Development of the brief expertise scale for sports coaching

Abstract

The methods used to assess sports coaching expertise vary considerably between studies. This variability limits the capacity for researchers to compare, contrast and replicate findings across the field. In this article, we describe research aimed at creating a self-report measure of sports coaching expertise. In the following sections, we discuss the core concepts and competencies associated with sports coaching expertise. We then outline the phases of development of the measure and provide the results of the exploratory (study 1) and confirmatory (study 2) analyses. The outcome of this research was the development of a brief 12-item 3-factor self-report measure of sports coaching expertise. The measure achieved a good fit to the data and was best captured by a bifactor S1-1 model with one general expertise factor and three specific factors: (a) experience and engagement, (b) knowledge and (c) skills and attributes. In discussing the outcomes of this research, we provide recommendations for the use of the measure and discuss areas of future refinement.