Less may be more: how do coach developers reproduce “learner-centred” policy in practice?

Dempsey, Noel M.; Cope, Ed; Richardson, D.J.; Littlewood, Martin; Cronin, Colum

doi:10.1080/21640629.2020.1866851

Cited by 17 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…The evolution of coach development has seen coaches at the centre of the process, sometimes seeking to understand the nature of preferred support (i.e., informal or formal; Mallett et al, 2009 ), sometimes considering the evaluation of coaches (i.e., coach behaviours; Cushion, 2010 ) and sometimes even promoting the switch toward a learner -centred process ( Paquette and Trudel, 2018 ). Indeed, recent research has started to consider what coaches need from the consumer (athlete; e.g., Becker, 2009 ), why athletes follow coaches (e.g., Rylander, 2015 ) and who coach development policy should be cascaded to ( Dempsey et al, 2021 ). From this research, it is clear that coach education has proven to be impactful, influencing both the initial and continual training of professional coaches.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Show Me, Tell Me: An Investigation Into Learning Processes Within Skateboarding as an Informal Coaching Environment

Collins

Carson

2022

Front. Psychol.

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Coach education is a learner-centred process, which often fails to consider the preferences of the consumer. Historically, research into performers’ experiences of coaching have been influenced by the social constructivism of learning: in short, an expressed preference for what the performer has experienced as determined by their coach, rather than their own personal preferences. Therefore, this research used skateboarding as a natural laboratory in order to explore the current practices and preferences of performers in a coach-free environment. Ninety-one skateboarders from parks in the United Kingdom and New Zealand offered information relating to their current learning practices, how they learnt about learning, and how the top-level performers in their environment were differentiated. Findings suggest that a number of learning tools are used by performers, which are closely aligned with a more traditional, cognitive view of coaching (e.g., demonstration, drills, and error usage). Results also suggest that performers deployed a number of cognitive skills (e.g., imagery, analogy, and understanding) to enhance storage of a movement as an internal representation. Finally, in the absence of formal coaching, performers use their knowledge of learning to appoint informal leaders. Implications for practice are discussed.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Show Me, Tell Me: An Investigation Into Learning Processes Within Skateboarding as an Informal Coaching Environment

Collins

Carson

2022

Front. Psychol.

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“…Historically, coach education has been criticised for its failure to impact on coaches' professional learning (see Jones and Wallace, 2005;Nelson, Cushion & Potrac, 2012;Stodter and Cushion, 2019a, inter alia). However, standardised, content-driven instruction based on rather simplistic views of learning has made way for shifts towards more participatory, 'learner centred' perspectives (Dempsey, Cope, Richardson, Littlewood and Cronin, 2021), embracing a variety of strategies in the development of coaches and coaching (Paquette & Trudel, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reflective conversations as a basis for sport coaches’ learning: a theory-informed pedagogic design for educating reflective practitioners

Stodter

Cope

Townsend

2021

Professional Development in Education

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There is a clear need to design more effective professional learning environments, particularly in sport coaching as a developing educational profession. The purpose of this study was to investigate the interplay between theory-informed pedagogic design, the role of the coach developer, and sport coaches' perceived learning in a Higher Education online undergraduate module on reflective practice. The project involved designing a module based on domainspecific theories of coaches' learning, and implementing multiple 'reflective conversations' with 21 professional association football coaches to structure their learning. Thematic analysis of data from 24 reflective conversations, five follow up semi-structured interviews and four focus group interviews, as well as a coach developer interview, determined perceptions of design, delivery and development. Findings demonstrated that theory-informed design and the aligned skill-set of the coach developer was significant in developing depth of participant coaches' understanding, and connecting theory to authentic reflective practice. The findings provide evidence to support the need for developing underpinning pedagogic design in the effectiveness of professional learning environments for developing reflective practitioners in educative professions such as sport coaching.

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“…The CPD course had brought coach developers together to discuss and better understand organisational policy. In this way, this course may have gone some way in responding to Dempsey, Cope, Richardson, Littlewood, and Cronin's (2020) calls for a consideration of how policy is cascaded down and filtered through an organisation.…”

Section: Understanding the Organisational Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As Argyris and Schön (1974) suggest "understanding how we diagnose and construct our experience, take action, and monitor our behaviour while simultaneously achieving our goals is crucial to understanding and enhancing effectiveness" (p.xxxii). Therefore, creating opportunities for coach developers to take time to deconstruct their espoused theories, the organisation they work for and also practice is an important process to undertake (Dempsey et al, 2020). From here, coach developers can (re)construct theoriesin-use that align with practice and the organisation.…”

Section: Understanding the Organisational Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Investigation Into Coach Developers’ Theories in Practice, Learning, and Development on a Continuing Professional Development Course

Partington

O'Gorman

Greenough

et al. 2022

International Sport Coaching Journal

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Little is known about the development of coach developers despite their importance in supporting coach learning. In response, this study explored the theories in practice of 23 English coach developers who undertook a continuing professional development course. The data were collected through semistructured interviews, focus groups, and observations of coach developers’ practice and engagement on the course. The data were analysed using a phronetic-iterative approach, with Argyris and Schön’s ideas on theories in practice, mostly espoused theories and theories-in-use, providing the primary heuristic framework. The findings identified how, before the continuing professional development course, the coach developers articulated espoused theories, but as the course progressed, there was a move to theories-in-use. This was due to their (re)constructed understanding of learning and the working environment. The findings are discussed in light of how the continuing professional development course, and tutors’ pedagogic approaches, influenced the coach developers’ knowledge and understanding. Based on these findings, it seems there is much to gain from supporting coach developers with a deconstruction and reconstruction of theories in practice.

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Less may be more: how do coach developers reproduce “learner-centred” policy in practice?

Abstract: The version presented here may differ from the published version or from the version of the record. Please see the repository URL above for details on accessing the published version and note that access may require a subscription.

Cited by 17 publications

References 30 publications

Show Me, Tell Me: An Investigation Into Learning Processes Within Skateboarding as an Informal Coaching Environment

Show Me, Tell Me: An Investigation Into Learning Processes Within Skateboarding as an Informal Coaching Environment

Reflective conversations as a basis for sport coaches’ learning: a theory-informed pedagogic design for educating reflective practitioners

An Investigation Into Coach Developers’ Theories in Practice, Learning, and Development on a Continuing Professional Development Course

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