Psychological contract and perceived performance of a rugby team

Abstract

Little research has connected the psychological contract and sport. Therefore, the content of the psychological contract of rugby team members was analysed and the correlation between the psychological contract and the perceived performance of rugby team members was determined. A longitudinal research design was chosen, along with a non-probability sampling technique. The sample consisted of rugby team members from a prominent rugby playing university in South Africa. A psychological contract questionnaire and perceived performance questionnaire were used. From the research, the content of the psychological contract of rugby team members was determined. The results indicated no correlation between the psychological contract and perceived performance, however, a strong correlation was found between Institute Obligations and Player Obligations. Another factor, which remains to be investigated, is leadership and the perceived performance of a rugby team.

Keywords: Psychological contract; Breach; Violation; Performance; Team; Rugby.

South African Journal for Research in Sport, Physical Education and Recreation, 2013, 35(2): 51-64