Papers by Maarten De Backer
International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 2020
In contrast to the many studies in the business setting, few sport scientists have studied the pr... more In contrast to the many studies in the business setting, few sport scientists have studied the predictors of athletes’ perception of justice. The present research aimed to determine the role of the interpersonal style of coaches (autonomy support) in enhancing perceived justice and its impact on satisfaction and performance. More precisely, two independent studies examined whether perceived justice mediated the relation between autonomy support on the one hand and athletes’ satisfaction and their self-rated progression on the other hand. In Study 1, female team dancers ( N = 145) completed questionnaires assessing autonomy support, justice, and satisfaction. In Study 2, male handball players ( N = 102) completed the same questionnaire extended with self-rated progression. Structural equation modeling revealed a positive link between athletes’ perceived autonomy support of the coach and perceived justice. Subsequently, procedural-interactional justice predicted higher levels of satis...
Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 2011
Objectives: Based on findings in organizational psychology, the aim of the present study was to t... more Objectives: Based on findings in organizational psychology, the aim of the present study was to test the relevance of perceived justice and need support of the coach in team sports. Specifically, two studies examined their relation with athletes' team identification and team cohesion. Design: Two cross-sectional, questionnaire studies conducted after a midseason game day. Methods: In study 1, Belgian top level female volleyball players (N ¼ 56; M ¼ 22.33) and male handball players (N ¼ 35; M ¼ 23.59) completed web-based questionnaires assessing athletes' perceived justice and need support of the coach and their team identification and cohesion. In study 2, Norwegian top level female handball players (N ¼ 110; M ¼ 22.8) filled in mail surveys assessing athletes' perceived distributive and procedural justice of the coach and their team identification and cohesion. Results: Both studies used Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to analyze the data. In line with our expectations both overall perceived justice and need support by the coach, positively predicted athletes' team identification (p < .05). Study 2 demonstrated that procedural justice and not distributive justice predicts team identification (p < .05). In addition, team identification positively predicted athletes' task and social cohesion (p < .001) and mediated the relation between procedural justice and both forms of cohesion. Conclusions: These findings clearly indicate the importance of both perceived justice and need support for top level team athletes from different cultural settings. Coach-related procedural justice in particular seems to be crucial for elite athletes' team identification and cohesion.
Journal of Sports Sciences, 2012
Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 2010
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Papers by Maarten De Backer