Elite Gymnastics Coaches' Perceptions of Coaching Athletes from Difference Cultures

As an international student, the researcher has met opportunities to learn about cultural differences many times. Learning and accepting the differences helped her feel more comfortable living in another country and helped her who she is. This study aimed to explore how people perceive experience working with someone who has a different cultural background from them in sport. In the sports field, cultural diversity is a huge influence on team dynamics (Greenfield, Davis, Suzuki & Boutakidis, 2002) and coach-athlete relationships (Giacobbi, Roper, Whitney, & Butryn, 2002). Sometimes cross-cultural relationships may cause team conflicts because of their diverse perspectives and different values. It also affects individuals (Greenfield, Davis, Suzuki & Boutakidis, 2002). Five elite gymnastic coaches, who have experienced coaching athletes from diverse cultural backgrounds at the highest levels, were interviewed. Semi-structured interviews using a Grounded Theory approach (Strauss & Corbin, 1990) was used to collect and analyze data. The results showed that all coaches perceived that there are differences based on athletes' diverse cultural backgrounds. However, some coaches could verbalize and explain them, and some coaches could not and seemed uncomfortable with some aspects of the questions around cultural differences. Kohlberg's (1958, 1971, 1973, 1976, 1983, 1987) Stages of Moral Development and the Stages of Racialized and Ethnic Identity Development Model by Cross (1991) were two powerful contributions to help explain the coaches' various perceptions and 2 reactions. For example, some of the coaches stated that they never change their coaching styles to any athletes, but some coaches said that they adjusted their coaching styles for athletes' diverse needs. This may have happened because coaches were in different stages of their own ethnic identity development (Cross, 1991). Future research may wish to explore athletes' point of view in the same cross-cultural settings. The researcher hopes that this information will help sport psychology consultants and coaches who get an opportunity to work in cross-cultural situations.