A systematic review of intrapersonal coach development programs: Examining the development and evaluation of programs to elicit coach reflection

Abstract

Background The current approaches used to develop coaches within many sport organisations extend beyond merely the professional knowledge related to sport-specific aspects. Effective coaching notably entails intrapersonal skills related to learning through experience and developing one’s own approach, and these skills are often targeted in coach development. Recognising that researchers have delivered Coach Development Programs (CDPs) that use strategies like reflective practice to foster coaches’ strategies and attitudes toward reflection, reviewing research in this domain could inform the development of our field. We conducted the current review to examine nonformal intrapersonal CDPs within the academic literature with goals of summarising existing CDPs, while also identifying factors related to their implementation. Method: The PRISMA guidelines informed our search strategy, including a database search along with supplemental strategies to identify studies. In addition to describing the CDPs generally, each study was also coded for: (a) potential to be implemented and maintained in sport contexts, (b) behaviour change techniques (BCTs), and (c) risk of bias. Results: After screening the full-texts of studies, we identified 10 unique intrapersonal CDPs. Most CDPs entailed pilot investigations of small samples, involving both qualitative and quantitative methods focused on coaches’ experiences when using reflective strategies. The majority of CDPs were conducted in-person and in one-on-one contexts. The most frequently used BCT was self-monitoring of behaviour, and low-to-moderate information was reported regarding internal and external validity. Conclusions: Whereas reflective practice may enable coach development, researchers must seek opportunities to design higher-quality intervention studies that are designed to enhance both internal and external validity.

Facilitating and Supporting the Elite Athlete-to-Coach Transition: Lessons Learned from Norwegian Coaches and Federations

“…Sport coaching has been defined as a complex profession bringing together educational and leadership skills as well as requiring both experiential and contextually based skills and knowledge (e.g., Dieffenbach, 2019;Duffy et al, 2011). Understanding the realities and demands of the coaching profession across sport contexts, the need for adequate and appropriate professional preparation, and the emerging coach development literature (e.g., Campbell & Waller, 2020;Silva et al, 2020) will help sport psychology consultants in two ways: first, in understanding their role in supporting individuals within the coaching profession; second and most importantly, in supporting the retiring athletes with exploring and understanding their within sport transition expectations and biases as they seek to enter the coaching profession.…”

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

“…Furthermore, a lack of understanding and conceptualization of the role may be the cause of superficial understandings and coach education issues that are beyond the CD's role or control (Watts et al, 2021). Coach education research has instead focused on coaches' perspectives on their development experiences and the features that are valued and desired by coach learners (e.g., Ciampolini, Milistetd, Rynne, Brasil, & Nascimento, 2019;Ji, Xu, Cheng, Sun, & Zhang, 2021;Lewis, Roberts, & Andrews, 2018;Nash & Sproule, 2012) including multiple reviews of coach development programmes (CDPs; Evans, McGuckin, Gainforth, Bruner, & Côté, 2015;Lefebvre, Evans, Turnnidge, Gainforth, & Côté, 2016;Silva, Evans, Lefebvre, Allan, Côté, & Palmeira, 2020). Despite research in the CD field expanding in the last few years (e.g., Callary & Gearity, 2019a), and authors identifying a paucity of empirical research exploring CDs' practices, processes, and perspectives (Allanson, Potrac, & Nelson, 2021;Callary & Gearity, 2019a;Ciampolini, Tozetto, Milan, Camiré, & Milistetd, 2020;Watts et al, 2021), a systematic review of this key role has yet to be completed.…”

Dual career experiences of elite coaches enrolled at university level

“…Over the last decades, the education of coaches increasingly attracted sports pedagogy and applied sport sciences scholars interested in defining the learning needs of coaches and the implementation of their education programs [12][13][14][15][16][17]. Furthermore, structured and extensive dialogue and cooperation between sport bodies and academic institutions is recommended to meet the educational needs and challenges of elite sport coaches by means of: i) fostering the development of skills and competences based educational and/or vocational programs; ii) implementing the application of a wide-range of teaching and/or learning methodologies; iii) harmonizing and recognizing sport educational paths through a variety of learning outcomes encompassing formal learning provided by sport science academic institutions, non-formal learning provided by sports organizations, and informal learning acquired through coaching experience; and iv) promoting mutual sharing of best practices at sports and academic levels [6,7,10,13,[18][19][20].…”