Effects of Transformational Leadership on Positive Youth Development in Japanese Sports

Saori Nakayama^*Makoto Izawa

• University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan

This study examined how transformational leadership (TFL) behaviors of coaches influence positive youth development (PYD) outcomes in Japanese youth sports settings. Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of TFL in Western sports contexts. However, limited attention has been paid to how cultural factors influence these relationships in East Asian settings, particularly within Japanese sports culture that emphasizes hierarchical relationships and collectivist values. The study included 112 first-year undergraduate students from a sports science program at a Japanese university. Athletes' perceptions of their coaches' TFL behaviors and positive youth development outcomes were assessed using the Japanese version of the Differentiated Transformational Leadership Inventory for Youth Sport (DTLI-YS) and the Youth Experience Survey for Sport (YES-S). Regression analyses demonstrated that high performance expectations emerged as a significant predictor of both goal setting (β = .29, p < .05) and initiative (β = .39, p < .01), diverging from Western research where individual consideration and intellectual stimulation typically show stronger associations. Analysis by competition level revealed significant differences in initiative (F = 4.07, p < .01, η² = .10) and total YES-S scores (F = 2.75, p < .05, η² = .07). These findings contribute to understanding how cultural context shapes the relationship between coaching leadership and youth development in sports. While the prominence of high performance expectations reflects Japanese sports culture's emphasis on discipline and collective achievement, results suggest the importance of incorporating a more balanced leadership approach that includes elements beyond high performance expectations to foster comprehensive athlete development.