The purpose of the present study was to determine whether the implementation of a team goal setting program increased perceptions of cohesion. The participants came from eight female high school senior basketball teams from the Montreal region. A team goal setting intervention program was implemented over the course of the regular season with four teams. The remaining four teams were placed into the no-treatment control condition. Each participant completed a questionnaire that assessed cohesion within the first four weeks of the competitive season and at the end of the season. Results showed that participants in the team goal setting condition did not significantly increase perceptions of cohesion. However, athletes in the control condition significantly perceived a decrease in cohesion from the start of the season to the end of the season. The team goal setting intervention appeared to keep cohesion levels from decreasing throughout the season. Practical implications are discussed.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2005. / Title from title screen (viewed on Aug. 10, 2005). PDF text: viii, 229 p. : col. ill. Includes bibliographical references (p. 216-229 of dissertation).

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Research on leadership in sport has primarily focused on the behaviors of coaches despite the claim that leadership behaviors of athletes are considered by many to be an important component of success. More precisely, ice hockey team captains are recognized as having a significant leadership role. The purpose of this study was to identify and examine the key leadership behaviors exhibited by athletes, specifically ice hockey team captains. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with six former university male ice hockey team captains. Data were analysed inductively, following the guidelines of Cote, Salmela, and Russell (1995). Three main areas emerged from the data analysis which were called: (a) the interpersonal characteristics and experiences, (b) the social interactions, and (c) the task behaviors. These results identified the influence of background experiences of team captains, the types of behaviors displayed, how the behaviors were manifested, when and where the behaviors were exhibited, and the individuals involved in these behaviors.

The purpose of this study was to identify and explain the dynamics involved in dyadic sport teams, as well as to differentiate dyads from larger teams. Semi-structured individual interviews consisting of open-ended questions were conducted with seven beach volleyball athletes. Cote', Salmela, and Russell's (1995) guidelines were used to inductively analyze and interpret the qualitative data. The results of the analysis revealed three higher-order categories concerning the dyadic relationship: (a) the sport environment, which included elements related to beach volleyball and an athletes' participation in it, the challenges a partnership sport presented, as well as comparisons between partnerships and other sports, (b) dyad structure and composition, which included elements that allowed a dyad to function and the importance of creating a sense of balance in the partnership, and (c) the dyadic interaction process, which focused on developing communication and cohesion in the partnership, and working towards an ideal state where interaction was efficient and effective, culminating in peak performance and a meaningful relationship. The results of the study have advanced the knowledge of group dynamics by differentiating the dyad from larger teams.

Thesis (M.S.)--State University of New York College at Brockport, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 31).

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Thesis (M.S.)--University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2006. / Title from PDF title page screen. Advisor: Diane Gill; submitted to the School of Health and Human Performance. Includes bibliographical references (p. 54-57).

Intrinsic motivation has been shown to contribute to participation and adherence in sport (Biddle & Mutrie, 2001). The importance of social and task cohesion within teams has also been studied in an attempt to create and maintain a bonded group (Loughead & Hardy, 2006). However, these two factors have yet to be looked at in relation to one another, especially when exploring gender as a contributing variable. The purpose of this study was to determine if gender and motivation type are related to perceptions of team cohesion. It was hypothesized that athletes’ who are more internally motivated would view the group as more cohesive. It was also hypothesized that female athletes would perceive high levels of team social cohesion regardless of motivation type where male athletes would perceive higher levels of team social cohesion when they are more intrinsically motivated. In order to answer these questions, 253 male and female collegiate athletes were asked to complete a demographics questionnaire, the Sport Motivation Scale (SMS; Pelletier, Fortier, Vallerand, Tuson, Briere, & Blais, 1995) assessing individual motivation type, as well as the Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ; Carron, Widmeyer, & Brawley, 1985) that examined group social and task cohesion issues within sport. The results revealed that there are significant positive correlations between intrinsic motivation types and perceptions of task and social cohesion. However, gender was not a significant predictor of perceived cohesion when moderated with motivation type. These outcomes indicate that promoting intrinsic motivation, despite gender, in sport teams contributes to more positive social and task cohesion in the group. / Access to thesis permanently restricted to Ball State community only / School of Physical Education, Sport, and Exercise Science