Date of Award
6-19-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Sport Administration, MS
First Advisor
David LaVetter
Committee Members
Brian Church; Lance Bryant
Abstract
This qualitative study examined factors influencing transformational leadership (TL) among high school coaches. Although previous research shows that TL improves athlete performance, emotional development, and team cohesion, little attention has been paid to how TL skills develop in secondary school sports, specifically to be used by coaching staff. Using Bass and Avolio’s four “I’s” framework—idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration—the study explored the impact of gender, coaching experience, sport coached, and mentorship on TL practices. Ten high school coaches from the mid-southern United States participated in three rounds of interviews using the Differentiated Transformational Leadership Inventory (DTLI). Thematic analysis revealed that most coaches established clear goals (90%), prioritized communication and relationship-building (80%), implemented individualized redirection and accountability (70%), and promoted intellectual growth through vision and self-reflection. The findings showed no direct link between sport coached, gender, or years of experience and TL behaviors. Instead, mentorship, relationship-focused practices, and athlete-centered approaches were the main factors in developing TL skills. The study concludes that relationship-building and mentorship have a greater influence on transformational leadership in high school sports than demographic factors. These results suggest that structured leadership development and mentorship programs may help coaches adopt TL practices more consistently.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Brewton, Kylene M., "Influences of Transformational Leadership Mixed with Contemporary Practices Among High School Coaches: A Qualitative Exploratory Study" (2026). Student Theses and Dissertations. 1165.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/1165
