Assessing competence in sport psychology: An action research account

Abstract

Competent practice in sport psychology is of utmost importance for the professional status of the field, and hence proper assessment of competence for sport psychology practice is needed. We describe three cycles of action research to improve the assessment of competence in a sport psychology education program. The cycles were directed at (a) empowering supervisors in their assessing role, (b) improving the assessment checklist, and (c) investigating an alternative assessment method. Although challenges remain (e.g., improve the still low interrater reliability), the action research has contributed to an improved quality and higher acceptability of the assessment in the education program. Sport psychology consultants work in a "highly professional environment, often under the public eye and under high time pressure and efficiency requirements"

Raising Our Game: The Necessity and Progression of Expertise-Based Training in Applied Sport Psychology

“…Importantly, this approach would also allow assessors to better contribute to the trainee's development by offering the chance to provide flexibility-focused feedback and support the active reflection process (cf. Hutter et al, 2016).…”

“…However, as this focus has not yet been systematically required and reinforced by our training systems, or sufficiently studied in the context of ASP, it seems reasonable to suggest that our current understanding and action, as a profession, is both limited and reliant on supervisors and assessors going beyond the current certification orthodoxy (cf. Hutter et al, 2016). As such, we encourage those responsible for practitioner training to heed the key Running Head: EXPERTISE-BASED TRAINING IN SPORT PSYCHOLOGY 23 principles of developing expertise-based training.…”

“…idea that record keeping is generally as important for a psychologist as decision making, our question is not whether this approach can make trainees better (or comparable), learn more, and understand their strengths and weaknesses; in fact, we already know that it can given prior literature (e.g., Hoffman, 1998;Falender & Shafranske, 2007) and, presumably, by the continued certification of new practitioners in ASP. For example, competency-based training might be particularly useful for managing trainees who are failing to meet minimum standards (Grus, Falender, Fouad, & Lavelle, 2016) and as a means for assessors to measure previous and current performance more neatly (Davis & Hase, 1999;Hutter et al, 2016). Instead, our point is whether this is the best approach for developing trainees with integrated skills who can go on to reach their full potential in complex, unpredictable, and low validity settings.…”

“…Instead, our point is whether this is the best approach for developing trainees with integrated skills who can go on to reach their full potential in complex, unpredictable, and low validity settings. In this regard, it is interesting to note that a number of colleagues in Hutter et al (2016) felt that defining generalizable behavioral anchors were "hard, or even impossible, to generate" (p. 88), partly because they did not perceive its "feasibility, benefit, or importance" (p. 89). Indeed, working to pre-defined competencies promotes a focus on behaviors, procedural knowledge, and a right or a wrong way to practice (e.g., Belar, 2009;Hutter et al, 2016); a focus which is in direct contrast to the markers of expertise which promote a focus on cognition, declarative knowledge, and an "it depends" approach to assessing the appropriateness of practice.…”

Professional development for sport psychology practice

“…Reflective accounts reveal that experienced practitioners participate in informal peer supervision and reflective practice [39], but are seldom required to document their engagement. Much of the work in this area is descriptive or qualitative, providing insights that can help individuals and educators enhance professional development [40]. There is little evidence, however, that these processes lead to more effective service delivery, and this represents an area of future research.…”