| Abstract | Information on the criteria coaches use to evaluate athletes is a relatively new field of explorations. Expectancy theory helps researchers determine the actions of the coach. Results from a three different studies illustrate that coaches utilize 30 items categorized into four factors when evaluating their athletes. However, there are no current studies on youth and high school coaches. The primary purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of the Solomon Expectancy Sources Scale (Solomon, 2008b, SESS). The first hypothesis stated that high school coaches would prioritize psychological cues more than youth coaches, and this hypothesis also explored the differences between youth and high school on physical cues. The second hypothesis stated that high school would prioritize the four factors of the SESS higher than youth coaches (especially the factors with psychological cues). Eighteen youth coaches and 17 high school coaches completed the Solomon Expectancy Sources Scale (SESS). Results only partially supported the first hypothesis, and there were no significant differences between youth and high school on utilization of the four factors. When comparing results to past research done on college coaches, researchers found that the SESS can be used to measure impression cues coaches use in these settings to determine athlete ability. |
