Mentoring Relationship in Sports and Its Applicability to Positive Youth Development Context: A Literature Review and Recommendation

Despite a growing interest in mentoring relationship in sports, definitional, theoretical, and methodological deficiencies reduce the usefulness of existing research. This article provides a critical review of the literature on mentoring with an emphasis on the links between mentoring and positive youth development. The first section describes a variety of ways in which mentoring has been studies within the field of education, management, psychology, and sports. The second section provides a critical review of research about positive youth development and the relevant coaching style – autonomy-supportive interpersonal style. The third section introduces several recommendations for such practitioners in sports as coaches and administrators when they are interacting with athletes or employees.