Pedagogical Approaches to Enhance Positive Youth Development: An Observational Study Among Hungarian Youth Coaches

This study examined how youth sport coaches support positive youth development (PYD) through their pedagogical practices, focusing on the following key PYD outcomes: Competence, Confidence, Contribution, and Character. A total of 113 youth sport coaches were systematically observed, involving athletes aged between 12–18 years. The coaches (M = 38.64 years; Male = 74; Female = 39) represented both individual and team sports and had an average coaching experience of 12.92 years. Our results showed that coaches put the most effort on Competence, followed by Confidence, while Character and Contribution received comparatively less attention. Competence development was mainly supported through verbal instruction, Confidence through general feedback, Contribution through active listening, and Character through role modeling. Regarding sport types, coaches in individual sports demonstrated higher levels of Competence and Contribution than team sport coaches. Furthermore, all four PYD dimensions were positively correlated, suggesting that gains in one dimension may support the others. Overall, Hungarian coaches emphasize technical and tactical competence, with less focus on social skills and value development. Confidence is mainly supported through general rather than specific feedback. Coaches in individual sports showed higher PYD engagement than team sport coaches. These findings highlight the need for more balanced, developmentally intentional coaching approaches.