Predictors of self-esteem with youth basketball players

This investigation examined the extent to which perceptions of competence and importance predicted self-esteem. Players (N = 214) from three grade levels (3-4, 5-6, 7-8) completed questionnaires that assessed perceived basketball competence, as well as each player's perception of bow important it was to himself, his parents, his coach, and his team to be good at basketball. Three nonstepwise multiple regression analyses revealed that the set of predictor variables accounted for 20-28% of the variance in self-esteem across grade levels. The individual predictor variables significantly related to self-esteem were perceived competence and perceived parent importance for Grades 3-4, perceived competence for Grades 5-6, and perceived competence and perceived team importance for Grades 7-8. Perceived competence, however, consistently contributed most substantively to the prediction of self-esteem. These findings are discussed in relation to earlier studies and existing conceptual frameworks.