely change how these athletes prepare, train, and perform on game day. In addition to this, specifically at the University of Hawaii, it is essential for their coaches to be performing at the highest level to set up their student athletes to positively represent the entire state of Hawaii and community. As such, it is imperative to understand the types of communication styles that can motivate college athletes here at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. In this study, I examined and uncovered effective strategies that coaches use in order to motivate their college athletes by conducting qualitative in-depth interviews with college athletes and coaches from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Four themes have emerged throughout this analysis that have a significant impact on the motivation of student athletes. These are Tailored Goal Setting, Social Based Motivation (sub themes of culture, legacy, symbolic, and establishing relationships with athletes), Tough Love (sub themes of overcoming adversity, aggressive vocal tone, and hard critical feedback), as well as Tangible Awards. All of these themes can influence how a Division 1 athletic program coach can create a strategy to successfully motivate their student athletes which can lead to an increase in performance and overall experience.