INTRODUCTION:

As sports science and competitive athletics continue to develop, leadership has emerged as a key factor in determining team performance—especially in women's sports, where team unity and motivation are essential for success. Coaches are expected not only to instruct but to inspire, support, and adapt to the needs of their athletes.

The role of leadership behavior in sports, especially among female athletes, has garnered increasing attention. Athletes’ preferences for leadership are influenced by both psychological traits (e.g., self-confidence, task orientation, affiliation needs) and situational factors such as competitive level, team dynamics, and coaching history (Singer, Murphy and Tennant, 1993).

As sport becomes more inclusive, understanding these preferences in female populations is essential for optimizing performance and well-being. Studies indicate that female athletes often favor coaching methods that are democratic and encouraging, reflecting a preference for collaborative and relationship-focused strategies (Sherman and Fuller, 2000). In the context of basketball—where teamwork, clear communication, and quick strategic decisions are vital—strong leadership plays a pivotal role in enhancing both personal and group performance.

This study seeks to investigate which leadership behaviors are most valued by state-level female basketball players, offering insights to help coaches adapt their styles to the expectations and psychological needs of elite female athletes.

METHODOLOGY:

Participants:

This study aims to explore and compare the leadership style preferences of female basketball players competing at the state level, focusing on five key dimensions: positive reinforcement, instructional guidance, democratic leadership, autocratic tendencies, and social encouragement. A total of thirty state-level female basketball athletes participated in the research.

Athletes' preferences for coaching philosophies were evaluated using Chelladurai and Saleh's Leadership Scale for Sports (LSS) (1980). The athletes' desire for structure and inclusive leadership was reflected in the results, which showed a significant preference for training and instruction as well as democratic behavior. Results indicate that directed skill development, communication, and involvement should be the main focuses of coaching methods for female basketball players.

Instrumentation:

Leadership Scale for Sports developed by P. Chelladurai (1994) was selected as acriterion tool to measure preferred behaviour preferences of inter-university level athletesof different individual games. The Leadership Scale for Sports (L.S.S.) is a valid and reliableinstrument. The scale consists of 40 items for athlete's perception of coach's behaviourand 40 items for preference version representing five dimensions of leadershipbehaviour i.e. training and instruction, democratic behaviour, autocratic behaviour,social supports and positive feedback (Rewarding behaviour). The scale had test-retestreliability 0.72 for training behaviour, 0.82 for democratic behaviour, 0.76 for autocraticbehaviour, 0.71 for social supports, and 0.79 for positive feedback.

Administration of Questionnaire:

The necessary permission from the organizing secretary of. All India and Eastzone Interuniversity male volleyball Competitions was obtained by the researchscholar to conduct this study on male volleyball players during competitions heldduring the session 2009-2010 in Pt. Ravi Shanker University, Raipur (CG). The coaches and subjects were contacted at the site competition personallyand their sincere cooperation was solicited. Necessary instructions were given tothe subjects before the administration of each test. Confidentiality of responseswas guaranteed so that the subjects would not camouflage their real feelings. No timelimit for filling the questionnaire was set but subjects were made to respond asquickly as possible. As soon as a group of players completed the questionnaire, itwas collected from the athletes and verified that no questionnaire was left without being answered. The Leadership Scale for Sports (LSS) by Chelladurai and Saleh (1980) was used to assess preferred coaching behaviors across five leadership dimensions:

1. Training and Instruction

2. Democratic Behavior

3. Autocratic Behavior

4. Social Support

5. Positive Feedback Responses were recorded on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Never, 5 = Always). The tool demonstrated high reliability with scores ranging from 0.71 to 0.82.

Procedure:

Participants were briefed about the study during the 2023 All India Inter-University Women’s Basketball Championship. They were ensured of confidentiality and asked to complete the questionnaire without time constraints. All responses were verified upon collection for completeness and accuracy.

RESULTS:

Table 1: Descriptive Statistics of Preferred Leadership Behaviors

S.No. Leadership Dimension Mean (M) Standard Deviation (SD)

1. Training and Instruction 4.36±0.39

2. Democratic Behavior 4.18±0.41

3. Autocratic Behavior 2.78±0.51

4. Social Support 4.02±0.43

5. Positive Feedback 4.21±0.40

Interpretation:

· The highest mean scores were found in Training and Instruction and Democratic Behavior, indicating strong preference for participative and structured coaching.

· Autocratic Behavior received the lowest rating, suggesting minimal support for authoritarian styles.

· Social Support and Positive Feedback also scored high, emphasizing the importance of emotional encouragement and recognition.

DISCUSSION:

The findings highlight the significance of instructional clarity and athlete involvement in leadership approaches for state-level female basketball players. Players respond favorably to coaches who offer clear guidance, promote tactical development, and engage athletes in decision-making. The low preference for autocratic behavior reinforces previous research indicating that female athletes typically value collaborative leadership over controlling methods (Loughead and Hardy, 2004). Social Support and Positive Feedback remain essential across all dimensions, pointing to the holistic needs of athletes—beyond just skill and performance.

CONCLUSION:

1. Female basketball players at the state level prefer democratic and instructional coaching behavior.

2. Autocratic behavior is generally disfavored, indicating a need for more inclusive coaching styles.

3. Emotional and motivational leadership (support and feedback) is crucial and universally valued. Recommendations: Coaches working with elite female athletes should emphasize skill development, participatory decision-making, and consistent feedback. Leadership training for coaches should incorporate gender-sensitive communication and motivational strategies.

REFERENCES:

1. Chelladurai, P., Saleh, S. D. Dimensions of leader behavior in sports: Development of a leadership scale. Journal of Sport Psychology. 1980; 2(1): 34–45.

2. Sherman, C. A., Fuller, R. Gender comparisons of preferred coaching behaviors in Australian sports. Journal of Sport Behavior. 2000; 23(4): 389–406.

3. Riemer, H. A., Chelladurai, P. Leadership and satisfaction in athletics. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology. 1995; 17: 276–293.

4. Singer, R. N., Murphy, M., Tennant, L. K. (1993). Handbook of Research on Sport Psychology. Macmillan.

5. Loughead, T. M., and Hardy, J. The coach and peer leadership behaviors of male and female captains in sport. Journal of Sport Behavior. 2004; 27(4): 419–432.

Received on 20.07.2025 Revised on 10.09.2025

Accepted on 31.10.2025 Published on 07.03.2026

Available online from March 10, 2026

Res. J. of Humanities and Social Sciences. 2026;17(1):42-44.

DOI: 10.52711/2321-5828.2026.00008

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Creative Commons License.