This study examined the application of the Social Exchange Theory (SET) in intercollegiate athletics. Using Blau (1964) and Homans’s (1961) definitional scheme of social exchange, the theory was first deconstructed and individual elements were explored. As a result, the constructs of trust, justice, commitment, obligation and performance were identified and defined. Furthermore, relationships between these constructs where hypothesized in relation to intercollegiate coach-student-athlete dyads. The amalgamation of these hypotheses led to a fully and partially mediated model of student-athlete performance being proposed.
To test the individual hypotheses, as well as the proposed models, a convenient population of student-athletes at a large Midwestern university was asked to partake in a study. A sample of 132 student-athletes completed usable questionnaires and analysis of their responses was conducted through use of structural equation modeling (SEM). Results of the analysis showed: (1) Procedural, interpersonal, and information justice all had positive significant relationships with trust; (2) Trust had a positive, significant relationship with leader-member exchange (LMX); (3) LMX had a positive, significant relationship with commitment, as measured by feelings of obligation and emotional attachment; and (4) Commitment had a positive, significant relationship with performance, as measured by self-evaluations of individual performance and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB).
Additionally, it was found that a fully mediated model most aptly explained the pathway of student-athlete production. In the model, procedural, interpersonal, and information justice were treated as independent variables and were found to positively relate to trust; that is, the greater the perceptions of each form of justice the greater the level of trust student-athletes had in the coach. Trust then served as a mediating variable that positively influenced the quality of the exchange relationship (i.e., LMX), which in turn led to greater levels of commitment to the coach. Finally, the model showed the greater the levels of commitment student-athletes had towards their coach, the greater their individual performance.
These findings suggest the application of social exchange constructs to the study of the coach-student-athlete dyad is appropriate, and thus calls for further investigation. Moreover, the findings hold a number of noteworthy applications to coaches, as the importance of perceptions of justice, the quality of relationships, and the degree of trust student-athletes have in their coach were all found to be key determinates in student-athlete performance. Additional discussion of the results suggests future directions for scholars to take in their exploration of intercollegiate coach-student-athlete dyads, and offers specific application and suggestions for intercollegiate coaches.