The purpose of this study was to explore elite coaches' perspectives on the athlete-centred approach to coaching. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten (five male and five female) current coaches of female athletes on Canadian national team sports. The data were analyzed qualitatively using inductive and deductive analyses. Data revealed that coaches attached divergent meanings to the term "athlete-centred" sport. They referred to a holistic philosophy of the athlete, coaching practices that involve athletes within the coach-athlete partnership, specific values as essential components of athlete-centred coaching, and a philosophy of success that extends beyond athletic performance. The coaches also identified barriers to implementing athlete-centred coaching behaviours. The findings of this study have implications for our understanding of athlete-centred coaching and holistic athlete development, as well as policy revisions, coach education, and future coaching research.

The purpose of this study was to compare pre-service and in-service teachers and coaches attitudes toward instructing children and adolescents with exceptionalities as part of the regular physical education and athletic programs. Surveys were distributed to approximately 100 in-service teachers (i.e., classroom teachers, special educators, and physical educators from kindergarten through to grade eight) from an urban school division in Saskatchewan and 100 pre-service teachers enrolled in a college of education at a Western Canadian university to explore their attitudes toward instructing students with exceptionalities as part of the regular physical education/athletic program. Seventy-seven pre-service teachers and 92 in-service teachers completed an adapted version of the Physical Educators Attitude Toward Teaching Individuals with Disabilities-III (PEATID-III) (Rizzo, 1993).<p> Descriptive, inferential (analysis of variance), and correlational analyses were used to compare and explore relationships between survey factors and participants individual characteristics (e.g., independent variables of gender, age, years of experience, number of physical education classes taken). Significant differences were found between teachers and coaches years of experience teaching/coaching students with exceptionalities (no experience to less than six months, 6 months to 2 years experience, and 2 or more years experience) and teachers attitudes toward the outcomes of teaching students with specific learning disabilities (SLD), Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and mild to moderate cognitive delay (COGN). No statistically significant differences were found between years of experience teaching/coaching students with exceptionalities and the outcomes of teaching students with emotional behavioural disorders (EBD). Correlational analyses were used to determine relationships between independent variables (e.g., pre-service and in-service teachers/coaches years of teaching/coaching) and the outcomes of instructing students with exceptionalities in regular physical education/athletic programs (Factor 1). Both pre-service and in-service teachers rated the overall quality of their teaching/coaching experience with students with exceptionalities as satisfactory to very good. Yet, the majority of participants reported a competence rating of not at all competent to somewhat competent (e.g., 58.6% of participants had a competence rating of somewhat competent). Inconsistent teacher/coach responses may have been affected by participants answering the questions in a manner which they considered to be in agreement with socially acceptable perceptions of inclusion. Furthermore, educators believed that more training, experience, and education would improve competency levels in effective instruction. Practical implications for practice and direction for future research are discussed.

Syftet med detta arbete är att undersöka hur coachning kan ses som stöd för elevernas lärande på en gymnasieskola i Mellansverige. Studien belyser coachning utifrån perspektiv på lärande ur ett fenomenologiskt inspirerat angreppssätt. Insamling av data har gjorts med hjälp av kvalitativa intervjuer. Totalt intervjuades åtta personer varav dessa var 4 lärare och 4 elever i årskurs 3.Undersökningen visar att coachning kan ses som stöd för elevernas lärande dels genom att det medvetandegör elevens egen potential till att utveckla sig och dels att lärarna blir medvetna om vilka fungerande strategier eleven använder sig utav för att optimera bästa möjliga lärandesituation. Arbetssättet innebär att elever får stor frihet att välja kunskapsinnehåll utifrån kursplan. De fria valmöjligheterna som eleven har kan innebära utmaning och utveckling på så vis att eleven själv kan bestämma när och hur denne vill utmana sig. Det kan också innebära att eleven prövar och hittar sin egen metod som motiverar och stimulerar lärandet.

Sport is a medium through which the leader can greatly influence the consequences. The purpose of this research was to examine the ways in which perceived coach leadership behaviors impact perceptions of coaching performance, individual athlete performance, team performance, and lifelong outcomes. In this study, two hundred seventy nine former student-athletes were asked to recall and report on the experiences they had as an athlete during high school along with specific lifelong outcomes (e.g., confidence, control etc.). Student judgment of their coaches’ types of behavior, (e.g., Democratic vs. Autocratic) was compared with perceptions of their coach’s performance, their individual performance, their team’s performance and various lifelong outcomes. Results revealed that Training and Instruction, Social Support, and Positive Feedback were related to Coach Performance. Training and Instruction and Democratic Behaviors were related to Individual Athlete Performance. Training and Instruction and Positive Feedback were related to Team Performance. Social Support structures were related to Athlete Challenge. Training and Instruction was related to Athlete Confidence in Abilities and overall Lifelong Outcomes. Autocratic Behaviors were related to Athlete Control of Emotions. Training and Instruction was found to be related to every short-term performance component. Coaches seeking to impact performance of their teams can do so by utilizing these leadership behaviors. Many of these behaviors also have a long-term positive effect on the individual. Sport managers seeking to satisfy the goals of the organization may employ these leadership behaviors to select, train, and evaluate staff members to increase the overall effectiveness of the organization. / text

Within Canada, high school sport is the most popular extracurricular activity (Statistics Canada, 2008). Previous research has found that teachers who take additional roles may increase their chances of role conflict and occupational dissatisfaction (Richards & Templin, 2012). Little research has examined the motivations teacher-coaches have for taking on a dual-role. Further, researchers assert that high school sport can facilitate positive youth development (Camiré, & Trudel, 2010). The purpose of this thesis was to gain a more in-depth understanding of this dual-role as well as perceptions related positive youth development. Results of the research are presented in two articles. The first article examines teacher-coaches motives for taking on a dual role position. The second article examines the perceptions teacher-coaches have related to the impact of participation in high school sport. Overall, the results produced rich insight into the world of volunteer teacher-coaches and student-athlete development in high school sport.

The objective of this study was to understand the adaptation challenges and solutions experienced by immigrant coaches relocated to Canada. Ten high performance immigrant coaches were recruited, each completing a demographic questionnaire and partaking in an individual interview, providing insight into their experiences and cultural challenges. Results of the study were presented under two central themes: a) communication (language barriers and coach-athlete negotiations), and b) socialization (Canadian sport backdrop and views of sport in the immigrant coach’s home versus host country). A common adaptation solution was the importance of social support resources, with the immigrant coaches adjusting with less acculturative stress when a reciprocal relationship was developed between themselves and those they worked with. From this preliminary project there is an indication that sport psychology consultants (SPCs) should work with immigrant coaches, and coaches and athletes of the host country to foster this bi-directional learning processes, facilitating the coaches’ transition.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2009. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 110 p. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Texas, Dec., 2006. / "UMI number: 3254234." Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 2005. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 111 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2004. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 110-120). Also available on the Internet.