Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Text in Afrikaans / Hierdie navorsing het die verband tussen vroee adolessenterugbyspelers se doelorientering en selfkonsep, empiries en in die literatuur, ondersoek. Die literatuurondersoek het getoon dat doelorientering oar twee komponente beskik, naamlik taakbetrokkenheid en egobetrokkenheid. Taakbetrokke sportdeelnemers fokus op vaardigheidsontwikkeling en gebruik hulle eie prestasies as maatstaf vir sukses. Hulle beleef sukses wanneer 'n taak bemeester is, leer plaasvind, of daar 'n verbetering in die uitvoering van die taak is. Sukses word toegeskryf aan die mate van inspanning gelewer. Egobetrokke sportdeelnemers fokus op die wenmotief, gebruik normatiewe vergelyking as maatstaf vir prestasie, en beleef sukses wanneer hulle eie prestasies gunstig met die van ander kan vergelyk. Sukses word aan aangebore talent toegeskryf. Die empiriese ondersoek het bevind dat taakbetrokkenheid positief verband hou met die globale, persoonlike, en sosiale self. Egobetrokkenheid hou negatief verband met die fisieke self, en positief verband met kompetisie-angs. / The research investigated, in the literature and empirically, the possible relation between the goal orientation of male adolescent rugby players and their self-concept. The literature study indicated that goal orientation has two components, namely task involvement and ego involvement. In task-involved sport participation, skills development is emphasized, evaluation of achievement is self-referenced, and success experienced when learning takes place, a task is mastered, or when there is improvement in the execution of tasks. Success is attributed to effort. In ego-involved sport participation objective outcomes are emphasized (i.e. winning), evaluation of achievement is norm-based, and success experienced when own achievements are favourably compared to those of other sport participants. Success is attributed to natural ability. The empirical study indicated a positive relation between task-involved sport participation and the global, personal, and social self. A negative relation between ego-involved sport participation and the physical self, and a positive relation between ego involvement and competition-anxiety was found. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Spesialisering in Voorligting)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of a psycho-educational intervention program on the mental toughness of secondary school cricketers. The general aim of the study was to use psychological skills and psychological techniques to enhance the mental toughness of secondary school cricketers, within a psycho-educational framework. This general aim of the study was actualised by employing the following specific aims: • A literature review was conducted to explore the psycho-educational model. It was found that the psycho-educational model was an appropriate model to use as the framework of the intervention program. • The literature review investigated and evaluated different psychological skills and psychological techniques that influenced the mental toughness of cricketers positively. • A questionnaire was designed. This questionnaire (CMTQ) fulfilled the role of a psychological skills measuring tool. • A psycho-educational intervention program was designed around the findings of the literature study. • Guidelines were compiled to follow when coaching mental toughness to secondary school cricketers. • The intervention program was presented over a six week period. • An empirical study was conducted to evaluate the successfulness of the intervention program. The first phase of the empirical study was done before the presentation of the psycho-educational intervention program. The data suggest that Confidence and Motivation were the two main psychological skills that the participants employed in their mental game of cricket. The second phase of the empirical study was only done after the completion of the six week intervention program. The selected data analysis method employed to evaluate the effectiveness of the program was the t-test for dependant groups. v The results of the data analysis indicated that the participants in the experimental group improved in their mental toughness performance significantly. When the findings of the literature review and the results of the empirical study are combined, it appears as if this intervention program will have a positive influence on the cricket performance of secondary school cricketers. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

Youth sport is acknowledged as an ideal setting for promoting positive youth development. In particular, youth sport participation has been linked to life skills development and psychological well-being. The coaching climate has been proposed to play a role in facilitating such positive outcomes. Nonetheless, few measures exist to examine life skills development through sport and it is unclear how positive youth development may be facilitated by the coach. Using existing and newly developed measures, this thesis examined how the coaching climate is related to life skills development and psychological well-being in youth sport participants. Phase 1 of this programme of research investigated Benson and Saito’s (2001) conceptual framework for youth development theory and research within sport. Study 1 examined a model whereby the coaching climate is related to life skills development (personal and social skills, cognitive skills, goal setting, and initiative); which, in turn, is related to participants’ psychological well-being (self-esteem, positive affect, and satisfaction with life). Data from 202 youth sport participants suggested that an autonomy supportive coaching climate was positively related to all four life skills. Further analysis revealed that the development of personal and social skills mediated the relationships between coach autonomy support and all three indices of psychological well-being. However, the validity of the scale used to measure life skills was brought into question during this study. Therefore, the studies which follow developed and validated a new scale which could accurately assess eight key life skills young people learn through sport. Phase 2 of this programme of research involved developing and validating a scale which measures life skills development through sport. Study 2 outlines the initial development of a scale which would assess whether young people learn the following life skills through sport: teamwork, goal setting, time management, emotional skills, interpersonal communication, social skills, leadership, and problem solving and decision making. This study involved defining each of the eight life skills, deciding what components made up each life skill and developing items which could assess each life skill. The initial item pool was reviewed by 39 academics, with between two and seven experts assessing the items for each of the eight life skills. Using the ratings and comments provided by experts, the first version of the Life Skills Scale for Sport (LSSS) was developed. Study 3 reduced the number of items contained within the LSSS from 144 to 47 items using both exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and descriptive statistics. For this task, 338 youth sport participants completed the LSSS. EFA results supported the unidimensional factor structure of each of the eight subscales. Each subscale also displayed adequate internal consistency reliability. Study 4 examined the factor structure of the LSSS using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with an independent sample of 223 youth sport participants. After the removal of four emotional skills items, seven of the eight subscales and the revised 43-item scale displayed adequate model fit. Results supported both the convergent and discriminant validity of the LSSS and each of the eight subscales displayed adequate internal consistency reliability. Study 5 assessed the test-retest reliability of the LSSS with an independent sample of 37 youth sport participants. Each participant completed the scale on two occasions which were two weeks apart. Results revealed that time 1 and time 2 scores were relatively unchanged over this two-week period, providing evidence of test-retest reliability. Phase 3 of this programme of research involved re-testing Benson and Saito’s (2001) framework. Study 6 retested the coaching climate – life skills development – psychological well-being model from Study 1 using the LSSS. Data from 326 youth sport participants suggested that an autonomy supportive coaching climate was positively related to young people learning teamwork, goal setting, time management, emotional skills, interpersonal communication, social skills, leadership, and problem solving and decision making. The total amount of life skills a young person developed through sport was positively related to their self-esteem, positive affect and satisfaction with life. Again, the factor structure and reliability of the scale was supported. The findings from this PhD research suggest that the coaching climate plays an important role in young peoples’ development through sport. Specifically, an autonomy supportive coaching climate was positively related to life skills development and psychological well-being in youth sport participants. This thesis also provides researchers with a valid and reliable measure of life skills development through sport. Future research using the LSSS should examine other factors (e.g., peer relationships) which may promote positive youth development through sport. Additionally, future studies can use the LSSS to examine the efficacy of existing programmes (e.g., the SUPER programme) which teach life skills through sport. Such research will help guide coaches and sports programmes efforts to promote positive youth development through sport.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / abstract / Physical Education and Sport Science / Master / Master of Philosophy

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Text in Afrikaans / Hierdie navorsing het die verband tussen vroee adolessenterugbyspelers se doelorientering en selfkonsep, empiries en in die literatuur, ondersoek. Die literatuurondersoek het getoon dat doelorientering oar twee komponente beskik, naamlik taakbetrokkenheid en egobetrokkenheid. Taakbetrokke sportdeelnemers fokus op vaardigheidsontwikkeling en gebruik hulle eie prestasies as maatstaf vir sukses. Hulle beleef sukses wanneer 'n taak bemeester is, leer plaasvind, of daar 'n verbetering in die uitvoering van die taak is. Sukses word toegeskryf aan die mate van inspanning gelewer. Egobetrokke sportdeelnemers fokus op die wenmotief, gebruik normatiewe vergelyking as maatstaf vir prestasie, en beleef sukses wanneer hulle eie prestasies gunstig met die van ander kan vergelyk. Sukses word aan aangebore talent toegeskryf. Die empiriese ondersoek het bevind dat taakbetrokkenheid positief verband hou met die globale, persoonlike, en sosiale self. Egobetrokkenheid hou negatief verband met die fisieke self, en positief verband met kompetisie-angs. / The research investigated, in the literature and empirically, the possible relation between the goal orientation of male adolescent rugby players and their self-concept. The literature study indicated that goal orientation has two components, namely task involvement and ego involvement. In task-involved sport participation, skills development is emphasized, evaluation of achievement is self-referenced, and success experienced when learning takes place, a task is mastered, or when there is improvement in the execution of tasks. Success is attributed to effort. In ego-involved sport participation objective outcomes are emphasized (i.e. winning), evaluation of achievement is norm-based, and success experienced when own achievements are favourably compared to those of other sport participants. Success is attributed to natural ability. The empirical study indicated a positive relation between task-involved sport participation and the global, personal, and social self. A negative relation between ego-involved sport participation and the physical self, and a positive relation between ego involvement and competition-anxiety was found. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Spesialisering in Voorligting)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of a psycho-educational intervention program on the mental toughness of secondary school cricketers. The general aim of the study was to use psychological skills and psychological techniques to enhance the mental toughness of secondary school cricketers, within a psycho-educational framework. This general aim of the study was actualised by employing the following specific aims: • A literature review was conducted to explore the psycho-educational model. It was found that the psycho-educational model was an appropriate model to use as the framework of the intervention program. • The literature review investigated and evaluated different psychological skills and psychological techniques that influenced the mental toughness of cricketers positively. • A questionnaire was designed. This questionnaire (CMTQ) fulfilled the role of a psychological skills measuring tool. • A psycho-educational intervention program was designed around the findings of the literature study. • Guidelines were compiled to follow when coaching mental toughness to secondary school cricketers. • The intervention program was presented over a six week period. • An empirical study was conducted to evaluate the successfulness of the intervention program. The first phase of the empirical study was done before the presentation of the psycho-educational intervention program. The data suggest that Confidence and Motivation were the two main psychological skills that the participants employed in their mental game of cricket. The second phase of the empirical study was only done after the completion of the six week intervention program. The selected data analysis method employed to evaluate the effectiveness of the program was the t-test for dependant groups. v The results of the data analysis indicated that the participants in the experimental group improved in their mental toughness performance significantly. When the findings of the literature review and the results of the empirical study are combined, it appears as if this intervention program will have a positive influence on the cricket performance of secondary school cricketers. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)