Character Development Through Youth Sport: High School Coaches’ Perspectives about a Character-based Education Program

Ferris, Kaitlyn A.; Ettekal, Andrea Vest; Agans, Jennifer P.; Burkhard, Brian

doi:10.5195/jyd.2015.13

Cited by 10 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…When conditions of psychological safety, fun and mental space are fulfilled, participants in our study feel motivated to keep on participating after a first experience, as such advantaging of the ability to form meaningful relations with other participants and coach(es) and to make sense of their free time [50,51]. Motivational coaching and positive group dynamics then become key mechanisms, encouraging participants to build success experiences [19,52]. Coaches (herein followed by participants copying the coaches' attitude) focus on what goes well, not on what goes wrong; the process is prior to the result.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

How community sport programs may improve the health of vulnerable population groups: a program theory

Veken

Lauwerier

Willems

2020

Int J Equity Health

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Background: Groups at risk of exclusion from society appear to have a lower health status and more health-related problems. Prevention efforts in these groups are not always successful, and new ways have to be sought by which health messages can be delivered. Many agree on low-threshold sport activities, also called 'community sports', to be a powerful tool to target socially vulnerable groups. Until now, it has not been investigated how and when such sport initiatives may be able to impact health outcomes in socially vulnerable populations. This study aims at developing a program theory that clarifies the mechanisms and necessary conditions for sport programs to be effective in health promotion. Such a program theory may constitute a backbone for developing health promotion initiatives within a sport for development setting. Methods: We developed a program theory using a realist research design. We build on an extensive data set consisting of the insights of key stakeholders and participants of various community sport organizations at the one hand, and on relevant theoretical frameworks at the other hand. Data were collected through participatory observations of soccer trainings and related group activities, interviews with key stakeholders and participants, document analysis and two focus groups with stakeholders from associated social partnership organizations. Results: The health promoting effect of community sport on socially vulnerable groups seems not to result from an improved physical condition or sport-technical skills as such, but from processes of experiential learning among peers, incremental responsibility-taking and reflexivity. On the condition that participants feel safe, are stimulated to reflect and enabled to become actor of themselves and their situation, these processes are likely to lead to increased self-esteem, self-efficacy and motivation to set and pursue personal (health) goals. The key-influencing factor in these processes is the coach, who therefore needs to be adequately skilled in, for example, social vulnerability, motivational coaching and group dynamics. Conclusions: The program theory developed in this study offers insights in the mechanisms proper to, and necessary conditions for community sport to be a lever for health promotion in socially vulnerable groups. Motivational processes at individual level and group connectivity are at the basis of personal health goal-setting. One of the necessary conditions is that these processes are guided by community sport coaches skilled in the meaning and impact of social exclusion, and capable of connecting with the target group.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

How community sport programs may improve the health of vulnerable population groups: a program theory

Veken

Lauwerier

Willems

2020

Int J Equity Health

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“…. (Ferris et al, 2015) Respect in Sport e. make recommendations to Sport NZ for developing sustainable approaches to adult behaviour change in junior and youth sport.…”

Section: The Design Phasementioning

confidence: 99%

Promoting a culture change in junior and youth sport in New Zealand

Walters¹,

Minjares²,

Bradbury³

et al. 2022

Front. Sports Act. Living

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This paper provides insight into the evolution of a project designed to address longstanding adult attitudes and behavioural issues in junior and youth sport in New Zealand. The project was funded by Sport New Zealand (Sport NZ) and implemented by Aktive, a charitable trust that works with national and regional partners to fund and deliver community sport in Auckland. Aktive collaborated with a team of junior and youth sport researchers, adopting a pragmatic, mixed methods design-based research (DBR) approach to co-design an educational delivery framework aimed at influencing attitudes and assumptions underpinning coaches, parents, and community sport leaders' behaviours. Transformative learning principles informed the delivery framework with the project reaching 4,222 participants. Research evaluations included multiple case studies, surveys, semi-structured interviews, and focus groups, which confirmed awareness of problematic beliefs. The programme expanded to Regional Sport Organisations (RSOs) and National Sport Organisations (NSOs) culminating in a nationwide rollout. The study highlights the effectiveness of theoretically informed adult behaviour change programmes in junior and youth sport, the benefits of programmes being underpinned by a rigorous pedagogical approach, and the benefits of sport organisations and researchers collaborating to design and deliver sustainable change initiatives that address belief systems underpinning current issues.

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“…The stages in developing character include moral knowledge, moral feelings, and moral actions (Lickona, 2001). The findings from Ferris et al (2016) emphasize the importance of gaining an understanding of coach's perspectives on character-based education programs, and in particular about the information they value and apply in their coaching practice. Character development is important for achieving sporting success (Edwards & Chiera, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The competence of a coach in sports: How does it correlate with athlete motivation?

et al. 2022

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Sports coaches hold integral roles in sports organizations. As important figures for athletes, coaches are responsible for maintaining athletes’ motivation which will drive their performances in matches. To motivate athletes, coaches must possess good competence which reflect their quality as coaches. This study analyzes the effect of coach competency on athlete motivation. Coach competency in this study is represented by four indicators: Motivation Competency, Game-strategy Competency, Technique Competency, and Character-building Competency. Each and every indicator’s effect on athlete motivation was investigated. The instrument in this study used a questionnaire with 42 question items. This study is an explanatory research conducted on 114 student basketball athletes in Indonesia as respondents. Data analysis was conducted using SEM-PLS on the WARP-PLS 7 software. The results of this research show that overall, motivation competency, technique competency, character building competency, and game-strategy competency which represents the coach competency variable have a positive effect on athlete motivation (p<0.05), while motivation competency has no effect on athlete motivation (p>0.05). Game strategy competency, technique competency, and character building competency has positive effects on athlete motivation (p<0.05). This research contributes to increasing scientific knowledge among coaches and athletes about the importance of competence for the motivational aspect. The limitation in this study is that the sample used only comes from basketball athletes so it is not yet known whether there is a similar relationship between the competence and motivation of other sports coaches. Therefore, future research can examine the relationship between the competence and motivation of coaches in sports such as football, volleyball, and handball.

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Character Development Through Youth Sport: High School Coaches’ Perspectives about a Character-based Education Program

Cited by 10 publications

References 29 publications

How community sport programs may improve the health of vulnerable population groups: a program theory

How community sport programs may improve the health of vulnerable population groups: a program theory

Promoting a culture change in junior and youth sport in New Zealand

The competence of a coach in sports: How does it correlate with athlete motivation?

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