This paper examines the experiences of participants (n = 12) on the England Netball, ‘Walking Netball’ (WN) programme. Previous research has sought to explore participant experiences on programmes similar to WN, suggesting greater social engagement and an increase in desire for life were positive consequences from participation. Semi structured interviews explored the motivations held for participation in the programme with regards to social identity and the affective consequence of participation. Four themes emerged from data analysis; (1) WN as a form of physical activity, (2) collaborative identity, (3) group inclusion, and (4) regulatory routine. Findings suggest that participants on England Netball’s WN programme, are primarily motivated to continue attending WN by the collective identity they experience through being involved in the programme. Further research however on the construction of collective group identity is required to further enable project funders and deliverers in ensuring projects can effectively meet the motivations of their participants. Keywords: Physical activity, identity, relatedness
Formal coach education programs have seen a significant increase in the number of coaches attending and completing recognized coaching awards and qualifications recently. However, research has demonstrated that such formal coach education has limited impact on the practice of the coach when they return to working with their players. To date coach education research has failed to analyze the way in which learning styles have been presented on such awards and qualifications and the impact such knowledge may have on the coaches' practice. As such, research to investigate the promotion of learning styles within a coach education environment took place to establish if coach education promotes the use of specific teaching strategies for particular learners via the use of learning styles. The research process included semi-structured interviews with eight Football Association Level One Award Coaches, who identified that they were clearly and explicitly introduced to the concept of VARK learning styles during their coach education experiences. These findings demonstrate entry-level soccer coaches in the UK are encouraged to place the learning style of a player at the center of learning despite the suggestion from research that learning styles have a negligible impact on learning. The research also demonstrated that coach educators and the curriculum of coach education courses failed to utilize current research to reflect the latest teaching and learning strategies.
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