Understanding the Perceptions of Master Coach Developers in the National Coaching Certification Program

Abstract

The National Coaching Certification Program is an adult education program in Canada that provides education to individuals engaging in sport coaching. In this program, certification is achieved through a successful evaluation. This research examines the perceptions of master coach developers, leaders of coach education in Canada, specifically exploring what factors contribute to them feeling confident and competent in leading National Coaching Certification Program evaluations. Ten master coach developers from across Canada were interviewed, and the following themes were identified: opportunity to engage, connection with participants, and perceptions of evaluation tools and processes. Constructivist grounded theory guided the research, supporting the development of the theory of evaluation leadership in the National Coaching Certification Program. This theory describes the impact of focusing on relationship, process, preparation, and practice on the perceived competence and confidence of program leaders in adult learning.

A Self-Reflective Toolkit of Adult-Oriented Coaching Practices in Masters Sport

“…Facilitated debriefs are important forms of coach learning in which coaches can find answers for themselves on how they can best advance their coaching practice given their unique context and situation (Callary & Gearity, 2020). They also play a part in formal coach education programming, such as the work that coach evaluators do when certifying coaches in the National Coaching Certification Program in Canada (Kloos & Edwards, 2022). However, unlike coach evaluators in the National Coaching Certification Program, who are evaluative, normative, and valenced in their interactions, the interviewers in this study uncritically supported the participants' reflections, were nonvalenced, and were nonevaluative.…”

The “Face” of Coach Development: A Systematic Review of the Role of the Coach Developer

“…In the reviewed studies, CDs report learning opportunities that include drawing on experiences as an athlete, coach, and ongoing practice by other CDs and themselves (Brasil et al, 2018;Ciampolini et al, 2020;Cushion et al, 2019). However, CDs also describe feeling underprepared when delivering programs to develop coaches (e.g., Banwell, Stirling, & Kerr, 2019;Crisp, 2018;Stodter & Cushion, 2019), evaluating others (e.g., Kloos & Edwards, 2021) and often appear unaware of the pedagogical underpinnings and prior experiences that shape their practice (Culver et al, 2019;Cushion et al, 2019;Hussain et al, 2012;Leeder et al, 2019;Paquette, Trudel, Duarte, & Cundari, 2019). Despite these findings, there is currently little understanding of the training of CDs (McQuade & Nash, 2015) or 'learning programme designers' (Horgan & Daly, 2015) such as the content and intended outcomes of a training program for CDs and understanding of effective training (Stodter & Cushion, 2019).…”

“…Unsurprisingly, recommendations made in the literature for improving CD training programs include learner-centered practices. These involve; incorporating structured and unstructured learning for interaction with, and influence by, peers (Campbell et al, 2020;Crisp, 2018;Galatti et al, 2019;Kloos & Edwards, 2021;Koh et al, 2017;Leeder et al, 2019;Redgate et al, 2020); connecting theory to practice via practical components (Campbell et al, 2020;Redgate et al, 2020;Van Hoye et al, 2015); tailoring (additional) CD training programs to the level of CDP being delivered and specific roles of the CD (Campbell et al, 2020;Culver et al, 2019;Koh et al, 2017); considerations for particular demographics such as women-only training programmes (Kraft, Culver, & Din, 2020); and situating training in the reality of their professional roles (ICCE, 2014;Redgate et al, 2020). Furthermore, research points to allowing CDs further time in training to cover content (e.g., Van Hoye et al, 2015) and positive perceptions of longer-term CD training programs featuring greater time for unstructured learning in the curriculum and valuing time in-situ to, "'anchor their experiences' while staying 'connected with the whole process'" (Campbell et al, 2020, p. 133).…”

“…Furthermore, research points to allowing CDs further time in training to cover content (e.g., Van Hoye et al, 2015) and positive perceptions of longer-term CD training programs featuring greater time for unstructured learning in the curriculum and valuing time in-situ to, "'anchor their experiences' while staying 'connected with the whole process'" (Campbell et al, 2020, p. 133). Three recent papers indicate that implementation of these recommendations was viewed positively from both CDs as learners (Partington, O'Gorman, Greenough, & Cope, 2021;Vinson, Simpson, & Cale, 2022) and from 'Master Coach Developers' training, evaluating, and supporting CDs (Kloos & Edwards, 2021).…”