Cultivating Esportspersonship: How Scholastic Esports Coaches Perceive Facilitating Positive Youth Development

Background Coaches may promote positive youth development (PYD) through youth sports programs, which can lead to outcomes, such as life skills and well-being. Scholastic esports programs, much like traditional school sports teams and clubs, have adult coaches who play a role in the development and success of teams. Purpose This study aims to explore the gap in research on scholastic esports coaches’ perspectives on their cultivation of PYD. Method This large-scale pilot study used a sequential explanatory mixed methods design. Quantitative rating responses to a coaching survey were collected and analyzed using an exploratory data analysis. Trends of interest were used to create interview questions that then informed and added context to the themes identified in the quantitative phase. Results Survey results revealed common trends in responses that highlighted the development of life skills, fostering a socially positive environment, and a genuine affinity for both coaching esports and working with young people. Interviews emphasized that coaches saw esports programs as a place for students to learn new skills, increase confidence, and benefit from being part of a social community. Discussion and Conclusion Findings suggest that scholastic esports programs afford PYD opportunities through coaches’ motivations, philosophies, and impacts. Coaches create conditions where youth can learn sportspersonship.