D.Phil. / Sport in South Africa (SA) has undergone a metamorphosis over the past two decades. Statutory restrictions that were prevalent during the period prior to 1980 have been lifted, resulting in increased participation in sport. The increased participation has created a backlog of facilities and services provided by sport organizations. Coaching is one such service that is provided by sport organizations. In order to provide this service, it has become necessary for sport organizations to acquire sports coaches. In SA professional sports coaching is not an easy task since professional sports coaches face distinct pressures that are not found in other professions. This is reflected in the high coach turnover in certain popular codes of sport like soccer and rugby. Thus the question of the human resources management of professional sports coaches has arisen. This study involved research into the management of professional sports coaches in sport organizations affiliated to the South African Sports Commission. The aim of this study was to propose guidelines for the human resources management (HRM) of professional sports coaches in South Africa. This was done by conducting an in depth literature survey to ascertain what different theoretical models existed with regard to human resources management, in order that the principles of HRM in relation to professional sports coaches could be identified. The literature was compared with the current situation regarding the HRM function for professional sports coaches at sport organizations in South Africa. It was supported by an exploratory study conducted through in depth interviews, and an empirical study. Two questionnaires, which were pre-tested to v ensure that they communicated information correctly to the respondents, was developed for professional sports coaches and HR managers. Four hundred and fifty (450) questionnaires each were administered to HR managers and professional sports coaches at sports organizations affiliated to the South African Sports Commission in the different provinces in South Africa. The empirical findings, when compared with the literature study, provided evidence that shortcomings existed, that needed to be seriously addressed by HR managers at sport organizations, with regard to the management of professional sports coaches in South Africa. Sport organizations need to approach the training and development of professional sports coaches with the South African Qualifications Authority’s requirements in mind. This will ensure that the qualifications of professional sports coaches are accredited. As a result of the unique nature of the job that the coach performs, there is a need to utilize recruitment and selection techniques specifically applicable to professional sports coaches. The study revealed that professional sports coaches experience problems with job security, therefore appropriate actions need to be taken by HR managers to satisfy job security needs. The performance of professional sports coaches was mainly based on the win/loss record of the coach. The literature study as well as the empirical study suggests that other factors, in addition to the win/loss record of professional sports coaches, need to be considered in their performance appraisals. The qualitative as well as the empirical study suggests that professional sports coaches are not satisfied with their compensation. HR managers need to investigate compensation packages that are offered to professional sports coaches. / Prof. W.J. Hollander

Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / The focus of this study was to create a living portrait of the work life ofliteracy coaches, a new and evolving occupation for staff developers. Coaches with expertise in literacy curriculum, instruction, and assessment have been hired to work with teachers and administrators in urban elementary schools and help them to improve instruction for urban youth. Coaches, teachers, and principals in four northeastern cities participated in this study. Coaches were observed, interviews were conducted, and participants were asked to provide samples of student work, schedules, or other documents that were used to triangulate data obtained from observation and interviews. Of the five coaches in the study (three part-time, external coaches and two fulltime, internal coaches), reports indicate that two of the part-time coaches were most successful. Supervisory or administrative responsibilities, particularly identification and remediation of problematic teachers, created an obstacle for both of the full-time coaches. It created the perception among other members of the faculty that the coaches were forcing a top-down agenda for change. The effectiveness of the principal as an instructional leader, the coaches' ability to manage their daily work, the personality of individual coaches, and process by which they choose to engage teachers also had an effect on their ability to promote change. The successful coaches appealed to the intrinsic motivation of teachers to improve instruction by explicitly demonstrating how some practices are beneficial to students. Having gained the initial commitment of teachers, the successful coaches focused on helping teachers to internalize strategies that would allow them to become more reflective about their practice and better able to adapt instruction to the diverse needs of their students. The successful coaches were working in districts with organized reform initiatives, and were working in schools with principals who were knowledgeable about, and dedicated to literacy reform. Their principals had created time for teacher collaboration and professional development to be part of the teachers' workday. / 2031-01-01

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2002. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xiv, 233 p. Includes abstract and vita. Advisor: Mary O'Sullivan, Dept. of Education. Includes bibliographical references (p. 213-218).

Thesis (Ph. D., Education)--University of Idaho, May 2009. / Major professor: Sharon Kay Stoll. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 131-139). Also available online (PDF file) by subscription or by purchasing the individual file.

200,000 voluntary coaches ensure that the large investments in sports facilities in the UK are effectively used and that the athletes experience a healthy life. In a socioeconomic period in which volunteering may be diminishing, more coaches to successfully implement the national strategy for sport. Yet very little is known about how individuals, in particular parents, decide to become voluntary coaches. The research set out to test if a quantitative model could represent such a decision process. It formulates a model of the process and tests the model against field data. From Social Exchange Theory, a conceptual model was developed of the decision process to enter a coach education programme. It was clear that the process was multi-dimensional. The research then showed how this multi-dimensional conceptual model could be mathematically represented by a logistic regression model. Published work on volunteering, sport and coaching was reviewed. From this literature review, a set of potential explanatory variables was obtained which previous researchers had suggested to be involved in decision processes involving volunteering and coaching. Hypotheses were made for these potential explanatory variables. Data was collected by personal interview of a sample of 112 individuals associated with athletics in the UK. The sample was taken from qualified, voluntary athletic coaches, from adult members of two amateur athletic clubs, and from parents of children in these clubs. The building of the logistic regression model showed the relative importance of each of the explanatory variables to the decision process. It also showed whether or not variables were independent or associated with another variable. Tests were conducted to indicate how well the mathematical model fitted the data and, hence, how well the conceptual model represented the sample. The use of logistic regression allowed the potential explanatory variables to be ranked in order of influence on the decision to become a coach. It also allowed the hypotheses to be tested. Qualitative information was also obtained from the interviews. These allowed the logistic regression model to be triangulated. The qualitative data gave further insights into the perceptions of adults, especially parents, and of coaches. It also indicated the key events which triggered a decision to coach. The logistic regression model provided a satisfactory fit to the data indicating the adequacy of the conceptual model. It indicates that the two genders have differing sets of significant explanatory variables. Some variables were found to be more complex than suggested by the published literature, others to be non linear and some not significant. The degree of fit suggested that one or more unknown, but significant, variables still need to be identified. The research suggests how the models could be improved and developed. There are implications for the future recruitment, training and retention of voluntary athletic coaches. By extension, the conceptual and mathematical models can be adapted for other adult education decision processes where the choice of course is voluntary.

The purpose of this study was to identify how coaches who have surpassed their athletic achievements acquired their coaching knowledge. Six University coaches from basketball, volleyball, and hockey, with a combined total of fourteen coach of the year awards were selected to participate. Each coach was coaching at a higher level (e.g., University level) than he had competed as an athlete, had a winning percentage greater than .500 at the University level, and had been the head coach at their current program for a minimum of five years. Semi structured, open-ended interviews were conducted using an interview guide created exclusively for this study and based on the tenets of Cote, Salmela, Trudel, Baria, and Russell's (1995) Coaching Model and Chelladurai's (1978) Multidimensional Model of Leadership. Data analysis followed the guidelines forwarded by Cote, Salmela, Baria, and Russell (1993). Results of this analysis revealed three higher order categories which indicated the path coaches had taken to reach their current positions including the many ways knowledge was acquired. These were (a) career path which discussed the journey of knowledge acquisition of these coaches, from their earliest sport participation to their current coaching position, (b) personal factors, which included how the coaches' journey of knowledge acquisition had been influenced by who the coaches were, and (c) coaching knowledge, which involved the participants' current level of coaching knowledge. Despite the idiosyncratic nature of each coach's career progression many common themes emerged, including the different ways knowledge was acquired, the coaches' personal characteristics, and the level of coaching knowledge accumulated. Many of the findings that emerged were similar to those highlighted in previous studies pertaining to expert coach development (e.g., Cregan, Bloom, & Reid, in press; Salmela, 1994; Schinke, Bloom, & Salmela, 1995) which suggests that while athletic experiences may be helpful in expert coach development, they are not essential. The results provided evidence that sources of knowledge acquisition are accessible to aspiring coaches to acquire the necessary coaching knowledge, regardless of their athletic background. The current findings could potentially enhance the quality and standard of formal coach education and training programs in Canada by illustrating how a unique sample of coaches acquired the knowledge to achieve success at the university level.

Thesis (MHSc--Health Science) -- Auckland University of Technology, 2004. / Also held in print (146 leaves, 30 cm.) in Akoranga Theses Collection (T 613.2 ZIN)

Thesis (M.S.)--Eastern Illinois University, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 50-51).