Abstract The main purpose of this study is to examine which essential traits floorball coaches for men’s and women’s team require. One issue was to see if there was any distinction between which leader traits and behaviors the players and the coaches regarded as essential. Another issue was to see if the coaches’ behaviors differed whether he was coaching men or women. Two men’s team and two women’s team, was selected to participate in the study. All four teams belong to the district of Småland and played in division 1 or 2 the current season, which is equivalent to advanced width level.   The empirical material consists of both surveys accomplished by players, and interviews with the coaches. The research emphasizes that engagement, floorball competence and coherence were the most important traits as a coach. One significant difference between the genders was that female players desired more teaching skills, and male player’s emphasized more cooperative abilities. Both male and female player’s favored a coach that was democratic and focused more on the comradeship than the results. The theoretical topic (Larsson 2001) concerning gender in sport, says that women rather prefer an authoritarian coach, and men a democratic, which was inconsistent with the results of the survey. The survey shows that there is in fact less discrepancy between the male and female players’ attitudes on how they expect and desire their coaches to treat them, than the coaches assumed and earlier research has shown. This could be a serious problem, because in that case are coaches treating the players in a way that the players don’t want or expect.   Another theoretical topic was a model of Mumford (figure 1). He builds his model of the fact that sooner or later occurs conflicts in an organization and therefore the coach or the leader requires some distinctive skills to deal with the conflicts and solve them. The coaches and the players thought that there are more conflicts in a female team than there are in a male team. Many of the female players also regard themselves as weaker as and less skillful than male players. The survey indicates that female players not only accept the gender differences, but also reinforce them. Some of the male players shared these opinions but not as explicit.   Key Words: Floorball, Leadership, Coach, Traits, Behaviors, Gender.

Although, the literature reveals that coach interior designs have been emphasized as an important factor determining their competitiveness in the market and the quality of an interior design can be effectively improved by using information about passenger expectations, few practical studies exist to assess the urban railway transport interiors from the passengers&rsquo / perspective. Consequently, designers lack reliable criteria to guide their decisions which would satisfy users. In this study, it is intended to develop a procedure to create interior design alternatives of urban railway transportation vehicles with regard to subjective needs and preferences of users. In order to acquire design criteria and recommendations for such interiors, the design alternatives are then evaluated quantitatively through the medium of semantic assessment tools. The thesis is supported with the arguments collected from literature and with the data from three empirical studies.

Product semantics is an important concept in the contemporary product design. The current thesis research, applying separately the ¡§Semantic Differential (SD)¡¨ approach and the ¡§Multidimensional Scaling (MDS)¡¨ method, parallel tested the dimensions of symbolic communication between products and consumers. While taking the rational dimension in the traditional product consideration as the base-lines to contrast, the present study explored, reviewed, and tested with empirical data the constructs of affective aspects in product design and the possible dimensions. The testing products included: desk lamp and sofa coach, each involving 10 product design in various styles or attributes. Participants in the empirical data collection were 120 undergraduate and master students at National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; 60 in the experiment for MDS data and other 120 for the survey questionnaire of the SD scales. The results in SD data analysis, through the factor analysis and the reliability checking, confirmed existence of three affective dimensions¡Xaesthetic design, mood expression, and ideology assertion¡Xwith good statistical significances. On the other hand, the MDS data, via clustering the subjects into homogenous groups and the dimensional plots, partly revealed some of the affective aspects, while also demonstrated the rational perception in traditional consideration. The statistical checking figures all were controlled within the acceptable levels.

<p>Ämnet för den här uppsatsen var i första hand mentorskap och jag ville ur ett socialpsykologiskt perspektiv studera det samspel som sker mellan mentor och adept. För att förstå hur denna relation kan uppfattas som utvecklande för både mentor och adept har jag i andra hand också tittat på de näraliggande begreppen coachning, fadderskap och handledning. Avsikten var dels att genom att synliggöra skillnader och likheter bidra till en förståelse för hur de olika relationerna kan fungera som utvecklande relationer i arbetslivet och dels utröna vilken typ av kompetens adepter och mentorer menar att man utvecklar. En annan avsikt med arbetet var att bidra till att man använder de olika begreppen på ett mer konsekvent sätt.</p><p>Anledningen till mitt val av problemområde hänger samman med att jag uppfattar att mentorskap är ett begrepp som används i flera sammanhang och med olika innebörd. Ofta talar man om mentorskapsprogram där syftet med programmen bl.a. kan vara att få fler kvinnor till ledande befattningar eller fungera som kompetensutveckling för ledare. I dessa sammanhang fokuseras oftast på adeptens utveckling och man ser bara mentorn som den som ”ger” av sin kunskap och erfarenhet. Jag menar att en relation utvecklas och består endast då båda parter uppfattar att de får ut något av relationen och att det därför är av intresse att studera båda parternas upplevelse av relationen.</p><p>I litteraturstudien valde jag att studera mentorskap och de näraliggande begreppen coachning, fadderskap och handledning ur ett historiskt perspektiv och också se hur begreppen använts i arbetslivet. Den empiriska undersökningen fokuserade på några mentorer och adepter och deras uppfattning om och upplevelse av mentorskap i första hand och coachning, fadderskap och handledning i andra hand. Jag valde att genomföra undersökningen som en kvalitativ undersökning i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer där jag kunde ställa följdfrågor under intervjuns gång.</p><p>Slutsatser som kunde dras av arbetet och som jag tolkar att det finns stöd för både i den teoretiska genomgången och i den empiriska undersökningen är att det finns ett antal aspekter som synliggör de likheter och skillnader som finns. De aspekter som framkom var: syfte, mål, motiv för att ingå som part i relationen, behov av kunskap om organisationen, intern eller extern stödjare, typ av kompetens som utvecklas, typ av makt och påverkansprocess, tidsbegränsning och ömsesidighet i relationen. Skillnaderna och likheterna menar jag bör beaktas då man i arbetslivet planerar olika typer av kompetensutvecklingsinsatser. Vidare studier kan också bidra till ökad kunskap om hur den yrkesmässiga och personliga utvecklingen sker och hur det utbyte som sker bidrar till eller hämmar utvecklingsprocesserna.</p>

Although sports and other forms of physical activities are associated with numerous health benefits, adolescent sports injury has emerged as an important public health problem. As the most immediate caregivers for athletes, coaches are expected to play an important role in preventing and reducing injuries, -considering that sports medical staff, such as athletic trainers are not always available to care for athletes. However, research on coaches' beliefs and practices related to injury prevention has been limited to coaching competency issues, in which injury prevention is considered only one component. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to describe the coaches' beliefs and knowledge pertaining to sports injury and their readiness for injury prevention practice to be incorporated into high school settings. The research questions are: (1) What are the coaches' beliefs and knowledge related to sports injury and their readiness for injury prevention practice?; (2) What are the relationships between coaches' beliefs and knowledge pertaining to sports injury and readiness for injury prevention practice?; and (3) What are the differences in coach-related factors between the coaches who have medical staff and those who do not? The participants in the study had average to low perceptions regarding injuries on their team. The knowledge score related to sports injury was not high. However, a majority of the coaches showed strong beliefs in favor of implementing injury prevention interventions as an effective way to prevent and reduce sports injuries. Supporting previous studies, the present study revealed strong associations between self-efficacy and the injury prevention behaviors assessed. It was also found that coaches who employed medical staff were approximately four times more likely to provide injury prevention programs to their athletes and have emergency plans. Findings from this study will provide a broader understanding of coaches' perceptions regarding sports injury, injury prevention interventions conducted by coaches, and the implications for developing quality coaching programs and policies to prevent and reduce sports injuries.

Collective case study (Creswell, 2014; Stake, 1995) was used to explore the journey of coach-athlete dyads who were able to successfully maintain their training and interpersonal relationships throughout the course of the athlete enduring a mental block. Three coach-athlete dyads, plus one additional athlete, completed in-depth one-on-one interviews, discussing their coach-athlete relationship before, during, and after the mental block. All dyads were same sex, nationally ranked coach-athlete pairs, from sports involving mandatory elements that include both twisting and flipping components. Categorical aggregation of participant statements lead to the formation of five main themes associated with dyads successfully overcoming a mental block (where success was defined as the athlete regaining the ability to perform the skill that they had previously been unable to do on account of the mental block and the dyad maintaining their training and interpersonal relationship): 1) Get to Know Your Athlete: The Need for High Quality Communication; 2) Be a United Front; 3) Mistakes and Miscommunications Happen: Recovery is Key; 4) Seek Outside Resources; 5) Be Patient. Results suggest that an environment for success can flourish when each party is open, honest, and self-aware of their own limitations. It is suggested that future research utilize the 3 + 1Cs Model of the coach-athlete relationship in exploring how dyads can successfully overcome a mental block.

The aim of this thesis was to undertake an evaluation of the United Kingdom Coaching Certification (UKCC) and discuss the implications for current and future designs of the programme. This study extends and expands the research that has previously evaluated coach education programmes by examining the participants’ perceptions of the programme and its impact on their competency. The study draws on Lyle’s (2010) monitoring and evaluation model and examines the relevance, fidelity and effectiveness of the UKCC. The broad research approach was a pre-post methodology utilising multiple methods of data collection and analysis. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed in the form of focus groups, reflective journals and surveys. Four UKCC sports in Scotland were involved in the study and these were rugby, squash, swimming and triathlon. Data was collected at 10 UKCC courses (levels 1-3) and a total of 136 participants were sampled. The study’s main conclusions regarding the relevance, fidelity and effectiveness of the UKCC were as follows. Relevance: At level one the UKCC appeared to play a big part in the participants’ initial development as a coach whereas at level two and three the UKCC played a smaller role in the participants’ development and instead these participants placed importance on their informal learning. The UKCC fulfilled the participants’ expectations however they believed it needed to provide more technical and sport science knowledge, practical coaching experience, and opportunities to learn from others. Fidelity: The importance of informal learning was emphasised by the participants. The participants believed that informal methods, such as learning from others and learning from practical experience, were effective ways to learn. A negative of the UKCC was that it was a rushed learning environment. Effectiveness: The UKCC had a positive impact on the participants’ perceptions of competency as post course competency was significantly higher than pre-course competency. Despite this significant impact, participants still only rated themselves as moderately competent at the end of the course and indicated they needed more technical knowledge and practical experience. Based on these findings, a number of implications were provided for the UKCC. Implications were provided in three areas: the structure of the UKCC, the delivery of the UKCC, and the role of the UKCC within overall coach development.

This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of graduation coach services in reducing student risk factors for dropping out of high school and increasing student academic performance, a strong correlate of student persistence to high school graduation (Battin-Pearson et al., 2000). The study employed a quasiexperimental nonequivalent control group design utilizing student risk ratio and individualized Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSGT) scores in English/language arts and mathematics as measures to compare students who received the services of a graduation coach to those who did not. The sample for this study included 39,326 Georgia students continuously enrolled in the 11th grade during the 2008 – 2009 school year and characterized as at risk for high school noncompletion by virtue of possessing a student risk ratio greater than zero. Of these students, 9,076 (23.08%) were selected as caseload students to receive the intervention and support services of a graduation coach (GaDOE, 2009c). To assess the differential effects of graduation coach services on student risk ratio across school improvement regions, gender, and ethnicity, the researcher conducted a series of general linear model (GLM) multivariate repeated measures analyses. Risk ratios for students served by a graduation coach were found to be significantly lower in May 2009 than in August 2008. Differences in student risk ratios existed regionally across the state regardless of graduation coach caseload status. While analyses related to the differential effects of graduation coach service provision revealed no significant difference in the student risk ratio metric according to gender, they did reflect a significant difference in the student risk ratio metric according to graduation coach caseload status and ethnicity. Regression analyses determined that student risk ratio may account for 12.5 percent of the variance in student GHSGT mathematics scores and 9.6 percent of the variance in student GHSGT English/language arts scores for first-time 11th graders. Adding student caseload status into the equation increases the variance accounted for to 12.9 percent in mathematics and 10.4 percent in English/language arts.

Syfte och frågeställningar Studien skall ge en inblick i den vardag som professionella tränare verkar i, vilket kan skapa en vidare utveckling på hur man i denna yrkesroll kan förbereda sig själv och anhöriga för den framtid som väntar. Frågeställningarna är: Hur ser den professionella tränaren på sin arbetsmiljö?  Hur ser den professionella tränaren på sin yrkesroll?  Metod För att på bästa sätt få fram värdefull data till denna uppsats så valdes den kvalitativa intervjun. Däri valdes den semistrukturerade intervjumetoden, där grundbasen utgörs av fasta frågor men där följdfrågor kan skapas efterhand beroende på vad intervjupersonen kommer med för svar. Fyra manliga fotbollstränare med erfarenhet från den professionella elitnivån i Sverige valdes ut till intervjuer. Intervjuerna gjordes på överenskommen plats och pågick mellan 30 - 90 min. Intervjuerna spelades in på en digital diktafon.   Resultat Utsattheten hos tränarna har ökat. Risken för utbrändhet, våld och hot likaså. Den ekonomiska förtjänsten har stigit och kan idag likställas med en riksdagsman. Arbetsotryggheten är större då kravet på framgång ökar från media, sponsorer och supportrar. Tränarna anser att ta sig tid för anhöriga är viktigare än att ständigt se på fotboll. Passionen till idrotten är det som håller dessa tränare kvar i yrket. Samtliga anser att de har ett samhällsnyttigt värde där det agerar både tränare, lärare och ledandeförebilder för en personal av idrottsmän i skiftande åldrar 16-40. Slutsats Fotbollen har gått från en idrottsligt styrande verksamhet till en samhällsindustri där utomstående krafter har en mer betydande roll för fotbollen än tidigare. Tränarrollen har sedan 1990-talet gått från en ledande roll i idrottsklubben till en professionell position med en bredare betydelse än att bara ta hand om sina spelare. Den idrottskultur som länge stöttats av demokratiska värderingar ur folkhemmet har med den globala ekonomin skapat en tuffare arbetsmiljö. Långsiktiga satsningar blir svårare att genomföra då spelare inte längre är klubbarna trogna utan ses idag som ett säsongsprojekt. Detta gör att dagens elittränare tvingas att använda sig av pragmatiskt ledarskap.

Darbo tyrimo objektas – Lietuvos dvikovos sporto šakų trenerių perdegimas Tyrimo mokslinė problema yra ta, jog nėra atsakyta, ar Lietuvos dvikovos sporto šakų treneriai patiria perdegimą, turi įgūdžių, kaip reikia kovoti ir įveikti šį sindromą. Tyrimo tikslas - atskleisti Lietuvos dvikovos sporto šakų trenerių perdegimo ypatumus. Mūsų darbo uždaviniai: 1. Išanalizuoti Lietuvos dvikovos sporto šakų trenerių perdegimo ypatumus lyties, amžiaus, darbo stažo atžvilgiu. 2. Nustatyti, kaip Lietuvos dvikovos sporto šakų treneriai įveikia perdegimą (lyties, amžiaus, darbo stažo aspektais). Hipotezės. Keliama prielaida, jog: 1. Moterims – trenerėms perdegimas yra būdingesnis nei treneriams – vyrams. 2. Jaunesni treneriai (mažiau nei 35metų) perdega dažniau nei jų vyresni (daugiau 35 metų amžiaus) kolegos. 3. Sporto pedagogams, dirbantiems daugiau nei 10 metų, perdegimas yra būdingesnis nei jų kolegoms, kurie dirba mažiau nei 10 metų. 4. Su perdegimu geriau susidoroja treneriai vyrai, dirbantys daugiau nei 10 metų, kurių amžius yra daugiau nei 35 metai . Išvados: 1. Pritaikius R. Martens („ Trenerių perdegimo skalė“), American Public Welfare Association sudarytą perdegimo lygio įvertinimo klausimyną ir „CBQ“ („Coach Burnout Questionnaire“, Harris, 2003) metodikas, apibendrinus gautus tyrimo rezultatus, nustatėme, jog Lietuvos dvikovos sporto šakų treneriai susiduria su perdegimo sindromu. Tačiau buvo nustatyta, jog treneriai nepatiria aukšto lygio perdegimo (patiriamas... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Object of research – burnout of Lithuanian duel sports coaches Scientific problem of research is that there are no convincing, evidence-based researches conducted in Lithuanian about burnout in sports. Research goal - to disclose the features of Lithuanian duel sports coaches. Objectives of research: 1) To explore the burnout features of Lithuanian duel sports coaches‘ in respect with gender, age and work experience. 2) To determine how the coaches of Lithuanian duel sports cope with burnout (in respect with gender, age and work experience). Hypotheses. There is a hypothesis, that main characteristics of burnout are the following: 1) Female coaches experience burnout more often that male coaches. 2) Younger coaches (less than 35 year old) experience burnout less often than their older (more than 35 year old) colleagues. 3) Sports teachers, working more than 10 years, experience burnout more often that those, who have less working experience. 4) Male coaches, having more than 10 years working experience and older than 35 year old, cope with burnout more effectively. Conclusions: 1. After applying R. Martens („Coach burnout scale“), American Public Welfare Association provided questionnaire for evaluating burnout level and „CBQ“ („Coach Burnout Questionnaire“, Harris, 2003) methodologies, summarized results showed that: Lithuanian duel sports coaches experience burnout syndrome. However, it was noticed, that they do not experience high level... [to full text]