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Abstract: Objectives: Based on the role episode model (), the purpose of this study was to examine the reciprocal relationship between role ambiguity () and group cohesion () in youth interdependent sport teams. Design: Longitudinal research with self-reported questionnaires. Methods: Participants (N =162; 12–18 years of age; M =15.00 years) took part in two testing sessions (midseason vs. late-season) designed to gather information on individual perceptions of role ambiguity and group cohesion. Results: After statistically controlling for status, gender, and team membership, results demonstrated that perceptions of social cohesion at midseason positively predicted variations in perceptions of scope of responsibilities and role behaviors in defense between mid- and end of season. Conclusions: The need to belong (fundamental human motivation) and the unbalanced gender composition of the sample could explain the salience of social cohesion in the cohesion-role ambiguity relationship within youth interdependent sport teams. Results underlined that a part of role construction within youth teams is based on the peer social relationships developed between teammates. Implications are identified for youth practice. Limitations and future directions are addressed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study explored the relationships between identity leadership and social identification in sport teams over the course of a season using social network analysis. Participants from 23 competitive sport teams (N = 388, M age = 20.7 years) indicated the extent to which each of their teammates displayed various forms of identity leadership (i.e., identity prototypicality, identity advancement, identity entrepreneurship, identity impresarioship) and the extent to which these same teammates were seen to identify with the team (assessed by ingroup ties, cognitive centrality, ingroup affect) early and later in a season. Quadratic assignment procedure correlations and multiple quadratic assignment procedure regressions examined the relationships between the different types of networks for each team across time. Athletes who perceived team members to show greater identity leadership perceived those same teammates to identify more strongly with the team both early (r s average >.46) and later (r s average > 0.48) in the season. Averaged across teams, identity entrepreneurship early in the season was most strongly associated with both perceived ingroup ties (β average =.24) and ingroup affect (β average = 0.13) later in the season, while identity impresarioship was most strongly associated with cognitive centrality (β average =.16). In the reversed direction, perceptions of ingroup ties early in the season were most strongly associated with all identity leadership dimensions later in the season (.28 < β average < 0.38). Collectively, these findings provide evidence of a mutually reinforcing bidirectional link such that teammates who are seen as actively contributing to promote a sense of 'us' among team members are also more likely to be seen as identifying strongly with the team. • Identity leadership and social identification were examined using social network analysis. • Bidirectional positive relationships were found between identity leadership and social identification. • Associations were moderate-strong in magnitude both early and late in the season. • Identity entrepreneurship was most strongly associated with later season social identification. • Ingroup ties were most strongly associated with later season identity leadership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although social identity has been linked to moral behaviour in past research, we know less about how the identity-enhancing behaviours of athlete leaders may relate to the experience of prosocial and antisocial behaviour between youth sport teammates. This study examined the relations between perceptions of athlete identity leadership and moral behaviour in social situations outside of training and competition. Participants were 130 competitive male and female youth ice hockey players (M age = 13.45 years, SD = 1.82, range = 10–17) from nine teams in a Northeastern Ontario city in Canada. Measures of identity leadership and moral behaviour were completed concurrently within the final three weeks of the regular season. Using structural equation modeling, results demonstrated a significant positive association between identity leadership and both engaging in prosocial behaviour toward teammates (β =.37, p =.003) and receiving prosocial behaviour from teammates (β = 0.40, p <.006), accounting for 34% and 51% of the variance in each prosocial outcome, respectively. Although the relations with antisocial behaviour (engaged and received) were in the expected negative direction, the path estimates were not significant (p s >.23). These findings further our understanding of identity leadership in youth sport generally, offering insight into the relations between identity-enhancing athlete leader behaviours and moral behaviour. The findings also extend past moral behaviour research to consider the social situations in which teammates find themselves outside of training and competition. • Investigated identity leadership and teammate moral behaviour in social situations. • Identity leadership positively predicted prosocial behaviours among teammates. • Identity leadership was not significantly associated with antisocial teammate behaviours. • Consistent results for both engaging in, and receiving, moral behaviour from teammates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grounded in personal and social identity theory, the purpose of this study was to examine whether parents' personal and social identity perceptions influence their moral intentions towards antisocial parent behaviour in a youth sport setting. Parents of competitive youth ice hockey players (N = 437) read a vignette that either described a parent from the participant's own team (i.e., ingroup), or a parent from an opposing team (i.e., outgroup) acting antisocially towards an athlete from the participant's own team, an opposing athlete, or their own child. Parents were asked whether they would respond to the antisocial behaviour in the form of direct or indirect criticism or report the behaviour to the coach or to the league. Parents were more likely to directly criticize ingroup parents than outgroup parents and they were more likely to indirectly criticize outgroup parents than ingroup parents. Further, parents with stronger social identities reported higher intentions to indirectly criticize an outgroup parent. There were no main effects for reporting behaviour (to coach or league), and personal identity did not moderate relationships with moral intentions towards antisocial behaviour. By providing parents with a situation that includes antisocial parent behaviour in the immediate youth sport environment, novel insight was gathered with regard to what contextual elements might drive parents' intention to criticize, but not report antisocial behaviour. • We examine the influence of parents' personal and social identities on their moral intentions towards antisocial parent behaviour. • Social identity moderated parents' intentions to indirectly criticize an antisocial parent from another team. • Parents are reluctant to report antisocial behaviours, regardless if the behaviour is targeted at their own child. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The social identity approach to leadership posits that leaders' effectiveness depends on their ability to represent, advance, create, and embed a shared sense of social identity among their followers. Although significant progress has been made in investigating the benefits of identity leadership in adult sports, research in youth sports is still in its infancy. One reason is the lack of a youth-centric inventory that adequately measures identity leadership in this population. To bridge this gap, we developed and validated a long (16 items) and short (5 items) version of the Identity Leadership Inventory for Youth Sport (ILI-Y or ILI-Y-Short-Form) through five studies conducted in three phases of research. Data were primarily collected in football in the United Kingdom, involving a total of 1096 participants. Results of Phase I of this study provided little to no evidence that the ILI – originally developed for adults – was understandable (Study 1) and had factor validity and internal consistency (Study 2) in a sample of youth athletes. Therefore, in Phase II, the ILI was revised, leading to the development of the ILI-Y, which was understandable for youth athletes (Study 3). Results from Phase II (Study 4) also indicated that the ILI-Y exhibited a unidimensional factor structure, which was subsequently confirmed in Phase III (Study 5). This last phase offered additional evidence for the discriminant, criterion, and incremental validity of the ILI-Y and its short form, along with their measurement invariance across genders and age groups, and internal consistency. This study provides sports psychology researchers and practitioners with a valid measure to assess identity leadership in youth sports. • This mixed-method paper reports on five studies with 1096 participants. • We validated an inventory for measuring identity leadership in youth sports. • Identity leadership in youth sports is positively associated with key outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The social identity approach discusses leadership as a repetitive and multi-dimensional group process relying on leaders' abilities to represent, advance, create, and embed a shared sense of social identity amongst their followers (Haslam, Fransen, & Boen, 2020). To conduct an in-depth exploration of youth coaches' use of identity leadership in a naturalistic setting. The Electronically Activated Recorder was used to sample and record conversations between eight head coaches (M age = 44.88 years, SD = 6.08; M experience = 11.25 years, SD = 6.18) and members of their teams, other teams, and officials during a three-day competitive youth ice hockey tournament in Central Ontario, Canada. A total of 597 audio observations captured coaches' sport-related conversations at the tournament. We followed Fletcher's (2017) analysis guidelines involving the identification of preliminary trends or patterns in the data, theoretical redescription, and contextual considerations. Coaches' conversations aligned with the four principles of identity leadership, and thus the observational data were organized into the higher-order themes of identity prototypicality, advancement, entrepreneurship, and impresarioship. The findings illuminate the potential of identity leadership to promote and undermine youth athletes' positive experiences in sport. Coaches engaged in identity leadership behaviors in a variety of social environments (e.g., car ride to/from competition, locker room, during competition). The findings provide new details about identity leadership in practice and caution its potential to undermine positive athlete experiences in youth sport. • Youth coaches' conversations observed using the Electronically Activated Recorder. • Findings demonstrate use of identity leadership in youth coaches' daily behaviors. • Illustrates positive and negative applications of identity leadership. • Youth coaches use identity leadership before, during, and after competition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the current study was to explore parent-athlete sport-related conversations as they naturally occurred in the private contexts that surround youth sport. A secondary aim was to understand whether male and female guardians communicate differently in sport, and whether these differences are shaped by the contexts in which they appear. We used the Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR) to gather snippets of parents' and athletes' daily social interactions in the contexts that surround youth sport. A total of 220 audio files were gathered in the car ride to and from competition, the ice hockey arena, and at their home base (i.e., family residence of local teams and hotels for out-of-town teams) over the course of a 3-day competitive ice hockey tournament. Conversations were inductively coded using reflexive thematic analysis through a critical realist lens. Higher order themes included (a) performance-related dialogue; (b) the opportunity to discuss other social agents, and (c) parental social support. Frequency analysis revealed more instances of negative evaluations and technical instruction from fathers, whereas positive encouragement was more prominent from mothers. These findings present novel insight into the nature of parent-athlete interactions outside of the immediate sport-competition environment. We encourage scholars to consider the EAR for future investigation of the youth sport environment. • Family conversations were gathered in the car, at home, and at the hockey rink. • Performance evaluations and technical instruction were more prevalent from fathers. • Mothers provided more positive encouragement. • Family conversations focus on performance, other social agents, and social support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]