Evaluating Student-Athlete Satisfaction with the NCAA Strength and Conditioning Coach

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate student-athlete satisfaction with their strength and conditioning coach (SCC) and the services they provide. A secondary purpose was to analyze which demographics correlated with higher or lower satisfaction scores. The strength and conditioning coach student-athlete satisfaction survey (SCC-SASS) is a newly developed instrument that assesses student-athlete satisfaction levels with their SCC and the services they provide. A sample (n=96) of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I (DI) and Division II (DII) athletes completed the SCC-SASS. The overall mean satisfaction score was 128.73 out of 140. Independent T-Tests resulted in no significant differences in mean satisfaction scores between male (128.71) and female student-athletes (128.77) (p=0.982); DI (127.33) and DII student-athletes (128.96) (p=0.679); individual (127.00) and team sport student-athletes (129.37) (p=0.431); between student-athletes who had a professional staff SCCs (129.48) and GA SCCs (124.87) (p=0.317); or a male SCC (128.92) and female SCC (127.86) (p=0.769). Student-athletes showed satisfaction with their SCCs and the services they provide due to a total mean score of 128.73 out of a possible score of 140. The SCC-SASS can be used as a quality improvement tool as athlete satisfaction has been associated with increased athletic performance.