The purpose of this study was to determine the coaching style preferences of Division II and III ... more The purpose of this study was to determine the coaching style preferences of Division II and III female collegiate volleyball athletes. Five hundred and nine female student-athletes from 41 colleges/universities expressed their preferences using the Revised Leadership Scale for Sport (RLSS) (Zhang et al., 1997). The preference version of the RLSS included six behavior dimensions: autocratic, democratic, positive feedback, situational consideration, social support, and training and instruction behaviors. Descriptive statistics were used to determine training and instruction behaviors and situational consideration were the most preferred coaching styles for all athletes. Autocratic was the least preferred coaching style. Independent t tests and ANOVA were used to address whether gender of the coach, athlete's gender preference of the coach, division of the university, and/or athlete's year in school affected the coaching style preference. The results showed that across all the independent variables investigated, athletes most preferred training and instruction and situational consideration coaching styles and least preferred the autocratic style. The only difference for any demographic was that athletes with female coaches preferred social support and positive feedback more than athletes with male coaches. Preferências das jogadoras de voleibol em relação ao estilo de liderança RESUMO: O objetivo deste estudo foi determinar as preferências de estilo de treino das atletas de voleibol da Divisão II e III. Quinhentos e nove estudantes-atletas de 41 faculdades/universidades expressaram as suas preferências usando a Revised Leadership Scale for Sport (RLSS) (Zhang et al., 1997). A versão de preferência da RLSS incluiu seis dimensões comportamentais: feedback autocrático, democrático, positivo, consideração situacional, apoio social e comportamentos de treino e instrução. Estatísticas descritivas foram utilizadas para determinar comportamentos de treino e instrução e consideração situacional foram os estilos de treinamento mais preferidos para todos os atletas. Autocrático era o estilo de treino menos preferido. Testes independentes e ANOVA foram utilizados para abordar se o sexo do treinador, a preferência de gênero do treinador, a divisão da universidade e/ou o ano do atleta na escola afetaram a preferência do estilo de treinador. Os resultados mostraram que em todas as variáveis independentes investigadas, as atletas preferiram mais estilos de treino e instrução e consideração situacional e preferiram menos o estilo autocrático. A única diferença para qualquer demografia foi que atletas com treinadoras preferiam apoio social e feedback positivo mais do que atletas com treinadores masculinos.
This chapter aims to identify and describe the different learning situations reported by coaches,... more This chapter aims to identify and describe the different learning situations reported by coaches, and to gain some insight into their preferred sources of knowledge. It starts by outlining the background to classifying sources of coach learning as formal, non-formal and informal (Nelson et al.,2006). The chapter then moves onto the main section which identifies the range of learning situations experienced by coaches. This section of the chapter draws heavily on a study that used 35 interviews of community youth ice hockey coaches in Canada (Wright et al., 2007); the main issues identified in the Canadian study are transferable to other sports and settings. Quotes have been used from Wright et al.'s (2007) interviews for coaches to explain, in their own words, how they perceive their learning; in addition, edited sections of their explanatory text have been utilised and referenced throughout. The chapter concludes by considering the learning preferences of coaches from a variety of sports (Erickson et al., 2009).
Research on how coaches learn to coach has explored how they learn in formal and nonformal coachi... more Research on how coaches learn to coach has explored how they learn in formal and nonformal coaching education courses, and how they learn in informal experiences on the job, including how they learn from their athletes, other coaches, and mentors (for example, Mallett, Trudel, Lyle, & Rynne, 2009; Werthner & Trudel, 2006, 2009). Jarvis (2006) offers a theory that learning is lifelong and occurs when an individual experiences a situation that is transformed, through thoughts, emotions, and/or actions, into knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, values, and skills. What a person has learned will influence how she or he experiences new learning situations. As part of a larger dissertation research study on the lives of women coaches, the purpose of this presentation is to illustrate how preconscious learning in childhood, through primary and secondary socialization, including the social environment, family life, school, and athletic experiences, contributed to five Canadian women coaches' approaches. Through four in-depth interviews with each of the participants, the learning experiences of the women were transformed into narratives. A thematic analysis was performed to delineate how preconscious and incidental learning in childhood influenced the women's coaching knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, values, and skills. This presentation serves to broaden the scope of learning to help understand influences that impact coaches' biographies, their coaching knowledge, and coaching approach. Acknowledgments: Jarvis, P. (2006). Towards a comprehensive theory of human learning: Lifelong learning and the learning society (Vol. 1). New York, NY: Routledge.
Physical education and sport pedagogy, Jun 1, 2007
Background: Large-scale coach education programs have been developed in many countries around the... more Background: Large-scale coach education programs have been developed in many countries around the world to help prepare coaches for their important role. Coaches have said that they also learn to coach from experience, starting from when they were young athletes until ...
Previous research has suggested a shift from instructor-centred to learner-centred approaches in ... more Previous research has suggested a shift from instructor-centred to learner-centred approaches in an attempt to improve coach education programs. To implement such crucial change it is essential to master the 'new language' and better understand educational contexts. The purposes of this article are to (a) highlight new social factors indicating an urgent need to change, (b) present a learnercentred framework based on the work of a recognized group of researchers (i.e., Blumberg, Cullen, Harris, and Weimer), and (c) analyse the learner-centeredness of a Bachelor in Physical Education program, especially with respect to its sport performance area. Based on the social factors explored throughout the text and the learner centred principles, results showed inconsistencies between the conceptual orientations mentioned in the 'official documents' and the teaching processes used in the Bachelor program. Recommendations for higher education leaders and instructors are explored.
Given the inextricable roles of the coach learner and coach educator in learner-centered (LC) coa... more Given the inextricable roles of the coach learner and coach educator in learner-centered (LC) coach education, research into their perceptions and experiences in these programs appears to be a priority. As such, building on Paquette and Trudel’s examination of Canada’s golf coach education program relative to its alignment with learner-centered approaches, the present study examined coaches’ and coach educators’ perspectives of their experiences participating in the abovementioned program that was found to have a LC design. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 participants (6 coach educators and 10 coaches), and data were analyzed using a thematic analysis. The finalized themes were used as a narrative skeleton for the creation of the four composite vignettes. The vignettes represented the experiences of four composite characters relative to their learning orientations to learner-centered teaching (LCT) and instructor-centred teaching (ICT): LCT Coach Educator,...
International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 2018
Globalization and advances in technology have created a context where knowledge changes and circu... more Globalization and advances in technology have created a context where knowledge changes and circulates faster than ever. In high-performance sport coaching, coaches increasingly move from country to country to join national teams – becoming ‘migrant coaches’. From a coach development perspective, it becomes relevant to investigate how coaches from different countries learn to coach and what would be their ideal sources of knowledge acquisition. Unfortunately, there is a major gap in the English literature regarding Asian coaches. Thus, a study with Chinese gymnastics (Gym) and rhythmic gymnastics (R-Gym) coaches has been conducted. Eighty coaches completed a questionnaire on their actual and ideal sources of knowledge acquisition; 16 of these were interviewed. Data show that the coaches acquired their knowledge (actual) mainly through ‘being an athlete’ and ‘having a mentor’. Ideally, they would like to have a better balance between these two sources and formal learning situations (...
Repeated calls have been made by prominent sport and education associations for the creation of o... more Repeated calls have been made by prominent sport and education associations for the creation of ongoing professional development networks and learning communities for youth sport coaches. The purpose of this paper is to propose a learning community approach to coach development that complements large-scale coach education programs. This concept paper is organized into three sections followed by a brief summary. The three sections are: (a) overview of the effectiveness of community-based learning research on teacher development, (b) overview of how community-based learning literature has informed coach development initiatives, and (c) suggestions for how a learning community approach could be practically implemented in a typical youth sport setting.
Using Jarvis’ (2006) psychosocial perspective of human learning, we explore how the career choice... more Using Jarvis’ (2006) psychosocial perspective of human learning, we explore how the career choices and the subsequent coaching approaches of five Canadian women coaches have been influenced by their primary and secondary socialization. A content analysis was performed to identify how coaches learned in their primary socialization with their family, and in their secondary socialization at school and in their sport experiences. The findings indicate that the learning situations in their primary and secondary socialization influence the coaches’ career choices and their subsequent coaching approaches. These findings have implications for coaching education, enabling course developers and facilitators to understand (a) the importance of creating environments where coaches are able to critically reflect, and (b) how coaching approaches can be influenced by early life experiences.
International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 2009
Researchers have investigated how coaches, from the recreational to the elite level of coaching, ... more Researchers have investigated how coaches, from the recreational to the elite level of coaching, learn to coach. Many different learning situations have been identified in the research, yet the question remains: How is it that one coach's learning path emphasizes certain learning situations as key, and yet another coach's learning path emphasizes quite different situations? Fifteen Canadian Olympic coaches were interviewed to better understand the coaches' idiosyncratic learning-path phenomena. The findings provide an example of: (a) how coaches within a specific and similar context, in this case Olympic level sport, can differ dramatically regarding the importance that common learning situations have played in their development, and (b) how previous learning and experiences influence what coaches choose to pay attention to and therefore choose to learn. The coaches' idiosyncratic learning paths are also discussed in terms of coach development.
The purpose of this study was to determine the coaching style preferences of Division II and III ... more The purpose of this study was to determine the coaching style preferences of Division II and III female collegiate volleyball athletes. Five hundred and nine female student-athletes from 41 colleges/universities expressed their preferences using the Revised Leadership Scale for Sport (RLSS) (Zhang et al., 1997). The preference version of the RLSS included six behavior dimensions: autocratic, democratic, positive feedback, situational consideration, social support, and training and instruction behaviors. Descriptive statistics were used to determine training and instruction behaviors and situational consideration were the most preferred coaching styles for all athletes. Autocratic was the least preferred coaching style. Independent t tests and ANOVA were used to address whether gender of the coach, athlete's gender preference of the coach, division of the university, and/or athlete's year in school affected the coaching style preference. The results showed that across all the independent variables investigated, athletes most preferred training and instruction and situational consideration coaching styles and least preferred the autocratic style. The only difference for any demographic was that athletes with female coaches preferred social support and positive feedback more than athletes with male coaches. Preferências das jogadoras de voleibol em relação ao estilo de liderança RESUMO: O objetivo deste estudo foi determinar as preferências de estilo de treino das atletas de voleibol da Divisão II e III. Quinhentos e nove estudantes-atletas de 41 faculdades/universidades expressaram as suas preferências usando a Revised Leadership Scale for Sport (RLSS) (Zhang et al., 1997). A versão de preferência da RLSS incluiu seis dimensões comportamentais: feedback autocrático, democrático, positivo, consideração situacional, apoio social e comportamentos de treino e instrução. Estatísticas descritivas foram utilizadas para determinar comportamentos de treino e instrução e consideração situacional foram os estilos de treinamento mais preferidos para todos os atletas. Autocrático era o estilo de treino menos preferido. Testes independentes e ANOVA foram utilizados para abordar se o sexo do treinador, a preferência de gênero do treinador, a divisão da universidade e/ou o ano do atleta na escola afetaram a preferência do estilo de treinador. Os resultados mostraram que em todas as variáveis independentes investigadas, as atletas preferiram mais estilos de treino e instrução e consideração situacional e preferiram menos o estilo autocrático. A única diferença para qualquer demografia foi que atletas com treinadoras preferiam apoio social e feedback positivo mais do que atletas com treinadores masculinos.
This chapter aims to identify and describe the different learning situations reported by coaches,... more This chapter aims to identify and describe the different learning situations reported by coaches, and to gain some insight into their preferred sources of knowledge. It starts by outlining the background to classifying sources of coach learning as formal, non-formal and informal (Nelson et al.,2006). The chapter then moves onto the main section which identifies the range of learning situations experienced by coaches. This section of the chapter draws heavily on a study that used 35 interviews of community youth ice hockey coaches in Canada (Wright et al., 2007); the main issues identified in the Canadian study are transferable to other sports and settings. Quotes have been used from Wright et al.'s (2007) interviews for coaches to explain, in their own words, how they perceive their learning; in addition, edited sections of their explanatory text have been utilised and referenced throughout. The chapter concludes by considering the learning preferences of coaches from a variety of sports (Erickson et al., 2009).
Research on how coaches learn to coach has explored how they learn in formal and nonformal coachi... more Research on how coaches learn to coach has explored how they learn in formal and nonformal coaching education courses, and how they learn in informal experiences on the job, including how they learn from their athletes, other coaches, and mentors (for example, Mallett, Trudel, Lyle, & Rynne, 2009; Werthner & Trudel, 2006, 2009). Jarvis (2006) offers a theory that learning is lifelong and occurs when an individual experiences a situation that is transformed, through thoughts, emotions, and/or actions, into knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, values, and skills. What a person has learned will influence how she or he experiences new learning situations. As part of a larger dissertation research study on the lives of women coaches, the purpose of this presentation is to illustrate how preconscious learning in childhood, through primary and secondary socialization, including the social environment, family life, school, and athletic experiences, contributed to five Canadian women coaches' approaches. Through four in-depth interviews with each of the participants, the learning experiences of the women were transformed into narratives. A thematic analysis was performed to delineate how preconscious and incidental learning in childhood influenced the women's coaching knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, values, and skills. This presentation serves to broaden the scope of learning to help understand influences that impact coaches' biographies, their coaching knowledge, and coaching approach. Acknowledgments: Jarvis, P. (2006). Towards a comprehensive theory of human learning: Lifelong learning and the learning society (Vol. 1). New York, NY: Routledge.
Physical education and sport pedagogy, Jun 1, 2007
Background: Large-scale coach education programs have been developed in many countries around the... more Background: Large-scale coach education programs have been developed in many countries around the world to help prepare coaches for their important role. Coaches have said that they also learn to coach from experience, starting from when they were young athletes until ...
Previous research has suggested a shift from instructor-centred to learner-centred approaches in ... more Previous research has suggested a shift from instructor-centred to learner-centred approaches in an attempt to improve coach education programs. To implement such crucial change it is essential to master the 'new language' and better understand educational contexts. The purposes of this article are to (a) highlight new social factors indicating an urgent need to change, (b) present a learnercentred framework based on the work of a recognized group of researchers (i.e., Blumberg, Cullen, Harris, and Weimer), and (c) analyse the learner-centeredness of a Bachelor in Physical Education program, especially with respect to its sport performance area. Based on the social factors explored throughout the text and the learner centred principles, results showed inconsistencies between the conceptual orientations mentioned in the 'official documents' and the teaching processes used in the Bachelor program. Recommendations for higher education leaders and instructors are explored.
Given the inextricable roles of the coach learner and coach educator in learner-centered (LC) coa... more Given the inextricable roles of the coach learner and coach educator in learner-centered (LC) coach education, research into their perceptions and experiences in these programs appears to be a priority. As such, building on Paquette and Trudel’s examination of Canada’s golf coach education program relative to its alignment with learner-centered approaches, the present study examined coaches’ and coach educators’ perspectives of their experiences participating in the abovementioned program that was found to have a LC design. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 participants (6 coach educators and 10 coaches), and data were analyzed using a thematic analysis. The finalized themes were used as a narrative skeleton for the creation of the four composite vignettes. The vignettes represented the experiences of four composite characters relative to their learning orientations to learner-centered teaching (LCT) and instructor-centred teaching (ICT): LCT Coach Educator,...
International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 2018
Globalization and advances in technology have created a context where knowledge changes and circu... more Globalization and advances in technology have created a context where knowledge changes and circulates faster than ever. In high-performance sport coaching, coaches increasingly move from country to country to join national teams – becoming ‘migrant coaches’. From a coach development perspective, it becomes relevant to investigate how coaches from different countries learn to coach and what would be their ideal sources of knowledge acquisition. Unfortunately, there is a major gap in the English literature regarding Asian coaches. Thus, a study with Chinese gymnastics (Gym) and rhythmic gymnastics (R-Gym) coaches has been conducted. Eighty coaches completed a questionnaire on their actual and ideal sources of knowledge acquisition; 16 of these were interviewed. Data show that the coaches acquired their knowledge (actual) mainly through ‘being an athlete’ and ‘having a mentor’. Ideally, they would like to have a better balance between these two sources and formal learning situations (...
Repeated calls have been made by prominent sport and education associations for the creation of o... more Repeated calls have been made by prominent sport and education associations for the creation of ongoing professional development networks and learning communities for youth sport coaches. The purpose of this paper is to propose a learning community approach to coach development that complements large-scale coach education programs. This concept paper is organized into three sections followed by a brief summary. The three sections are: (a) overview of the effectiveness of community-based learning research on teacher development, (b) overview of how community-based learning literature has informed coach development initiatives, and (c) suggestions for how a learning community approach could be practically implemented in a typical youth sport setting.
Using Jarvis’ (2006) psychosocial perspective of human learning, we explore how the career choice... more Using Jarvis’ (2006) psychosocial perspective of human learning, we explore how the career choices and the subsequent coaching approaches of five Canadian women coaches have been influenced by their primary and secondary socialization. A content analysis was performed to identify how coaches learned in their primary socialization with their family, and in their secondary socialization at school and in their sport experiences. The findings indicate that the learning situations in their primary and secondary socialization influence the coaches’ career choices and their subsequent coaching approaches. These findings have implications for coaching education, enabling course developers and facilitators to understand (a) the importance of creating environments where coaches are able to critically reflect, and (b) how coaching approaches can be influenced by early life experiences.
International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 2009
Researchers have investigated how coaches, from the recreational to the elite level of coaching, ... more Researchers have investigated how coaches, from the recreational to the elite level of coaching, learn to coach. Many different learning situations have been identified in the research, yet the question remains: How is it that one coach's learning path emphasizes certain learning situations as key, and yet another coach's learning path emphasizes quite different situations? Fifteen Canadian Olympic coaches were interviewed to better understand the coaches' idiosyncratic learning-path phenomena. The findings provide an example of: (a) how coaches within a specific and similar context, in this case Olympic level sport, can differ dramatically regarding the importance that common learning situations have played in their development, and (b) how previous learning and experiences influence what coaches choose to pay attention to and therefore choose to learn. The coaches' idiosyncratic learning paths are also discussed in terms of coach development.
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Papers by Pierre Trudel