| The purpose of the study was to analyze various factors associated with coaching efficacy among New Mexico high school coaches. The study examined their coaching efficacy from three different perspectives. First, the study determined whether coaching efficacy differ depending on sociocultural and organizational factors such as coach gender/ethnicity, school size, and type of school assignment. Second, the study examined which sources of efficacy specifically predict coaching efficacy. Third, the study identified the best set of efficacy sources predicting coaching efficacy. The sources of efficacy initially identified in this study were coaching experience, playing experience, prior success, perceived athlete ability, perceived athlete improvement, and perceived social support.;The target population of the study was New Mexico high school team sports head coaches because the coaching efficacy measurement (i.e., Coaching Efficacy Scale II-High School Team) was best applicable to team sports rather than individual sports and head coaches rather than assistant coaches (Myers et al., 2008). The scale was used to measure total coaching efficacy and five dimensions of coaching efficacy. With the cooperation of the New Mexico Activities Association (NMAA), 230 study participants completed the survey questionnaires.;The results of the study showed three major findings. First, the level of coaching efficacy significantly differed depending on coach gender and school size: Male coaches engaged in large schools had higher level of coaching efficacy compared to female coaches engaged in small schools. For coach ethnicity and type of school assignment, the difference in the level of coaching efficacy was not significant. However, in part, non-Hispanic White coaches had significantly higher level of coaching efficacy than did Hispanic coaches.;Second, the study found significant influences of nearly all efficacy sources on coaching efficacy. From this viewpoint, it was not possible to identify the efficacy sources specifically applicable to the study population. The only efficacy source that had a low predictability was perceived athlete ability.;Third, the findings showed that different sets of efficacy sources were selected to best predict each coaching efficacy dimension and total coaching efficacy. Total coaching experience was the most frequently involved source in those sets while head coaching experience and perceived athlete ability were not selected in any of the sets. |
