Coaches’ perceptions of motivational climate in Korean youth sports

This study explored how youth sport coaches in South Korea define success and the strategies they use to foster a motivational climate. Guided by achievement goal theory and interpreted through the TARGET framework, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 recreational youth sport coaches. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Three themes emerged regarding coaches’ perspectives on success: Relation and Development, which emphasized relational cohesion, enjoyment, resilience, and skill development; Growth Through Process, Not Outcome, which highlighted personal growth, life skills, and learning through challenge; and Negotiating Sociocultural Pressures, which reflected the influence of parental expectations and Korea's academic culture on coaching practices. Coaches generally viewed success as extending beyond competitive outcomes and prioritized developmental and relational indicators of achievement. Regarding coaching strategies, one overarching theme emerged: Culturally Situated Coaching Adaptations within the TARGET Framework. Coaches described using individualized coaching adaptations, tailored feedback and praise, structured goal setting and evaluation, strategic team formation, balancing enjoyment with skill mastery, and autonomy within coach-led structures to create supportive motivational environments. Findings suggest that Korean youth sport coaches combine task-oriented principles with culturally embedded values emphasizing relational harmony, discipline, and collective responsibility. These results highlight how motivational climates are shaped through the interaction of universal developmental principles and local sociocultural influences, offering implications for culturally responsive coaching and youth development in non-Western sport contexts.