Investigating the experience of flow in European Tour golfers

Objectives: This study explored how flow (commonly known as “the zone”) is experienced in elite golf, a sport which may be different to those studied previously due to its slower paced, stop-start nature. Design: In-depth, semi-structured interviews were employed to gain rich insight into the flow experiences of these participants. Method: The participants were 10 male professional golfers (Mean age = 37) who had competed on the European Tour for, on average, 10 full seasons. Five of these had won on the European Tour and two had Ryder Cup experience. The players were asked a range of questions relating to what the experience of flow is like within golf, and the interviews lasted, on average, 53 minutes. Results: Inductive thematic analysis was employed and 14 themes describing flow emerged, of which 11 displayed similarities to Csikszentmihalyi’s dimensions. Notably, however, these golfers reported an additional awareness of being in flow as it occurred, and even attempted to maximise the experience. Two other themes did not clearly fit with the original dimensions either: altered cognitive and kinaesthetic perceptions, and feeling calm and/or relaxed during the experience. Finally, the participants also perceived that they could observe others in flow, e.g., through changes in behaviour. Conclusions: These findings suggest possible revisions to the existing framework to more clearly describe the flow experience within elite golf and possibly other sporting contexts. The seemingly observable nature of flow may also be useful for researchers and, for example, within coaching

Labour migration, national identity and basketball: the acculturation experiences of the Lithuanian Diaspora in the east of England

In 2004 a number of former Warsaw Pact states (or the A8 countries) acceded to the European Union. Relaxation of labour laws resulted in over 33,000 migrant workers, mainly from Poland, Latvia and Lithuania, moving to the east of England to find work, often in rural farming areas. Studies in the field of labour migration have shown that cultural transfer is one key symptom of labour migration. Migrants’ sense of place can be dialectical: they remain part of an imagined community at home, as well as a new community in their destination. This has a considerable effect on migrant identities, including national identities. In turn, the interplay of identity and place impacts upon the acculturation strategies groups of migrants employ as they adapt to or resist their new way of life. This study investigated the acculturation experiences of a group of Lithuanian labour migrants in a rural county in the east of England through their experiences as members of a basketball community. Basketball is the national sport of Lithuania and is seen among the Diaspora as a significant means for the expression of national identity. In-depth interviews were completed with 12 Lithuanian stakeholders from the Lincolnshire Basketball Association (LBBA) (i.e. players, referees and coaches). The interviews focused on the acculturation experiences of the participants, especially the role that basketball plays in this process. The findings are clustered into three main themes: acculturation experiences; national identity and the imagined community; and established and outsider relations

Exploring flow occurrence in elite golf

Research on flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975) has traditionally focused on reactive, externally-paced sports (e.g., tennis) without exploring those that are self-paced and stop-start in nature. This study investigated the occurrence of flow in a sample of thirteen elite golfers by conducting semi-structured interviews discussing: (i) their experiences of flow, (ii) factors that influenced flow occurrence, and (iii) the controllability of these experiences. Results shared similarity with existing research in terms of the majority of influencing factors reported, including motivation, preparation, focus, psychological state, environmental and situational conditions, and arousal, and that flow was reported to be at least potentially controllable. Golf-specific influences were also noted, including pre-shot routines, use of psychological interventions, standard of performance, and maintenance of physical state, suggesting that flow may have occurred differently for this sample. Findings are discussed and applied recommendations are made that may help golfers put relevant factors in place to increase the likelihood of experiencing flow

Education policy beyond the Big Society: the paradox of neoliberal governmentality under the coalition government

Prior to the 2010 general election the ‘Big Society’ was the major political narrative created and sustained by the Conservative party under David Cameron. The Big Society as a narrative was formulated to become an approach to governance that would fix Broken-Britain and repair the nation’s economy and public services. This type of overarching political narrative was not new. In fact, the ‘Big Society’ in many ways can be viewed as both the response to New Labours ‘Third Way’ and a continuation of the political rebranding initiated by New Labour. The purpose of this paper is to contextualise this argument in relation to education policy and education reform under the Coalition government. The reason for focusing solely upon the field of education refers to the growing connection between education as both a social and also an economic policy priority. Secondly, the paper makes the argument that the ‘Big Society’ much as the ‘Third Way’ under New Labour, is a product of neoliberal governmentality. Finally, attention turns towards conducting a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) of the policy discourse around education reform under the Coalition. The data sample for this analysis consisted of fourteen political speeches made by policy-makers and politicians that speak for the Coalition on education reform. The analysis uncovers several layers of the political discourse in relation to education reform. Alongside this illustration of the construction of political discourse the paper draws attention to some of the paradoxes and contradictions present within neoliberal governmentality. The concepts of ‘freedom’ and ‘responsibility’ which are central to the ‘Big Society’ narrative were also key aspects of the Coalitions education reform agenda. However, the dichotomy between autonomy and accountability is presented as paradoxical when transmitted towards policy intentions and policy outcomes

Slug Damage and Control of Slugs in Horticultural Crops

Slugs can cause severe damage in horticultural crops. Slug activity; slug damage and control strategies differ considerably between countries or regions in Europe. The brochure summarizes recent research on novel methods of slug control

“Active” and “Passive” Coach Pathways: Elite Athletes’ Entry Routes Into High-Performance Coaching Roles

This study sought to analyse the lived experiences of so-called “fast-tracked” coaches from men’s association football and rugby union by seeking to understand how these individuals prepared for and then transitioned into a post-athletic coaching career. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 male coaches. All participants were former elite athletes and had followed a fast-tracked pathway into their current post-athletic coaching roles. Participants were based in England and had retired from an athletic career within 12 months of being interviewed. Two general categories of “active” and “passive” coach pathways were identified for the career trajectory. Active coaches purposefully prepared for a coaching career during their athletic careers, whereas passive coaches did not. Passive coaches’ decisions to become a coach were often reactive and made after retiring from a competitive athletic career. Results indicate that only the career trajectory of passive coaches reflects a fast-track pathway. None of the active or passive coaches negotiated any formalised recruitment processes into their first post-athletic coaching roles. The suggestion is that prejudicial recruitment practices are enacted by senior club management which creates a homogenous coaching workforce. This furthers the need for greater governance of high-performance coach recruitment within England for these sports

Asset Rich and Cash Poor: Retirement Provision and Housing Policy in Singapore

National defined contribution pension systems have long been a mainstay of retirement income in Asia. One of the oldest and best known of these systems is the Singaporean Central Provident Fund, a mandatory retirement scheme managed by the central government for almost a half-century. With required contribution rates that have ranged up to 50%, this program has powerfully shaped asset accumulation patterns and housing portfolios. This paper explores how the structure and design of the Singaporean retirement and housing schemes influence wealth levels and asset mix at retirement. Our model indicates that outcomes rest critically on the interlinked national retirement and housing programs. We show that policies to enhance one program may boost retirement replacement rates but can also lower total wealth in unexpected ways. The lessons we draw may serve as guidance for other countries constructing a national defined contribution retirement system

‘Becoming’ an elite coach: a longitudinal study examining elite soccer and rugby union players’ transitions into elite coaching

The developmental pathways of elite sports coaches have received considerable amounts of enquiry within the field of coach education. These studies, however, have principally been situated within psychological disciplines focusing on cognitive development. In so doing, it has been identified that tacit knowledge acquired at the subconscious level can significantly inform subsequent coaching practices. Such findings have inferred to socialisation processes within the field of elite sport as an elite athlete significantly contribute towards individuals acquiring and developing coaching knowledge to perform at an elite level. Nevertheless, this is an area which has not been fully investigated, and therefore remains the core aim of the present paper. A total of 15 elite male players (5-soccer; 10-rugby union) competing in England were individually interviewed via two waves of data collection over a 10-12 month period. A qualitative longitudinal cohort research design was employed to enable the researcher to ‘follow’ the participants during the process of them ‘becoming’ elite soccer or rugby union coaches. Subsequently, both retrospective and prospective questions on ‘becoming’ an elite coach were integrating into the interview schedules, designed to stimulate reflexive accounts on how socio-cultural mechanisms contoured coach development. Data were retroductively analysed. Identified themes drew upon Bourdieusian concepts of habitus and hexis. Results identified the significance of agents embodying particular values and beliefs engendered from professional clubs. The embodiment of structural values and beliefs was collectively termed as ‘coaching philosophy’. Becoming aware of their own subconscious values tied to their ‘coaching philosophies’ was identified as pivotal in securing the participants’ confidence in negotiating an adapted identity from an elite athlete to that of an elite coach. The paper discusses how such findings can enhance the provision of coach education for increasing agency reflexivity on consciously learning and then embodying the values required for ‘becoming’ an elite coach