Talent Development Environment Research Articles

A Qualitative Meta-Study of a Decade of the Holistic Ecological Approach to Talent Development

The Holistic-Ecological Approach (HEA) was introduced in 2010, and it is now important to provide a critical review after a decade of research elaborating on the framework. The purpose of this study was to critically assess the methodological and theoretical trends in research using the HEA in the study of athletic talent development environments (ATDE). We used a qualitative meta-study to review twelve studies published from 2010 to the first quarter of 2021. Our meta-theory analysis found that future studies should consider the use of Bronfenbrenner’s work on development and address previous critiques on its use since it can limit the potential of the HEA re-search. In the meta-methods, we found that all studies used multiple and varied data collection strategies (e.g., interviews, observations, organisational documents). We also found a high degree of transparency and rigour exemplified by using multiple validity strategies. Method weaknesses were an underrepresentation of neutral or negative cases. The meta-data analysis showed that most ATDEs were classified as successful or unsuccessful ahead of data collection, suggesting potential confirmation bias. We also found that all ATDEs had competing findings, which suggests a need for exploring negative or ambiguous findings. Future research could benefit from clarifying the use of underlying theoretical assumptions; contrasting findings with neutral cases, outliers, and negative cases to clarify the definition of successful ATDEs; and expanding on the methodological approach.

“All they have seen is a model for failure:” Stakeholder’s perspectives on athletic talent development in American underserved communities

This study explores the primary challenges faced and strategies implemented in underserved athletic talent development environments (UATDEs) in the United States and examines how developing within such environments impacts athletes once they reach the college and professional levels of sports. Thirteen stakeholders (M = 10, F = 3), who had significant experience working with professional and youth athletes from underserved communities, participated in the study. Unstructured interviews lasting slightly over an hour (M = 74 min) were analyzed using the principles of reflexive thematic analysis and the process uncovered two categories: shared features of school-based UATDEs in the United States and the ripple effects of trauma which were used to structure the findings. Within these two categories, primary themes were presented relating to the challenges observed and strategies implemented to overcome these obstacles in UATDEs as well as how developing within a UATDE can influence an athlete upon leaving the environment. The study found that stakeholders (i.e., administrators, coaches, etc.) who work within UATDEs must be aware of the inherent challenges that the environment creates and how to best support the athletes who require increased psychosocial developmental attention. Further, the same stakeholders also need to be supported in their work. Finally, when athletes from UATDEs leave the environment, stress-inducing traumatic events of their formative years may stay with them requiring that stakeholders at the university and professional levels provide support to those that need it as talent can suffer from trauma. Lay summary: This study explored the perceptions of stakeholders who work with athletes in or coming from American underserved communities. The consensus is that significant challenges exist for coaches working in such environments and athletes developing in these circumstances will likely carry emotional trauma with them during their life and athletic careers. Implications for practice Applied practitioners working in UATDEs must prioritize the psychosocial development of their athletes as much, if not more, than athletic development. Organizations, such as AASP and ISSP must educate (e.g., through conferences, seminars, webinars, etc.) stakeholders and coaches working in UATDEs of the potential challenges faced and resources required to excel in such environments. Applied practitioners in university and professional sport must understand that athletes coming from UATDEs will need additional and specialized support focused upon, for example, the transition to a new environment or managing the ripple effects of trauma.

Investigating the Youth Sports Development Pathway Within a South African Context.

The past two decades witnessed increased participation in professional as well as amateur sport, giving impetus to concomitant amplified interest in long-term athlete development (LTAD). LTAD has been described as the structured and progressive growth of an athlete through different stages of development resulting in some athletes achieving elite sport status. Furthermore, the interest in athletic career development from a holistic perspective has contributed to management approaches underscoring sustainable talent development and participation in sport. The current study investigated youth sports development pathways through both models of development within a South African context. A descriptive quantitative cross-sectional design was used to generate a convenient sample of athletes (N = 267). The Talent Development Environment Questionnaire (TDEQ) was administered, which in previous studies produced acceptable psychometric properties. Principal factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, Monte Carlo parallel simulation, MANOVA, and hierarchical regression were performed to analyze the data. The TDEQ was validated for the South African context and was found to measure four components, namely supportive and challenging environment, development fundamentals, support networks, and long-term development. Respondents in the various developmental categories of novice, advanced and elite student-athletes were not statistically significantly influenced by any of the four factors. Controlling for the talent developmental phase, the model proposed did not statistically significantly predict the development pathway of youth athletes. The results provide evidence with some practical significance as supportive and challenging environment and long-term development focus reported a small effect. Further research is warranted to develop a more suitable measuring instrument to measure the talent development pathway within the investigated athlete environment.

Talent Competitiveness Evaluation of the Chongqing Intelligent Industry Based on Using the Entropy TOPSIS Method

Talent is the foundation of industrial development, based on the movement process and the role of the talent competitiveness cycle. This study uses the Entropy TOPSIS method to evaluate the talent competitiveness of Chongqing in comparison to Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Sichuan, and Shaanxi from five dimensions of human resources, talent contribution, talent investment, development support, and development environment. The research shows that the talent competitiveness of the intelligent industry in Chongqing ranks eighth as compared to other eight provinces and cities. The result shows that there is a big gap in human resources, talent contribution and talent investment compared with the developed areas, while development support and environment level were found to be relatively backward. It is suggested to strengthen the policy implementation from the aspects of high-end talent introduction, investment in higher education, industrial ecological system and talent development environment.

The athlete talent development environment in the best ranked football academy in Norwegian football: The case of the U16 team in Stabæk football club

We used the holistic ecological approach to examine the talent development of Stabæk football club. Specifically, the male under-16 team. The environment was categorised as successful based on their history of developing senior elite players and being the highest ranked football academy in Norway. The study design was an explorative, integrative, and qualitative study considering an extreme case. Data collection included interviews, observations, and document analysis. The results showed that the environment shared features with other successful environments and deviated on other features. Our findings were consistent with research highlighting the importance of long-term development focus, supportive training groups, and support from the wider environment. However, we also found that the contrary to former research, success was not underpinned by a coherent organisational culture. Instead, there were several examples of ambiguity (e.g., between espoused values and actual behaviours). There was also a lack of integration of efforts, no support for developing psychosocial skills, lack of diversification, and a lack of proximal role models. Instead the club practiced early recruitment and specialisation, employed failure-focused coaching, and kept youth players away from role models. Our findings show that the club environment could be described as a successful, and yet, success does not necessarily equal all previously suggested successful features.

Shared Features of Successful Interorganizational Collaboration to Promote Local Talent Development Environments in Denmark

The aim of this study was to explore 11 case examples of successful talent development collaborations between sport federations, municipalities, and local clubs in Denmark in order to identify potential shared features of successful collaborations. We hypothesized that each case example would be unique, but that they would also share features that could be organized to provide practitioners with a model to guide the improvement of their practice. Grounded in the holistic ecological approach, the study was designed as a multiple case study to facilitate a cross-case analysis. Three Danish sport federations (handball, ice hockey, and swimming), nine municipalities, and eleven local clubs participated in the study, and the data was generated from 23 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders. Analysis led to the construction of six shared features of successful interorganizational collaboration organized into: (1) a list of features (SFIC-TD) with positive and opposite pole descriptors and three categories: collaborative philosophy, collaborative decisions, and collaborative actions, and (2) an applied framework termed the pyramid model for optimization of interorganizational collaboration in talent development (PIC-TD) which illustrates how the abovementioned categories lead to collaborative outcomes. Developing a shared philosophy of talent development was found to be a foundational starting point for successful collaboration between relevant organizations on the micro- and macro-level to improve the local athletic talent development environment.

Talent development in women’s cricket: Perceptions and practices of elite players and coaches

Talent development is at the forefront of research in sport, where female athletes remain underrepresented. With ongoing success and rapid participation growth, there is an opportunity to describe and assess talent development in cricket for female athletes. Research in other sports recommends a holistic approach to talent development, where the connection between individual, task and environmental factors is maintained. A series of semi-structured interviews was conducted to draw from the experiential knowledge of 16 elite female athletes and 7 coaches alongside empirical knowledge regarding player development (individual), training task design and talent development environments. Both players and coaches reported positive early learning experiences, linear career trajectories and early entrance into talent programs, suggesting some early specialisation. Exposure to boy’s/men’s cricket appeared to fast-track skill development in players, and player skill adaptability was considered crucial to expert performance by both cohorts. Training design typically involved functional games-based scenarios, or misaligned task deconstruction in contrast to contemporary skill development practices. Aims for discrete stages of the pathway were ambiguous for both cohorts, potentially limiting the value they provide, and transition between stages appeared fluid to coaches in contrast to the rigidity described by players. Finally, growing professionalism in cricket for female athletes through greater investment, contracts and player support has propagated a skill gap between pathway stages identified by both cohorts, which needs addressing. Closing this skill gap can be achieved by improving coaching practices and support at the amateur levels of cricket to develop the next generation of elite female cricketers.

Singing off the same hymn sheet? Examining coherence in a talent development pathway (part 1)

ABSTRACT Although there is research available into successful Talent Development Environments (TDEs), the data mostly reflects TDEs in elite academies, national groups or in a single successful club. This literature provides insight into the positive characteristics that are commonplace in these effective TDEs. However, little is known about the TDE surrounding an entire amateur national organization where athletes regularly compete across multiple teams, simultaneously representing at both domestic and international level. Importantly this added complexity increases the number of stakeholders across the pathway (e.g., school, club, international) creating a need for coherence throughout the TDE. Additionally considering the lack of research relating to females in talent development, we were interested from a pragmatic view, in examining the TDE of an amateur national hockey organization where young female athletes must navigate the pathway while simultaneously playing on multiple teams, contending with various coaches and contexts. The results suggest that the TDE provides a long term development experience supplemented with a good support network across all contexts. However, the alignment of expectations across contexts and the quality preparation of athletes in this TDE requires more attention to facilitate effective holistic athlete development.

Talent development environments in elite taekwondo population: a study within an Italian context.

The aim of this study was to analyze the quality perception of the main talent development environments within the elite taekwondo population, through the Talent Development Environment Questionnaire (TDEQ-5). The TDEQ-5 was given to 107 top level athletes from the Italian National Team and from 12 domestic clubs. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was carried out and the descriptive statistics were measured for all the individual item scores; for each factor the independent t-tests were carried out to identify differences in scores between the National and the Club environments. The EFA revealed four principal components (56.68%). These four factors reported good reliability values (α= from 0.63 to 0.93) and significant correlations. The development environments were positively perceived by the athletes, with factor 1 being the highest performing component and factor 2 the weakest. Factor 1 was identified as the strength of the Club environment, while factor 2 as the area of improvement for the National environment. The scale values of factors 1, 2 and 3 were significantly higher (P<0.01) in the Club environment. The item-by-item analysis revealed the presence of three strengths and six areas of improvement in the national environment, eleven strengths and no areas of improvement in the Club environment. Our study highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the different development environments surveyed and may allow to plan targeted interventions to increase the perception of quality of the talent development environments, thus allowing the stakeholders to optimize their work.

Reviewing the role of the environment in the talent development of a professional soccer club.

This two-part study examined the perceptions of talented Swiss soccer players about their talent development environment. The first study presented the translation and validation of the Talent Development Environment Questionnaire (TDEQ) into French using a recommended methodology for translating and culturally adapting questionnaires. Two hundred and three Swiss athletes (M = 16.99 years old) responded to the 25 items of the TDEQ-5. One item was excluded due to low factor loadings, and the descriptive statistics showed that the re-specified TDEQ-5 instrument had acceptable global model fit according to the thresholds in the literature (χ2 (df = 17) = 484.62, p<0.001, CFI = 0.91, TLI = 0.90, RMSEA = 0.07, SRMR = 0.06). This adaptation is thus valid for assessing the effectiveness of talent development processes. For the second study, a holistic design was used to examine the perceptions of a set of players embedded in a top-level Swiss soccer academy (i.e., 64 elite soccer players from 14 to 18 years old) by using the TDEQ-5. The results showed some relative strengths (i.e., F1-Long-Term Focus for the M15 and M16 age-groups) and weaknesses (i.e., F2-Alignment of Expectations for the M17 and M18 age -groups and F3-Communication for M17). They also highlighted that the talent pathways of these Swiss soccer players could not be summarized by a single type of transition toward a professional team. Rather, there were context-specific requirements, such as the critical period between the M15-M16 and M17-M18 age-groups, suggesting that when the players first entered their TDE they experienced a set of affordances to develop and flourish, which thereafter were perceived as less rich and/or abundant. These results offer a starting point for optimizing talent pathways.

Talent Development Environments in Football: Comparing the Top-Five and Bottom-Five-Ranked Football Academies in Norway

Background: The aim of this study was to examine junior-elite football players’ perception of their talent development environment by comparing clubs ranked as the top-five and bottom-five in the 2017 Norwegian academy classification. Methods: In total, 92 male junior-elite football players recruited from under-19 teams from five professional football club academies took part in the study. The Talent Development Environment Questionnaire (TDEQ-5; Martindale et al. 2010) was used to measure the players’ perceptions of their team environment. Results: The subscale long-term development focus and support network had the highest score and indicated that they perceived that the environment was high quality with respect to those factors. Players from the top-five-ranked clubs perceived their development environments to be significantly more positive with respect to holistic quality preparation, alignment of expectations, communication and, compared to players from the bottom-five-ranked clubs. Conclusions: The players’ perceptions of the talent development environment seem to be in alignment of the academy classification undertaken by the Norwegian top football association.

“Knowing That This Is My Place Is Very Positive”: The Case of a Swedish Table Tennis Club

This case study is guided by the holistic ecological approach and aimed at (a) providing a holistic description of an athletic talent development environment using a table tennis club in Sweden as a case study and (b) examining the factors perceived as influential to the effectiveness of the club’s talent development. The holistic ecological approach’s two working models informed the data collection (through interviews, observation, and analysis of documents) and were subsequently transformed into empirical models, acting as a summary of the case. Findings revealed that the environment’s success in talent development can be seen as an outcome of the following key features: (a) flexible and supportive training groups, (b) opportunities to learn from senior elite athletes, (c) support through the club and sport-friendly schools, (d) support of the development of psychosocial skills, (e) regular and intensive training, (f) focus on long-term development and athletes as whole persons, (g) strong and coherent organizational culture centered around the basic assumption, “we are a community of committed members,” and (h) integrated efforts among the club and sport-friendly schools to support athletes’ development. This case study can inform other athletic talent development environments on how to optimize talent development processes.

Resource Support or Emotional Trust: Effects of Perceived Organizational Support on Entrepreneurial Performance of Global Talents in China

Global talents are introduced for entrepreneurship and development in China, which is not only a significant way to gather heterogeneous human capital and realize industrial transformation and upgrading in a short period of time, but also a strategic measure to drive innovative development and build an innovative country relying on talents. The regional innovation network gathers innovation elements such as upstream and downstream enterprises, universities and scientific research institutes in the industrial chain, which provides great information and resource support for global talents to gather innovation and entrepreneurship in China. Taking global talents in China as the research object, this paper constructs the relationship model among perceived organizational support, innovation network embeddedness and entrepreneurship performance in innovation network and conducts empirical research. The survey data of Global Talents in China was analyzed by SPSS 24.0 and MPLUS 7.4. The results show that the two dimensions of perceived organizational support instrumentality and emotionality have significant positive impact on entrepreneurial performance and innovation network embeddedness; while innovation network embeddedness has significant positive effects on entrepreneurial performance, but the influence of structural embeddedness is more significant than that of relational embeddedness; relational embeddedness and structural embeddedness play a partial mediating role in the influence of instrumental support and emotional support on technological innovation performance, while structural embeddedness plays a complete mediating role in the influence of instrumental support and emotional support on growth potential performance. Based on the results of empirical research, the paper proposes to further optimize the allocation of network resources, strengthen emotional support, expand the scale of innovative network, and strive to create an international talent development environment that is similar to overseas.

From athletic talent development to dual career development? A case study in a Finnish high performance sports environment

ABSTRACT The focus of dual career (DC) research has shifted from exploring individual experiences within Athletic Talent Development Environments (ATDEs) toward understanding the impact of the environment and the broader cultural context on individuals’ developmental trajectories in Dual Career Development Environments (DCDEs). To comply with national and EU recommendations for socially responsible elite sport, many successful ATDEs list DC as one of their primary values and advertise themselves as DCDEs in order to attract more athletes. The present study aimed to evaluate whether and how a talent development environment for youth athletes in Finland has transformed from an ATDE to DCDE by exploring the environment’s success factors and organisational culture. This study is grounded in the theoretical framework of Holistic Ecological Approach and follows the Real-Time Case Method. Principal methods of data collection included interviews, observations, and documents. The results indicated that the environment was characterised by an incoherent organisational culture, and the environment was identified as an ATDE rather than a DCDE. We suggest that for the Finnish sports environment to successfully transform into a functioning DCDE, changes in the organisational culture are necessary and DC recommendations should be integrated into the environment to provide resources for student-athletes to develop a balanced life and the prerequisites to succeed in future endeavours.

A world class academy in professional football:

The holistic ecological approach puts an emphasis on the environment in which prospective elite athletes develop. Applying the holistic ecological approach, this article examines talent development among male under-19 football players at Ajax Amsterdam which has a history of successfully developing several of its juniors to top-level international players. Principal methods of data collection include interviews, participant observations of daily life in the environment, and analysis of documents. The environment was centred around the relationship between players and a clubhouse community consisting of a team of coaches, teachers, experts, and managers that helped the players to focus on: Handling dual careers (sport and school), developing mental toughness, social skills and work ethic. Furthermore, the environment was characterised by a strong, open, and cohesive organisational culture based on each player as an investment, social responsibility and individual development before winning matches. We argue that the holistic ecological approach holds the potential to inspire coaches and practitioners to be sensitive to and analyse not only the individual player’s athletic development but also the overall strategies and organisational settings, in the talent development environment.

‘You create your own luck, in a way’ About Norwegian footballers’ understanding of success, in a world where most fail

ABSTRACT The article is based on interviews with twelve young footballers who turned pro with the Norwegian top-flight club Odd BK. After asking why they succeeded in making the transition from promising talent to established top-level footballer, we investigate how the players’ own explanations tally with the two predominant theories in research on talent development, namely deliberate practice and successful talent development environments. We shall see that the basic elements of these theories resemble the players’ own recipes for success and more or less specify how the players and the club can achieve progress. However, neither of these theories relates to the structural situation that the players find themselves in, namely the fact that most hard-working players are never offered a professional contract. The looming uncertainty provides fertile ground for the development of notions of luck and the intricate workings of chance.

The impact of rule modifications on player behaviour in a talent identification and development environment: A case study of the Rugby Football Union’s Wellington Academy Rugby Festival

ABSTRACT Research has suggested that competition within talent identification and development systems should be modified from the adult format of the sport to meet the developmental needs of those participating. Yet limited research has evaluated the success of game changes, particularly the effectiveness of modifying the rules of a game to purposefully engineer changes in player behaviour. The purpose of this study was to monitor the impact of rule modifications on player behaviour within a talent identification and development system in rugby union. Performance indicators (ball in play, pass, offload, kick) were collected during full length (70 min) and shortened durations (30–42 min) of competitive matches played during a weeklong under sixteen rugby union festival in 2016 and after rule modifications were introduced in 2017–2019. The findings indicate that rule modifications had the prescribed impact on player actions, particularly in the shortened duration formats of the game. Therefore, rule modifications provide talent developers a tool to manipulate player behaviour, in this case skill attempts, within full-sided competitive matches.

Impact of the talent development environment on the wellbeing and burnout of Caribbean youth track and field athletes

This study examined the perceived talent development environment (TDE) of youth track and field athletes within the Caribbean region and explores the relationship with their subjective wellbeing and burnout levels. A sample of 400 Caribbean youth track and field athletes (male = 198, and female = 202; age 13–20 years) participated in this cross-sectional study. Athletes responded to a survey which included the Talent Development Environment Questionnaire (TDEQ-5), the World Health Organization Wellbeing Index (WHO-5) and the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ). Structural equation modelling showed that a positive and supportive TDE was associated with better athlete wellbeing and lower athlete burnout. Moreover, gender and hours of training moderated relationships of athletes’ perceptions of their development environment with wellbeing and burnout levels respectively. Furthermore, there was a positive association between the support network and athlete wellbeing, while holistic quality preparation was negatively associated with athlete burnout. Development environments perceived as supportive and geared towards a holistic athlete-centred approach were associated with better athlete wellbeing and lower burnout.

"I Didn't Make It, but…": Deselected Athletes' Experiences of the Talent Development Pathway.

The experiences of youth athletes on specialized talent development pathways has received considerable attention in both the media and literature. Despite the low conversion of pathway entrants into senior athletes, the experiences of deselected athletes have received less attention. The purpose of this study therefore was to explore the talent pathway experiences of youth athletes who were deselected from a pathway and to consider how those experiences influenced their life post deselection. Ten participants were purposefully sampled based on their prior involvement in a formalized and selective talent programme. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted, and data was analyzed via a thematic analysis. Participants identified constructs of the talent development environment, psychobehavioral skills for future development and personal responsibility for future development as facilitators for future success beyond the talent pathway. Specifically, environmental constructs, such as high performance support systems and expectations of professionalism positively contributed toward the acquisition of transferable psychobehavioral skills, such as a determination to be successful, a confidence to back oneself and social maturity. Youth athletes reported feeling empowered to take personal responsibility for development, through attributes such as a commitment to be the best they can be and an intrinsic motivation to succeed. These findings suggest positive experiences, built around the development of transferable skills and behaviors, can accrue from being on the talent pathway. As such, the talent pathway can be a successful foundation for both success in that sport and as a facilitator of success beyond sport.

Talent development environment in a professional football club in Norway

The research on talent development is increasing, even though most of it has focused on the individual athlete. By using a holistic and ecological approach to talent development and especially the players’ environment, one could highlight how the environment facilitates player and team development. The purpose of this study was to analyse the recruit team of the professional football club Ranheim F.C. in Norway. Principal methods of data collection included interviews, participant observations of life in the environment, and analysis of documents. The environment was centred around the relationship between coaches and players, and although the supporting staff was relatively small, the inclusive and supportive approach from competent coaches was essential. The characteristics of the environment included that players were encouraged to take responsibility for their own development, exercise self-reflexiveness and the ability to handle the challenges that may arise in the life of young football players, and optimize the everyday lives of the players. Despite economic challenges within the club, the environment compensated with spirit, volunteerism, and hard work.