Self-Efficacy in Sport - An Application to Sports Officials

Date
2008-04
Authors
Chomos, Adam
Dorsch, Kim
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Regina, Graduate Students' Association
Abstract

Self-efficacy is the degree to which an individual feels competent and confident in carrying out specific behaviours and tasks towards a specific outcome. In the context of sport, self-efficacy research has been conducted and applied only in athletes and coaches. While understanding the implications of self-efficacy in athletes and coaches is critical, there is a group of 'athletes' that have been neglected with research in the area of self-efficacy. We recognize this group as sports officials. To understand how self-efficacy affects sports officials, the first step is to determine what skills and abilities are necessary for successful officiating. The purpose of this research is to identify specific skills and abilities deemed essential by officials for successful officiating experiences. Provincial sports associations will be contacted to give consent and provide support to approach their membership. Participants will be asked to complete an email-based, open-ended questionnaire. The questionnaire is designed to identify those skills necessary for officiating. Content analysis will be used to uncover themes among the responses. This study will allow future research to develop scales to be administered to sports officials, and integrate psychological skills training programs to improve officials' self-efficacy in areas where it is reported as low. This honours research project is designed to better understand how self-efficacy applies to sports officiating.

Description
Oral presentation at the 3rd Graduate Students' Research Conference, April 2008.
Keywords
Self-efficacy in sports officials
Citation