High-performance cricket coaches' perceptions of an educationally informed coach education programme

Background In talent development environments (TDEs), supporting youth athletes’ long-term development is a core responsibility of coaches. A key element of TDEs is the use of coaching strategies that effectively facilitate learning processes. Research-informed coach education programs (CEPs), which blend experiences of practitioners with research findings, can serve as a valuable medium to optimize coaches’ learning support. However, CEPs that have been systematically implemented into large-scale TDEs remain scarce, as does the evaluation of such initiatives. Purpose Building on a participatory research approach, this study aimed to develop, implement, and evaluate a research-informed CEP designed to foster learning-supportive coaching within Germany’s nationwide soccer talent development program. CEP Content and Implementation The CEP included theoretical knowledge and empirical findings on effective learning support, as well as specific recommendations for coaching elite youth soccer players. A multiplier approach to coach education enabled the nationwide implementation of the CEP across seven regions (N = 229 coaches). The multipliers, coach coordinators employed in the DFB talent development program, were trained to deliver the CEP. Methods The mixed-methods evaluation, guided by the Context-Input-Process-Product model, integrated perspectives from both multipliers and coaches. A quantitative online survey assessed participants’ satisfaction with the CEP (n = 8 multipliers; n = 145 coaches). In subsequent qualitative interviews (n = 7 multipliers; n = 14 coaches), their experiences, including potential outcomes, were explored in greater depth. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the survey data, and a Template Analysis was conducted across all interviews. Results Participants perceived the CEP as beneficial in enhancing coaches’ learning support. Reported outcomes included, for example, research-informed self-reflection, greater awareness of learning-supportive coaching, and the intention to apply the recommended strategies. Nevertheless, areas for further improvement were identified, such as enhancing the appeal of CEP materials, enabling multipliers to better tailor the program for their target audience, and incorporating elements that support coaches’ long-term development. Additionally, some coaches reported difficulties in applying the recommended coaching strategies, particularly when aligning them to players’ individual learning needs. Discussion and Conclusion This study emphasizes the critical importance of striking the right balance between sufficient scientific input and manageable complexity in CEPs. It also highlights the need for didactical methods that foster reflexivity among coaches. In large-scale initiatives, it is particularly important to align a systematic approach to talent development (e.g. transferring consistent coaching principles) with contextual adjustments to meet coaches’ developmental needs. This is best accomplished through close collaboration of researchers and practitioners in designing and implementing research-informed CEPs.

The history of coach education in Western countries, much like higher education, has been shaped by societal influences and external drivers. The resulting trajectory includes a notable movement and shift in focus related to educational paradigms. Being learner-centered (LC) has become a central theme and mission by many coach education programs. The purpose of this case study was twofold: to explore the evolution of the historically rich coach education program of golf in Canada, and to assess the LC status of the most recently developed context of the program using Blumberg’s (2009) framework for developing and assessing learner-centered teaching (LCT). A series of program documents and interviews with seven coach development administrators involved in the program were analyzed. Findings revealed the turbulent epistemic evolution of the program and its pedagogical approaches, as well as the combination of internal and external drivers that triggered the shift from one extreme (instructor-centered teaching) to another (LCT) until finding a functional equilibrium. Moreover, the assessment of the program confirmed its claims of being LC. Discussions are presented on leading a LC change, facilitating learning, and using the framework to assess LC coach education.

Coaches play a pivotal role in elite athlete talent identification and development. Coach education programs should, therefore, be contextualized to national sports federation’s athletic needs and national cultures. Botswana and several developing countries still rely on formal and informal coach education programs developed in industrialized countries. The development and training of coaches have been conceptualized in several broad areas including formal, nonformal, informal, directed, and self-directed programs. National, regional, and continental sports federations still run parallel athlete and coach development programs that heavily rely on consultants from outside their respective countries. Collaboration with local institutions of higher learning and experts in Africa is still in the infancy stage, which undermines athlete and coach development. This article will first provide a brief background on the Botswana sports system. The second section presents a critical overview of coach education in Botswana with emphasis on Botswana Football Association and Botswana Athletics Association Coach Education Programs. The authors examine coaches’ education programs’ context and culture consistent with Wang et al.’s three crucial factors of coach educator pedagogy, learning design, and course content. Finally, the paper will provide a conclusion and future directions.

Coaching positive youth development (PYD) represents a challenge for many participation and high-performance coaches across the globe, including in Brazil. Coach education has been acknowledged as a formal learning context that may help prepare coaches to effectively foster PYD outcomes and provide high-quality developmental experiences for athletes across different sport contexts. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to describe the key concepts and existing guidelines for coaching and coach education in Brazil, and provide context-specific recommendations for coach education to include PYD materials. Coaching in Brazil includes a long preparation period that includes diversified opportunities for coach learning. However, there are some discrepancies between the objectives and outcomes prioritized by governing bodies and sport organizations and how learning contexts are framed. In other words, although PYD is considered to be a necessary endeavor, it is not explicitly included in any coach education program. Moving forward, we provide several recommendations, through a bottom-up approach, in order to embed PYD within the Brazilian sport system.

The coach-athlete relationship is an important determinant in creating a healthy sport environment. Educating coaches is a critical component of cultivating a positive coach-athlete relationship. It is through systematic coaching education programs that positive coaching skills are learned (Smith & Smoll, 1997). It is equally important to accurately assess current needs and demands of state high school coaching education programs. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to systematically assess the current state of coaching education. This needs assessment included descriptions of athletic departments, funding, quality, type, and content of coaching education programs, as well as the level of satisfaction with the current coaching education delivery system. The needs assessment was conducted via a survey that was mailed to every athletic director in the state of New Hampshire. There was a 49% (n = 46) return rate after two follow-up reminders. Results were organized in four categories: financial overview, sport organizational structure, coaching education requirements, and coaching education curriculum content. Overall, results indicated: a clear need to re-evaluate the New Hampshire state requirements for coaching education; how the requirements are met; the content of state coaching education,; and how coaching education is supported financially.

Purpose: To describe the following: (a) the impact of a progressive coach education program (CEP) on two grassroots youth soccer coaches’ perspectives and practices, and (b) the factors that helped and hindered the CEP’s effectiveness. Methods: Occupational socialization theory framed the study. Andros and Christian were observed during the CEP and pre- and post-CEP while coaching practices and games. Data were collected with four qualitative techniques and two systematic observation instruments. Qualitative data were reduced to themes by employing analytic induction and constant comparison. Descriptive statistics were computed for the categories in the systematic observation instruments. Findings: The CEP had a significant impact on Andros and a negligible one on Christian. The two coaches’ occupational socialization helped explain these differential effects. Conclusions: The study suggests that CEPs should have a greater impact on coaches if they are relatively lengthy, include follow-up support, and coach educators are aware of coaches’ acculturation and organizational socialization.

The purposes of the study were to describe (a) how one grassroots youth soccer coach was influenced by a progressive coach education programme (CEP) and (b) the factors that supported or negated the CEP’s effectiveness. Occupational socialisation theory guided the study. Aaron was observed during the CEP and pre- and post-CEP while coaching practices and games. Data were collected with two systematic observation instruments and four qualitative techniques. Descriptive statistics were computed for each category of the systematic observation instruments. Analytic induction and constant comparison were used to reduce the qualitative data to themes. The CEP had little influence on Aaron’s beliefs and pedagogies. Aaron’s professional socialisation was not powerful enough to overcome his acculturation or his organisational socialisation. The study indicates the need for lengthy CEPs, follow-up support and suggests coach educators should deconstruct their charges’ acculturation and mediate any negative organisational socialisation to which coaches may be subjected.

Introduction: There is a trend in coach education programs (CEP) toward the use of learner-centered approaches, particularly in the university. Moreover, the growth of online CEP have been stimulated, in response to the technological evolution in the 21st century. However, studies that discuss the use of digital information and communication technologies (DICT) to foster learner-centered coach education approaches are rare. Objectives: (a) to present a framework for Learner-Centered Teaching (LCT) and guidelines for the use of DICT in line with this approach; (b) to present and discuss proposals for the use of DICT that can enable a learner-centered approach in CEP, particularly for the university context. Development: We reflect on the implications of the use of DICT to provide a learner-centered university-based CEP, by proposing seven practical principles: 1) empower teachers in terms of LCT knowledge and DICT ability; 2) provide a supportive and feedback-rich environment using different DICT; 3) provide opportunities for control and choice of DICT by student-coaches; 4) consider the student-coaches’ previous knowledge regarding the content of the course and DICT; 5) include different options for DICT in the teaching-learning process; 6) use DICT to create environments for collaboration and discussion between teacher and student-coaches; 7) evaluate the effectiveness of technology to meet the diverse and emerging needs of student-coaches. Conclusions: For DICT be an integral part of educational changes, teachers must understand LCT principles that are embedded in technology applications. By using DICT, teachers can delivery content in a more flexible way, creating online learner-centered environments.

Given the inextricable roles of the coach learner and coach educator in learner-centered (LC) coach education, research into their perceptions and experiences in these programs appears to be a priority. As such, building on Paquette and Trudel’s examination of Canada’s golf coach education program relative to its alignment with learner-centered approaches, the present study examined coaches’ and coach educators’ perspectives of their experiences participating in the abovementioned program that was found to have a LC design. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 participants (6 coach educators and 10 coaches), and data were analyzed using a thematic analysis. The finalized themes were used as a narrative skeleton for the creation of the four composite vignettes. The vignettes represented the experiences of four composite characters relative to their learning orientations to learner-centered teaching (LCT) and instructor-centred teaching (ICT): LCT Coach Educator, LCT Coach, ICT Coach Educator, ICT Coach. As influenced by their cognitive structures, the vignettes depict the composite coaches’ varied engagement and perceptions of the program, as well as the coach educators’ varied delivery of the program and adherence to the program’s LC design. These diverse experiences are discussed in relation to the impact of LC coach education.

The global increase in the quantity and availability of football coach education programmes is evident in the number of certified coaches. However, these programmes have been criticised for lacking relevant content and cultural competence, particularly within developing countries. The Botswana Football Association (BFA) was established in 1966, with its role to facilitate football in Botswana through coach education programmes, supporting grassroots football development, and monitoring leagues. However, like other football associations across Africa, the BFA relies heavily on the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) for support in providing coach education programmes. The primary purpose of this chapter is to critically assess the national and football coaching system in Botswana, guided by the historical landscape of football coach education both regionally and internationally. Furthermore, the chapter shares and examines the current challenges and future directions for coach education systems in Botswana. Lastly, football coach education models will be recommended that could be adopted to enable conducive and coordinated working relationships and partnerships across national sport associations, federations, universities, and other agencies to support coach development across the globe, specifically within less developed countries.

High quality education programs across the globe could help coaching move forward as a profession. Although there have been suggestions to improve sports coaching education programs by integrating theory and practice through alternative learning approaches such as mentoring and critical refection (Armour, 2010; Cushion, Armour, & Jones, 2003), it is unclear whether such approaches have been implemented in coach education programs and how different countries are educating their coaches. The purpose of this paper is to describe how seven high performance coach education programs are educating coaches and to what extent they are employing alternative learning approaches. The goals, curricula, and pedagogical approaches are described and implications for the professionalization of coaching are discussed.

Introduction Reflection is established as important in coaching and coach development, however, no research has developed an illustrative device depicting an understanding of reflection in coaching. Instead, the concept remains poorly defined, understood, practiced and supported by coaches and coach developers. The purpose of this research was to therefore produce a device to support coaches’ thinking – their reflective practice. Methods Data were collected over a two-year period during a high-performance coach education programme delivered by a National Sports Organisation. Using an ethnographic framework, methods included participant observation of eight three-day coach education workshops, and interviews conducted at the start and end of the programme with high-performance coaches (n = 11) and coach developers (n = 12). Findings and Analysis Based on the principles of grounded theory, analysis led to the production of a heuristic device that captures an understanding of reflection across two axes: types of thinking and reflection content. Conclusion On positioning the coaches’ reflective practice data within the heuristic, opportunities for assessment and intervention to develop reflection in high-performance coach education are presented and discussed.

In recent years, large scale sport organizations and national governing bodies have produced coaching education programs to prepare coaches to teach and mentor athletes. The purpose of this study was to examine: a) track & field coaches’ familiarity with the National Standards for Sport Coaches, b) the alignment of United States Track & Field (USATF) Developmental, Level I, and Level II coaching education programs with the National Standards for Sport Coaches, and c) the alignment of USATF Developmental, Level I, and Level II coaching education programs with coaches’ perceived needs for subject matter training. A 39-item survey was administered during a USATF certification course to measure coaches’ familiarity and perceptions. The results showed the vast majority of coaches (75.2%) were not familiar with the National Standards. At the time of assessment, the Developmental, Level I, and Level II courses were partially aligned with 25 of 40 standards at the Level 1, Level 3, or Level 5 accreditation levels. The courses were not aligned with 15 of 40 standards at any accreditation level. The majority of deficiencies existed in Domain 2: Safety and Injury Prevention, Domain 7: Organization and Administration, and Domain 8: Evaluation. While the USATF coaching education curriculum is partially aligned with many, but not all, of the national standards, the curriculum appears to contain subject matter training that coaches perceived as needed. Curricular revisions, including future directions of the USATF coaching education program, such as new courses and innovative use of technology, are presented.

Despite its obvious importance, we argue that assessment as a feature of coach education programmes has been overlooked in the peer-reviewed published literature. As a result, it is suggested that approaches to assessing sport coaches within coach education programmes can sometimes be ill considered and lead to suboptimal experiences for multiple stakeholders. To address this problem situation, we tentatively propose five interconnected principles of assessment in the first section of this article. These include the integration of teaching, learning, and assessment; assessment as a means of developing metacognitive skills; authentic/practice-based assessment; clearly and transparently foregrounding success criteria; and collaboration within assessment activities. By considering these principles, we suggest that there is much to be gained by the coach education community. In the second section, we showcase how these principles have been adopted within a football coach education programme in Flanders (Belgium). With this example, we explain why assessment became a central concern of the organisation and how they developed an effective assessment approach. Finally, we invite considered discussion and comments on our paper, with a view to starting a conversation in an area that is scarcely spoken about.

Alongside knowledge and understanding of the sport (what to coach) and strategies to support learning (how to coach), critical reflection is an important feature of high-quality coaching practice. Accordingly, there is a clear need for evidence-based tools and frameworks for appreciating and developing coaches’ critical reflection skills, through coach education programs. The purpose of this study is to share the results of an intervention intended to develop coaches’ critical reflection skills through a formal gymnastics coach education program within the Flemish School for Coach Education (Belgium). A pre–post test design was used to compare the development of written critical reflection skills in 25 gymnastics coaches (14 intervention and 11 control). Statistical analysis of data revealed that the intervention had a significant (p < .01) impact on the quality of coaches’ critical reflection. Coaches exhibited a positive, upward, trajectory from descriptive verbalizations to a deeper level of self-awareness, and greater criticality, along with demonstrating a willingness to adopt alternative ideas/approaches. Findings are discussed in relation to existing research on critical reflection as a feature of coach education. This study offers a unique critical reflection strategy that has the potential to meet the learning development needs of coaches in a formal coach education program.