Psychological Contracts and Student-Athlete Retention

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact that perceived breaches of psychological contracts have on student-athletes’ affective outcomes. Based on a sample of 258 NCAA Division I student-athletes at a large, Midwestern university, the results reveal that coaches and student-athletes do form transactional and relational psychological contracts. Coaches and student-athletes also form psychological contracts related to training obligations. Breaches of psychological contracts related to training obligations were found to have significantly lower student-athletes’ trust in their coaches and affective commitment to their teams. Breaches were also found to increase student-athletes’ intentions to leave their schools.