Parasport Coaches Research Articles

LEGAL BASIS OF DEVELOPMENT OF UZBEK PARASPORT

In this article, a chronological analysis of the normative and legal documents adopted for the development of parasport in Uzbekistan, the tasks and tasks defined in the field, their scope, the state of implementation, as well as such laws, decisions and relevant documents for parasport coaches and athletes, it served as a road map, and the successful participation of our representatives in the international Paralympic and Para-Asian games based on systematic preparation is discussed.

Doping in Paralympic sport: perceptions, responsibility and anti-doping education experiences from the perspective of Paralympic athletes and parasport coaches.

Limited effort has been invested in understanding doping in Paralympic sport. The limited evidence that exists suggests that factors influencing doping in parasport are similar to Olympic sport. However, based on the design and nature of the previous studies, where methods have been mostly limited to qualitative data and prevalence numbers, further research is warranted to extend previous findings. Informed by current evidence from Paralympic and Olympic sport, we aimed to investigate (1) para-athletes' perceptions of Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs) and responsibility for them, (2) descriptive norms for doping in parasport (3) perceptions of anti-doping education and legitimacy of anti-doping authorities, and (4) coach engagement in doping prevention and levels of doping confrontation efficacy using a quantitative survey approach. In total, valid survey responses from 126 Paralympic athletes and 35 coaches from four countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, UK) were analysed for experience with anti-doping, descriptive norms, anti-doping education, perceived legitimacy, knowledge, and doping confrontation efficacy (coaches only). Across both athletes and coaches, the level of education was generally good and doping willingness was low. Classification cheating was considered a form of doping and seems to be an important issue for athletes and coaches, especially within the UK sample. For 33.3% of the athletes, doping control was their first experience with anti-doping. Coaches' engagement with doping prevention activities and their perceived efficacy to confront doping-related matters appears to be higher compared to Olympic coaches' samples. Sport organisations/NADOs in Paralympic sport could use synergies with those organisations in Olympic sport, adopting similar approaches to anti-doping education, also focusing on a balanced communication of doping prevalence numbers and testing figures. Efforts to ensure athletes are educated about anti-doping before they are tested should be upheld. It seems that in para sport, different compared to able-bodied coaches, anti-doping organizations do not have to convince the coaches about their roles (i.e., being responsible for anti-doping education) anymore but can directly build on these resources. Overall, it seems that there are few differences between parasport and able-bodied sports and thus responsible organisations could use the existing programmes in Olympic sport and only adapt special content (e.g., boosting) which is unique to Paralympic athletes.

What Is a Parasport Coach’s Role During Athlete Classification? Exploring How Parasport Coaches Learn About Classification and Their Role Within This Process

Undergoing classification can be a difficult experience for athletes with disabilities, yet coaches may support athletes during this event. However, research has yet to examine either coaches’ roles during classification or how coaches learn to navigate this unique aspect of parasport. We purposed to explore parasport coaches’ roles during classification as well as the ways in which coaches learn about classification. Twelve Canadian high-performance coaches representing eight parasports participated in semistructured interviews. Inductive reflexive thematic analysis of the transcripts was conducted. Results show coaches view their role as intuitive and centered on preparing the athlete, ensuring fairness, and reframing classification outcomes. The ways coaches learned about classification varied, but coaches agreed there is a general lack of structured resources available to coaches interested in learning about classification. In addition to learning about classification, coaches valued understanding the athlete and their impairment to effectively fulfill their coaching roles.

Wheelchair Basketball Athletes' Perceptions of the Coach-Athlete Relationship.

The majority of research on the coach-athlete relationship has been explored from the perspective of able-bodied athletes. The purpose of this study was to explore wheelchair basketball athletes' perceptions of the coach-athlete relationship. Timelining and semistructured interviews were conducted with six wheelchair basketball athletes, and data were analyzed using a reflexive thematic analysis. Athletes highlighted the important role that parasport coaches played in fostering an enjoyable wheelchair basketball environment and valued coaches who displayed expertise regarding their athletes' equipment and had personal parasport athletic experiences. Additionally, athletes identified personal preferences, including coaches who addressed sex differences and maintained professional relationships at the national level as contributing factors to the coach-athlete relationship. The current results benefit both parasport coaches and athletes by providing a portrayal of coaching behaviors, characteristics, and expertise that not only influence the parasport coach-athlete dyad but also affect the well-being and athletic development of parasport athletes.

Exploring coaches' experiences and perceptions of a virtual parasport coach mentorship program

Partnering with a provincial coaching association in Canada, we explored the experiences and perceptions of 15 mentor and 29 mentee coaches who participated in a formal virtual parasport coach mentorship program. Data were gathered via focus groups and individual interviews and analyzed using a reflexive thematic analysis. Mentor coaches built a virtual relationship through mutual trust and respect and were perceived by their mentees as supportive, motivating, and knowledgeable. Mentee coaches valued conversations with their mentors surrounding disability-specific knowledge that enhanced their coaching efficacy. Coaches highlighted the need for a greater sense of community within parasport and recommended keeping a virtual component of the program to foster accessibility and learning. Findings provide insight into effective mentorship in parasport for researchers, practitioners, and organizations overseeing this important initiative. Our results will contribute to higher quality experiences for Canadian parasport coaches and athletes and work to progress the growth of parasport worldwide.

An Exploration of the Content and Quality of Online, Text-Based Coach Development Programs Specific to Parasport

Nonformal learning opportunities, such as accessing text-based online resources, are an important means of developing parasport coaches’ knowledge of how to coach. However, the focus of such resources, as well as their quality and quantity, are unknown. Using an adapted version of Lefebvre, Evans, Turnnidge, Gainforth, and Côté’s taxonomy of coach development programs, the authors explored and cataloged text-based online resources for parasport coaches identified through a broad Internet search. In addition, the technical quality of these resources was evaluated. After cataloguing and evaluating 136 resources, professional knowledge domains, specifically pedagogy and planning, were identified as the most commonly targeted domains of focus. The least frequently cited professional domains of focus were maltreatment, movement fundamentals, and preventative health and health promotion. Limited resources addressed interpersonal and intrapersonal domains of focus. Resource quality varied greatly, but the overall quality was low indicating that increasing the technical quality of online resources should be prioritized in the future.

Assessing the Value Created in a Social Learning Space Intervention: Four Vignettes of Parasport Coaches

In this paper, the authors reflect on the current literature and the evolution of coach communities of practice and how the coach development area has embraced Wenger-Trayner’s social learning theory. Studies examining parasport coach development interventions, specifically those using a landscape of practice approach, are lacking. This paper is the third in a series about increasing learning capability in the wheelchair curling landscape. The authors utilized a collaborative approach to assess the learning value created through a 13-month social learning intervention. Four composite vignettes based on the coaches’ pathways and residency within the landscape were created from the data generated and analyzed using the value creation framework. The vignettes illustrate the many dimensions of learning values experienced by the coaches. This paper advances the literature surrounding social learning theory by providing examples of the novel concept of different dimensions of learning value. Applied implications are included.

A critical discourse analysis of the dominant discourses being used to portray parasport coaches in the newspaper media

ABSTRACT The media is a powerful outlet capable of influencing our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours about a particular phenomenon, including parasport. Despite the limited empirical research, parasport coaches play an active role in raising awareness, education, and exposure for parasport, and thus it is important to study how they are portrayed in the media. The purpose was to examine how newspaper media portrayed dominant discourses surrounding parasport coaches. Data were collected using the LexisNexis Academic database to search for full-text newspaper articles from 1 January 1999 to 1 January 2019. Eighty-three articles were included for review from 66 print and online newspaper sources. We conducted a critical discourse analysis to examine the social, political, and/or cultural discourses surrounding parasport coaches in the media. Through an iterative analytical process, three discourses were revised over time. The first discourse offered contrasting views of what it meant to be an effective parasport coach. The second discourse encompassed the ways that parasport coaches were portrayed in terms of their personal characteristics and motives. The third discourse described the working environment for parasport coaches, including the challenges and facilitators for progressing the Paralympic Movement. Overall, our media analysis provided an overarching view of how the media shapes our perception of parasport coaches. We believe our results will raise awareness to the underrepresented voices of parasport coaches, which ultimately has the potential to promote parasport participation at recreational and competitive levels around the world.

Framing a Social Learning Space for Wheelchair Curling

The purpose of this paper is to delineate how an intervention aimed at increasing the learning capability of Canadian wheelchair curling coaches was framed by a systems convener in collaboration with stakeholders from different levels. Social learning theory, in particular a landscape of practice perspective, provides the conceptual framework. The methodology was collaborative inquiry with people from across the landscape to delineate the intervention strategies through cycles of reflection and action. The participants included parasport coaches, researchers, and Curling Canada technical leaders. Based on preintervention findings, the intervention was driven by (a) the use of technology to overcome barriers and the implementation of learning activities at competitions, (b) the use of a collective learning map to promote meaningful learning, (c) the involvement of the sport organization leadership to promote the participation of influential people, and (d) a reflection of how subpar outcomes occurred when the systems convener failed to engage with the sport organization leadership. The discussion sheds light on the many roles of systems conveners and the importance of promoting strategic and enabling values. Sport organizations should engage a systems convener who can effectively align learning goals with the available resources and the strategic mission of the organization.

What Do We Know About Research on Parasport Coaches? A Scoping Review.

The purpose of this scoping review was to provide a broad overview of the literature pertaining to parasport coaches, including information regarding the size and scope of research, the populations and perspectives obtained, and the type of methods used to conduct the research. Data were collected and analyzed using a six-stage framework for conducting scoping reviews. The results revealed that the majority of articles were based on interviews, and an overwhelming majority of the participants were men coaching at the high-performance level in North America. Three of the most frequent topics were becoming a parasport coach, being a parasport coach, and having general parasport coaching knowledge. Articles ranged in date from 1991 to 2018, with 70% of empirical articles published from 2014 onward, indicating an emerging interest in this field of research. This review has the potential to advance the science and practice of parasport coaching at all levels.

장애인 스포츠 지도자의 비언어적 의사소통과 운동몰입 및 운동만족의 관계

이 연구는 장애인 스포츠 지도자의 비언어적 행동과 장애인 스포츠 선수의 운동몰입 및 운동만족 간의 관계를 알아보는데 목적이 있다. 이러한 연구목적을 달성하기 위해 전국에 있는 장애인 스포츠 선수 106명을 대상으로 자료를 수집하였다. 자료처리는 통계 프로그램 SPSS 22.0을 활용하여 빈도분석, 탐색적 요인분석, 신뢰도 분석, 상관관계분석, 다중회귀분석을 실시하였고, AMOS 18.0을 활용하여 확인적 요인분석을 실시한 결과 다음과 같은 결론을 도출하였다. 첫째, 장애인 스포츠 지도자의 비언어적 의사소통은 운동몰입에 부분적으로 정적인 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 둘 째, 장애인 스포츠 지도자의 비언어적 의사소통은 운동만족에 부분적으로 정적, 부적인 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 셋째, 장애인 스포츠 선수의 운동몰입은 운동만족에 정적인 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다.

Development and Acquisition of Knowledge of Youth Parasport Coaches.

The purpose of this study was to understand the learning experiences and acquisition of knowledge of youth parasport coaches. Five able-bodied male participants (M = 39 years old), who coached youth with a physical disability for an average of 7.4 years, participated in individual interviews. An inductive thematic analysis identified patterns within and across the data, allowing for description and interpretation of the meaning and importance of the themes. The results showed that coaches learned mostly from informal experiences, particularly through mentoring, trial and error, or use of technology. In addition, these learning opportunities were influenced by personal, environmental, and social factors. These findings can help to guide current and future generations of coaches of youth participants with a physical disability by highlighting available resources and addressing several barriers and facilitators to their learning.

What can coaches and physical education teachers learn from a constraints-led approach in para-sport?

ABSTRACTBackground: Skill acquisition is still a relatively new and emerging specialist discipline in the sport sciences. Like other disciplines, current service support in Paralympic sport is limited, often based on theory adapted from able-bodied sport, or findings from research programmes that are not representative of elite sport contexts. The application of skill acquisition principles and pedagogical research is an opportunity to support the development of practice task designs in para-sport contexts. Of interest is the individualised nature of athlete impairments, requiring a flexible and imaginative approach, particularly given potential barriers between theory and practice. The Constraints-Led Approach (CLA) provides one potential solution; a functional framework for understanding interacting factors on athlete performance and learning. Despite the advocacy for a broad application of this approach in recent years, this has still had limited impact or research situated in elite sport.Purpose: To begin to bridge the gap between theory and practice, we consider the experiences of a skill acquisition specialist (SAS) working with para-sport coaches and athletes. We highlight key issues and challenges in these contexts, and how and why a CLA has been central to skill acquisition support. Furthermore, we aim to demonstrate how the need to pay careful attention to individual and environmental constraints in para-sport can highlight universal recommendations for practitioners who work in physical education (PE) or able-bodied coaching.Design: These aims are achieved via a reflective ‘conversation’ between the two authors. Commentaries are provided to compare experiences of the first author with current understandings within the literature. A case-study is then used to provide insights to bring to life how the framework of a CLA was used to support task designs for an athlete preparing for the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games.Findings: Reflections highlight the importance of the SAS gathering knowledge within and about specific athletes and contexts by immersing themselves in the performance environment to fully understand the complexities of the coaching environment, and adapt support accordingly. Discussions highlight the importance of working closely with coaches to harness experiential knowledge and design truly individualised tasks that match the individual needs of athletes. Considering impairment as simply one of many interacting individual constraints can allow for more effective task designs and provide useful examples for practitioners across a wider range of contexts (e.g. able-bodied sport, PE). We demonstrate how a CLA should be considered as a flexible framework, and that implementation needs to be carefully designed based on a range of factors (e.g. socio-cultural, coaching contexts). We also stress that an effective CLA is not a ‘hands-off’ approach, but constant careful and considered manipulation, facilitation and appropriate instructional input. Examples and key reflections are provided for coaches across all sport and PE contexts to consider when looking to implement a CLA.Conclusions: A CLA can support the development of individualised learning programmes and integration of key skill acquisition principles. Practitioners should look to consider the individual constraints, socio-cultural and coaching context to adapt current frameworks and knowledge to support coaches to continually improve practice task designs.

Career Development and Learning Pathways of Paralympic Coaches With a Disability.

The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the career development and learning pathways of Paralympic head coaches who previously competed as Paralympic athletes. Each coach participated in a semistructured interview. A thematic analysis of the data revealed three higher order themes, which were called becoming a coach, learning to coach, and lifelong learning and teaching. Across these themes, participants discussed interactions with other coaches and athletes with a disability, learning from mentors and coaching clinics, as well as limited formal educational opportunities they experienced transitioning from athlete to head coach. The findings revealed that they acquired most of their knowledge from a combination of knowledge gained as athletes and informal sources, including trial and error. They also stressed the need for enhanced recruiting of parasport coaches and parasport coach education opportunities that would enhance programs for athletes with physical disabilities, from grassroots to Paralympic levels.

Voices: para athletes speak

Qualitative researchers in the social sciences have been benefitting from using poetic forms to analyse and represent their research findings for about two decades now and, while still not common, recently noted that sensory research has made a debut in sport. In line with Fitzgerald’s recommendation that voice be given to young people living with disabilities, the following poems were co-constructed from the words of 15 parasport athletes from 10 sports (individual and team) combined with the researchers’ interpretation. As participants in sport for persons with physical disabilities, the athletes were asked to talk about the characteristics of a successful coach. The poems touch on traits such as empathy, understanding of disabilities, good listening skills and trying to put oneself in the shoes of the athlete. Rather than telling, the poems hope to show readers what is important for coaching disability sport. Following the poems, a reflective note is offered for each poem. While couched in the literature related to coach development and not disability studies, the poems help fill a hole in the literature about the experiences of the agents at the centre of a social relational model perspective of parasport coach development.

Social cognitive predictors of competitive level among athletes with physical disabilities

ObjectiveTo test a model of Social Cognitive Theory variables for predicting participation in higher versus lower levels of parasport competition. Information on modifiable factors associated with parasport competition would help parasport coaches and organizations transition recreational and developmental-level athletes to more competitive streams of participation. DesignCross-sectional survey. MethodParticipants were 95 parasport athletes with physical disabilities that cause mobility impairment (74% male; mean age = 34.36 ± 12.41). Measures of Social Cognitive Theory constructs were assessed via online questionnaires. Path analysis was used to test the proposed model. ResultsThe model explained 12% of the variance in level of sport participation. Peer support for sport was a significant predictor of self-regulatory efficacy (β = .22, p < .05) which, in turn, was positively related to outcome expectations (β = .43, p < .001), and self-regulation (β = .43, p < .001). Self-regulatory efficacy was the only significant predictor of level of sport participation (β = .26, p < .05). There were no significant indirect effects between social support and competitive status (p > .05). DiscussionSocial Cognitive Theory provides a reasonable basis for formulating a model of psychosocial factors related to parasport competitive status. Other relevant factors should be taken into consideration in subsequent studies. Parasport coaches and organizations may benefit from leveraging peer support to help bolster athletes' self-regulatory efficacy to levels conducive to participation in higher competitive sport streams.

The importance of reflection for coaches in parasport

Past research has described reflection as a process of thinking anew about already existing knowledge and experiences. More recently, reflection has also been referred to as a way of making sense of experience in complex situations. Research in coach learning has suggested that one of the ways coaches’ learn is by reflecting on their coaching practice. The purpose of the present study was to explore how four parasport coaches used reflection to help them learn and develop as coaches. The findings are discussed in light of the context of parasport and illustrated by four themes: reflecting on educational experiences, reflecting with a ‘lens of adaptability’, reflecting with others, and the relevance of the timing and depth of reflection, as coaches reported using reflection ‘before, during and after’ their coaching experiences. Given the apparent importance of reflection for parasport coaches, recommendations are suggested for how reflective practice might be nurtured.

A Case Study of a Parasport Coach and a Life of Learning

The complex process of sport coaching is a dynamic and evolving practice that develops over a long period of time. As such, a useful constructivist perspective on lifelong learning is Jarvis’ (2006, 2009) theory of human learning. According to Jarvis, how people learn is at the core of understanding how we can best support educational development. The purpose of the current study is to explore the lifelong learning of one parasport coach who stood out in his feld, and how his coaching practice evolved and developed throughout his life. A thematic analysis (Braun &amp; Clarke, 2006) was used to extract themes and examples from three two-hour interviews as well as interviews with key collaborators in his coaching network. The findings reveal a coach whose coaching practice is founded on pragmatic problem solving in the face of a lack in resources; an investment in formal and nonformal adapted activity education at the start of his parasport career; and observation, communication, and relationship-building with his athletes and the parasport community. Suggestions are provided for coach developers on how they might invest resources and create learning opportunities for coaches of athletes with a disability.