Numerous social agents collectively shape an omnipresent social context in youth sport that is partially responsible for the quality of young people's athletic experiences. One's peers become increasingly important during adolescence with heightened frequency in interactions, the development of meaningful relationships, and the increased rate of comparison tendencies among like individuals (Horn & Weiss, 1991; Rubin, Bukowski, & Parker, 2006; Sullivan, 1953). Research in the peer area is scant relative to other critical social agents within the broader youth sport social climate (Smith, 2003, 2019). The purpose of this dissertation was to expand the current understanding of the role of peers in adolescents' sport experiences by closely examining the salience of peer motivational climate in the broader social-motivational context. Study 1 was a cross-sectional survey study that explored potential variations in the associations between peer motivational climate and markers of sport-related well-being as a function of individual differences in peer relationships in adolescent soccer players. Cluster analysis of peer acceptance, friendship quality, and friendship conflict variables yielded five profiles. The profile characterized by average quality sport friendship combined with relatively low peer acceptance exhibited a more consistent pattern of meaningful correlations between task-involving climate dimensions and enjoyment, anxiety, and burnout than did other profiles. The findings suggest that athletes within this peer relationship profile may be relatively more sensitive to the achievement climate reinforced by peers. Thus, peer relationships in sport may determine the salience of peer motivational climate to well-being of adolescent athletes. Study 2 was a cross-sectional survey study that aimed to challenge the established narrative about how coach and peer motivational climate perceptions link to adaptive and maladaptive achievement patterns by examining unique combinations of athletes' perceptions of coach and peer climates within their team. Cluster analysis of the higher order coach and peer climate types (i.e., task- and ego-involving) yielded four distinct climate profiles ranging least to most adaptive in regard to how they related to study outcome variables (athlete engagement, effort, and continuation). The climate profile with a low score on peer task-involving climate and moderate scores on all other climate variables associated with significantly lower engagement, effort, and continuation. This profile was not significantly different from the least adaptive profile. One climate profile was characterized by differences in the dominant climate type coaches and teammates promote (e.g., high coach ego-involving/high peer task-involving), but it did not appear to be significantly beneficial or detrimental to athletes' levels of engagement and effort. However, mean scores on outcome variables would suggest this climate is more adaptive than not. This work suggests that coaches and peers can convey differing messages about what is valued within their team. The peer task-involving climate may be the more meaningful climate type in shaping the adaptive or maladaptive experiences of adolescent athletes. In sum, this dissertation highlights the contributions that peer relationships make to the sport experiences of youth and highlights the importance of continued investigation of peers as a part of the broader social climate in the physical domain. This area represents a meaningful direction for researchers to pursue and further our understanding of social processes in youth physical activity contexts.
Read
