S. D. Saleh’s research while affiliated with University of Waterloo and other places

Three different samples (total N = 485) participated in the development and refinement of the Leadership Scale for Sports (LSS). A five-factor solution with 40 items describing the most salient dimensions of coaching behavior was selected as the most meaningful. These factors were named Training and Instruction, Democratic Behavior, Autocratic Behavior, Social Support, and Positive Feedback. Internal consistency estimates ranged from .45 to .93 and the test-retest reliability coefficients ranged from .71 to .82. The relative stability of the factor structure across the different samples confirmed the factorial validity of the scale. The interpretation of the factors established the content validity of the scale. Finally, possible uses of the LSS were pointed out.

The proposition that an athlete's personality and the attributes of the task tend to be congruent was the focus of the study. One hundred and fifty athletes of a Canadian University (Males=87; Females-63) voluntarily participated in the study. Sports were classified on the basis of task dependence (independent versus interdependent), and task variability (closed versus open). The scales of Autonomy, Cognitive Structure, Dominance and Impulsivity were selected from the Personality Research Form. The 2X2X2 analysis of variance (two levels in each of sex, dependence and variability) did not yield consistent support for the notion of person-task congruence in sports. The hypotheses relating Cognitive Structure, Dominance, and Impulsivity to task attributes were confirmed in the case of males only. The finding that athletes in closed sports were significantly more autonomous than athletes in open sports was expected. However, contrary to the hypothesis, the interdependent athletes were significantly more autonomous than independent athletes. The hypothesis that males and females from the same sport would be similar in personality was not confirmed. The problem of classifying some sports tasks on the selected attributes and the need to test the congruency hypothesis with athletes of sufficiently lengthy and equal tenure in competitive athletics were stressed.