Life Skills Development and Transfer of Student-Athletes in Competitive Sport: The Role of Implicit and Explicit Teaching

Purpose : In recent years, there has been increasing interest in studying coaches’ roles in promoting positive youth development through sports. Researchers suggest that coaches’ strategies, whether implicit or explicit, can influence athletes’ life skills development and transfer. However, these assumptions lacked statistical validation. Hence, this study aimed to explore the structural relationship between perceived implicit and explicit teaching and athletes’ life skills development and transfer. Method : This study surveyed data from 332 student-athletes (259 males, 73 females, average age = 18.2 years) in South Korea, utilizing structural equation modeling for analysis. Results : Findings revealed that while implicit teaching influenced life skills development, explicit teaching impacted both development and transfer. Additionally, life skills development was found to influence transfer. Discussion/Conclusion : Coaches need to consciously plan and implement life skills teaching to enhance student-athletes’ development and transfer.