Beyond Knowledge Transfer: The Role of Coach Developers as Motivators for Lifelong Learning

Research investigating coach education and development has grown significantly over the past three decades. Most of these efforts have focused on establishing how coaches learn; yet the actual impact of specific coach education and development interventions has received considerably less attention. Moreover, the role of coach developers in facilitating this impact remains largely unknown. To address this knowledge gap, this study used a realist evaluation approach to engage in a detailed exploration of a large-scale, multi-annual coach education and development intervention with high school coaches in the Philippines. Using interviews and focus groups at two different time points with multiple stakeholders, this study established a series of context, mechanism and outcome configurations that provide a nuanced perspective on how coach education and development works. More specifically, this paper offers a novel interpretation of the role of coach developers as ‘motivators for lifelong learning’ established through three key mechanisms: 1) being available, approachable, and supportive; 2) creating a sense of belonging; and 3) raising coaches’ aspirations by increasing their sense of purpose and duty. Practical guidelines for the education of coach developers, as well as future coach education and development programmes are provided

Developing the Effectiveness of Applied Sport Psychology Service Delivery: A Reflective Practice Intervention

Little empirical evidence exists to corroborate the proposed benefits that reflective practice may have for service delivery effectiveness in Applied Sport Psychology (ASP). To systematically address this gap, we collected data over a five-year period via a staggered, single-subject multiple-baseline intervention that aimed to: (a) investigate the effectiveness of a training program designed to enhance practitioners’ abilities to engage in higher levels of reflection; and (b) explore whether developments in level of reflection influenced practitioner effectiveness. Eight trainee and four professionally qualified, UK based practitioners participated in an individualized 14-week study, which contained a two week intervention and a two month post-study retention assessment. All participants demonstrated immediate improvements in the level they were able to reflect at, as well as augmented reflective learning following the intervention. Measures of effective practice (e.g., client feedback, self-assessments) also demonstrated improvements post-intervention. In-depth social validation procedures substantiated these findings, with participants reporting that through more critical levels of reflection they experienced enhanced self-awareness, approaches to meeting client needs, professional judgement and decision making, and a range of other characteristics associated with effective consultants. Our findings offer novel support for the links between reflective practice and service delivery effectiveness, as well as a better understanding of the mechanisms through which such adaptations occur. This study makes a significant contribution by providing an in-depth, longitudinal insight into the value of focusing practitioner training on reflective practice as a meta-cognitive strategy to enhance ASP practice

Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of an Athlete-Informed Mental Skills Training Program for Elite Youth Tennis Players

Informed by athletes’ psychological needs, the current qualitative study developed, implemented, and evaluated a 15-month mental skills training (MST) program for elite youth athletes. The MST was divided into three phases that included a nine-month pre-intervention, a two-month intervention, and a four-month evaluation phase. The intervention consisted of three interactive workshops which were delivered to 11 competitive British youth tennis players (aged 8 to 15 years) and their coach (age =34). The intervention was informed by data that was collected throughout a nine-month pre-intervention phase including longitudinal observations, field notes, and semi-structured interviews. The intervention was evaluated over a four-month period through observations, field notes, athlete-workshop data, and a semi-structured interview with the coach. Results reinforced the value of the longitudinal pre-intervention phase by highlighting that the establishment of rapport between the researcher and athletes enhanced the meaningfulness and content of the MST program. Additionally, an increase in athletes’ use and regulation of PSCs was identified as a result of athletes’ improved understanding of psychological skills (i.e., self-talk, imagery, performance routines) and characteristics (i.e., focus, emotional control) (PSCs). Finally, the MST program fostered a shared subject specific language between athletes and their coach, enhancing the openness and frequency with which PSCs were talked about. Practical guidelines for future sport psychology interventions with youth athletes and their coaches are provided

Categorizing and Defining Popular Psychological Terms Used Within the Youth Athlete Talent Development Literature: A Systematic Review

Inconsistencies in the use and definition of psychological terms within the talent development literature have been identified. To advance the scientific field, the creation of a shared language is recommended. This review aimed to systematically (i) identify terms used in empirical studies to describe psychological components purported to facilitate athletes' development; (ii) analyse definition and meanings of these terms; and (iii) group, label and define terms into meaning clusters. A systematic review using a narrative approach to synthesise information was conducted. A comprehensive literature search of SPORTDiscus, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, and ERIC was completed in May 2015. In total 21 empirical studies, published between 2002 and 2015, met the inclusion criteria and were included in the narrative synthesis. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the findings. Identified psychological terms were categorised as psychological skills or psychological characteristics. Psychological skills were defined as athletes’ ability to use learned psychological strategies (e.g., self-talk) to regulate and facilitate the enhancement of psychological characteristics. Psychological characteristics were defined as predispositions that impact upon athlete development (e.g., self-confidence). Despite being relatively enduring and consistent across a range of situations, psychological characteristics can be regulated and enhanced through the use of psychological skills