Trudel, Pierre,Culver, Diane Mary.2009-03-232009-03-2319991999Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 38-05, page: 1158.9780612475182http://hdl.handle.net/10393/8597http://dx.doi.org/10.20381/ruor-7391The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of process of communication between coaches and athletes. Considered a critical element of the coaching-learning process, communication has rarely been studied as it occurs in the field and has nearly always been examined from the point of view of the coach. Yet in every model of communication the sender and the receiver are considered equally important thus this study investigated both the coaches' and the athletes' perceptions of the communication process using a qualitative approach. The participants were six female members of a junior national ski team, aged 17 to 19 years old, and their two male coaches. Semi-structured interviews, non-participant observation, and journals were used to collect information, both in action and retrospectively. The first interviews, conducted just before the beginning of the competitive season, established that both coaches and athletes believed in open, two-way communication. Subsequent observation revealed that despite their philosophy, once the competitive season began, the coaches and athlete had trouble at times interacting according to this philosophy. In an effort to deepen understanding concerning the process of communication it was decided to analyze some of these problem interactions, with the use of a model of communication proposed for coaching. Issues that emerged from the data included; how coaches and athletes in this transitional period between youth sport and mature elite athletics share the roles of initiator and receiver, injury recovery, pressure to perform, power differentials, and the participants views of the importance of a positive atmosphere, hard work, and fun. Practical suggestions for the education of coaches and implications for sport psychology consultants are presented.110 p.Education, Sociology of.Thesis