ABSTRACT
The coach-athlete relationship is one of the most important influences on the athlete’s motivation and performance (Mageau & Vallerand, 2003). One of the key leadership roles the coach plays in this relationship is the creation and maintenance of the sports class learning climate. Different sports class learning climates evoke different athlete perceptions about achievement, and subsequently can influence athletes’ learning (Ames, 1992). The learning climate of a sports class is the relatively persistent quality of the sport training environment that is experienced by class participants and is based on the collective perception of participants’ behaviour in that sports class setting. Motivational climate is a part of the learning climate and can be described as the participants’ relatively persistent collective perceptions of the achievement goal structure of that setting.
