Moving Toward Authentic, Learning-Oriented Assessment in Coach Education

Abstract

As sports coaching continues to professionalize, the demand for and importance placed upon high-quality education and development programs for sports coaches is increasing. As a result, the landscape of provision is changing, and there is now a recognition of the key role that higher education institutes play in the education, development, and assessment of sports coaches. In this insights article, the authors argue that as there is a scarcity of research focused solely on assessment as a feature of coach education programs, there is something to be gained from examining how higher education institutes assess sports coaches. This represents an important contribution to the research literature, given that assessment is a feature of nearly all coach education programs and that the attainment of a specific award communicates to stakeholders (e.g., employers, athletes, parents) that a precise standard of practice has been met. As such, the authors identify how some higher education institutes are addressing the issue of assessment with sports coaches and highlight a series of assessment principles, alongside practical examples from the literature, which are intended to stimulate conversation in what the authors argue is an important area of study.

Developing Critical Reflection Skills in a Formal Coach Education Program

“…This signifies a novel approach for VTS and represents a response to contemporary coach assessment research (McCarthy, 2022;McCarthy et al, 2021a;McCarthy et al, 2021b;Vangrunderbeek & Ponnet, 2019).…”

Principles of Good Assessment Practice in Coach Education: An Initial Proposal

“…While routes into coaching are becoming more diverse (McCarthy et al, 2021), coach education programmes designed and delivered by national governing bodies (NGBs) are still perhaps the most recognisable in the sector. These large-scale programmes typically require periods of compulsory attendance, exposure to a standardised curriculum and pre-determined learning outcomes, and result in certification (Nelson & Cushion, 2006).…”

“…Completion of a coach education programme is typically contingent upon the coach successfully navigating a single assessment opportunity (McCarthy et al, 2021). In many cases, this has meant that the coach is observed in standalone coaching performance, within a simulated environment, at the very end of the programme of study.…”

Developing Indicators to Evaluate Instructor Management of Sports Centers for the People With Disabilities Based on Universal Design Principles in South Korea

“…Research on spatial architecture incorporating UD ( 17 , 18 ) and one study on the concept establishment of UD ( 19 ) have also been conducted. In addition, research on evaluation indicators for the management of sports instructors included a study on instructorship education ability evaluation ( 20 , 21 ), a study on policy development ( 22 , 23 ), and a study on leadership role based on the development of leadership education programs ( 24 ). Their research presents various discussions, including the reasons for grafting UD, the advantages and disadvantages of UD, and improvement measures.…”