Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Psychology

Program Name/Specialization

Developmental Psychology

Faculty/School

Faculty of Science

First Advisor

Dr. John W. Schwieter

Advisor Role

Thesis supervisor

Second Advisor

Dr. Alexandra Gottardo

Advisor Role

Thesis committee member

Third Advisor

Dr. Mark Eys

Advisor Role

Thesis committee member

Abstract

In professional soccer, the topic of multilingual communication has been widely researched; however, there appears to be a gap in the literature concerning how multilingual use is perceived by athletes and coaches at the youth and adolescent level of the sport. In the present study, male soccer athletes ages 10 to 18 years old and their coaches completed a questionnaire in which they rated both perceived frequency of use and perceived effects of using multilingual communication in youth and adolescent soccer. Specifically, these questionnaires elicited quantitative information regarding categories such as tactical advantages, words of encouragement, general expressions, and group cohesion. Multiple paired-sample t-tests revealed that coaches did not frequently use multilingual communication across all relevant categories, regardless of who they spoke with. Though statistical significance was found in athletes regarding their frequency of use of multilingual communication for words of encouragement, results indicated that it was relatively infrequent when interacting with other coaches and even less so when interacting with teammates. Regarding the perceived effects of using multilingual communication in soccer, coaches and athletes did not find it to be effective across all relevant categories, regardless of who they spoke with. Though statistical significance was found in the group cohesion category for both coaches and athletes, results indicated that multilingual communication was relatively ineffective for coaches when interacting with other coaches as well as athletes when interacting with other athletes, and even less so when coaches interacted with athletes and athletes interacted with coaches. These findings suggest that while multilingualism can provide numerous benefits to professional soccer teams, it may not be as useful for youth and adolescent soccer athletes.

Convocation Year

2025

Convocation Season

Fall

Download

Share

COinS