Girls’ Preferences for Coaches’ Pedagogical Behaviors in Sport Training

Despite the well-documented benefits of physical activity, many girls still face age- and gender-based barriers, which limit their opportunities to participate in sport programs compared to boys, and contribute to a tendency to drop out of athletic activities during adolescence. Although these obstacles are widely recognized, effective strategies for overcoming them remain under-explored. Coaches play a pivotal role in shaping young athletes’ experiences, serving as socializing agents in youth sport. Research indicates that fulfilling the basic psychological needs of young athletes, including autonomy, competence, and relatedness, can promote their continued involvement. Sport-training sessions typically comprise three pedagogical segments: preparatory, main, and concluding; yet it remains unclear how coaches can leverage these segments to support their trainees’ psychological needs. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the preferences of young female athletes regarding coaches’ behaviors across the various pedagogical segments of a training session. The findings indicate that different segments, including a new training segment as perceived by the participants—an introduction section—hold the potential for fulfilling the athlete’s basic needs: autonomy in the introductory and concluding segments, competence in the preparatory segment, and relatedness in the concluding segment. This study identifies how coaches can systematically address the psychological needs of young female athletes within the pedagogical framework of sport training, and offers insights for developing more effective and inclusive coaching practices that foster girls’ sustained participation in sport.