Participation of girls in sports is associated with positive outcomes; however, girls continue to face barriers to participation due to gender, age, and cultural factors. Coaches play a pivotal role in girls' persistence in sports, with influential mechanisms including providing social support and cultivating high-quality coach-athlete relationships. Nevertheless, limited research has explored girls' specific preferences regarding coaches' supportive behaviors, particularly within diverse cultural contexts. Much of the existing literature is based on data from Western countries, with findings often generalized across cultural settings - without considering girls from Mediterranean populations, who remain underrepresented in research. This study employed a qualitative approach using focus group interviews with 24 Israeli adolescent female athletes to examine their preferences for coaches' supportive behaviors. Participants expressed preferences for behaviors that foster personal attention, invest extra effort, provide attention, and reflect trust. These preferences appear to be shaped by cultural patterns in Israeli society, which blends informality and familial closeness with strong respect for authority and distinct gender role expectations. The study highlights the culturally embedded nature of girls' preferences and offers new insights into how coaches can more effectively support girls' engagement in sport by adopting culturally responsive practices.
Efrat Abadi (Thu,) studied this question.