Abstract

Collective efficacy is a term coined by Bandura (1982; 1986) to reflect the fact that groups often have collective expectations for success. According to Bandura (1986), many of the societal problems that individuals face reflect group challenges that require collective effort to produce the necessary change. Furthermore, it is Banduras belief that the ability to overcome many of these problems requires a sense of collective efficacy that the problems can be solved through concerted effort. The idea that collective efficacy is required to overcome problems through concerted effort is not restricted to societal issues. It also applies to a large number of sports, especically those where mutual interaction is required to be successful (i.e., interdependent-type sports as defined by Carron Chelladurai, 1981). In fact, it appears to be particularly germane to the sporting situation as collective efficacy influences what individuals choose to do as a group, how much effort they will put into accomplishing a selected task, and their staying power when the group fails to produce results (Bandura, 1986). These are all factors that would contribute to the primary objective of team sports - team success. With this in mind, the examination of collective efficacy in the sporting situation would appear to warrant consideration. This is the purpose of this paper. Verf.-Referat