The organisation of elite sport systems has been the focus of a great variety of different investigations over the past ten years. In particular, many studies have compared the structure and organisation of different national elite sport systems on the macro and meso levels. A result of the existing investigations is a clear convergence of the service portfolio different elite sport systems offer their athletes and coaches. Despite this current trend to a homogeneous elite sport system design, medal tables of major sport events suggest that some nations are still more successful than others in specific sports. This suggests that more successful sport systems might have found better ways to implement the otherwise similar and conventional support portfolio. However, there is a lack of studies that focus on what practices successful elite sport systems apply in the actual delivery of the support services to their athletes and coaches; in how far these practices are related to the ,success of the sport systems; if these practices look similar across different successful sport systems; and if these practices provide useful lessons for other systems to learn from. The management tool benchmarking appears to be a useful framework to guide such comparisons at the operational level. Thus, this thesis evaluated the applicability of this management concept for furthering understanding of elite sport system management. In order to conduct this evaluation it was decided to analyse the operational processes and structures two successful elite sport systems apply for the delivery of five elements of the elite sport support portfolio. In specific, the investigation focused on the comparison of the design of the squad system, the hierarchy of coaches within the squad system, the organisation of the coach education, as well as the provision of sport science and lifestyle support, which were the Benchmarking Objects of this study. The Swedish athletics and the Norwegian cross-country skiing national team, and the general elite sport support institutions they cooperate with, were chosen as the Benchmarking Subjects, i.e. the comparison partners, for this investigation. This research was based on a series of semi-structured interviews which were conducted with about 50 key pOSition holders such as coaches, athletes, lifestyle support managers, or performance diagnosticians during two study visits to Norway and Sweden. This study concluded that benchmarking can lead to insights into the operational management of successful elite sport systems. It must however also be stressed that benchmarking is not a universal remedy for the problems managers of elite sport systems face today. As this research showed, the two Benchmarking Subjects applied unexpected solutions for the delivery of some of the chosen Benchmarking Objects - and some of these practices appeared to be heavily linked to the organisational and cultural context of the investigated sport systems. Thus, it must be carefully evaluated for each process or structure, which is identified during a bench marking exercise, if it constitutes a transferable best practice which is applicable outside the organisational context of the respective Benchmarking Subject.

But : Ce projet de recherche a comme objectif principal de mieux comprendre diverses facettes de la relation entraîneur-entrainée. Cette relation entre un entraîneur masculin et une athlète féminine en volleyball sera observée selon trois niveaux de compétition des athlètes – secondaire, collégial et universitaire. Trois aspects seront étudiés à travers les questions posées dans cette recherche : (1) Est-ce que la perception que les athlètes ont de la relation entraîneur-entraîné est différente selon le niveau de compétition de l’athlète? (2) Existe-il des différences dans la nature de la relation à l’intérieur d’un même niveau? (3) Est-ce que le nombre d’années qu’une athlète a passé avec le même entraîneur affecte la qualité de la relation?. Méthodologie : Évoluant sur le circuit québécois, les six équipes de volleyball et leur entraîneur respectif représentent l’échantillon de la présente étude. Les tests utilisés afin de réaliser les analyses univariées et bivariées de cette étude sont : le Test de Welch, les corrélations de Pearson ainsi que les tests post-hoc de Games-Howell. Résultats : (1) Les athlètes du secondaire partagent une relation de meilleure qualité avec leur entraîneur que celles du cégep et de l’université. (2) Dans un même niveau de compétition, ce qui différencie la qualité de la relation est : le rôle de la joueuse dans son équipe ainsi que le nombre de sports organisés dans lesquels elle participe (relations proportionnelles). (3) Une relation inverse existe entre le nombre d’années vécues par la dyade entraîneur-athlète et la qualité de la relation. / Objective : The main purpose of this study is to better understand certain aspects of the coach-athlete relationship. The relationship between a male coach and a female athlete in volleyball will be analyzed based on three different levels of competition: high school, cegep and university. The specific objectives of this study will be examined through three research questions: (1) Is the athlete’s perception of the coach-athlete relationship different based on the level of competition in which the athlete participates? (2) Is there any difference in the nature of the coach-athlete relationship within the same level of competition? (3) Does the number of years that an athlete plays for the same coach affect the nature of the relationship? Method: The sample of this study consists of six volleyball teams, playing within the Quebec conference, and their respective coaches. The univariate and bivariate analyses were conducted using the following tests: the Welch test, the Pearson correlations and the Games-Howell post-hoc tests. Results: (1) High school athletes have a relationship with their coach that is of higher quality than athletes from cegep and university. (2) The quality of the coach-athlete relationship differs within a same level of competition based on the athlete’s role in her team as well as the number of organised sports in which she participates (proportional relationships). (3) There is an inverse relationship between the number of years the athlete and the coach have been working together and the quality of their relationship.

ABSTRACT Leadership consultants bring specialized knowledge into their clients' organizations. Advisor leadership consultants (ALC) trained as psychotherapists apply concepts from human behavior theories as advisors to business leaders. They also bring service-oriented professional norms and values of objectivity, neutrality, and lack of self-interest. Their business clients in the market sector operate according to norms and values of pragmatism, financial self-interest, and advocacy. In order to establish credibility in the organizational field of business clients, leadership consultants must negotiate between these different value systems. This study is a grounded theory inquiry using narrative analysis tools to study how ALCs navigate across the boundaries of psychotherapy practice and consultation in the corporate setting. How do they describe their practice choices as well as the principles and theoretical framework underlying those choices? In-depth interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of 10 leadership consultants credentialed and experienced as psychotherapists. A snowball method of participant recruitment from my social and professional network yielded a group of 10 ALCs aged 50 to 86. Each of these ALCs entered their careers with a predisposition for business from their families. They each experienced significant loss in early life and followed divergent educational and career pathways. They have built their leadership consulting practices accepting business practices to gain access to clients while incorporating important relationship principles. As institutional entrepreneurs, they managed conflict with values in both the service and the marketplace sectors through innovative therapy, consulting and business practices.

Title: Effect of coach change on professional tennis players Objectives of work: The aim of the thesis is to analyze the impact of coach change on professional tennis players from the psychology perspective, social relationship and player's attitude to the sport itself. The impact of the coach change on player's approach to tennis, game results, personal life and interpersonal relationships will be examined. Method: The methods that will be used are narrative interviews - annotated transcription technique, quantitative interview, analysis and comparison. Results: In the practical part of the dissertation, author answered five research questions through conducted research. Conducted research revealed that coach change affected tennis results of only one of the investigated probands. However, positive psychological impact of coach change was described by both probands. Neither of probands changed his training methods or their approach to tennis after the coach change. Team goals of one of the proband were not achieved, the second proband is still an active player and works on his sports career. Key words: tennis, professional tennis player, ATP, performance, personal life, sport goals, coach, change

My thesis paper is focused on preparation of early school age children in fire sport. This sport is known as adult sport and only marginally. In theoretical part I want to bring near ideas of this sport. I deal with history of fire departments and children in these departments, next I am focused on fire game "Plamen"(Flame) and also trainer personality. Research is focused on searching and evaluation of informations about preparation early school age children in fire sport in Benešov district.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) recently passed new legislation highlighting the critical role coaches play in student-athlete success called the Head Coach’s Academic Progress Rate (APR). The APR measure does not calculate the actions of the head coach and is therefore an inadequate measure of coaches’ influence. There are numerous verbal accounts of the influence of the coach on student-athlete success, but there is little quantitative data to support this claim. As a result, this correlational study explored the relationship between head coaches’ influence and student engagement among a sample of 135 women basketball players at National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I (DI) institutions. The Student-Athlete Perception of Coaches’ Influence, Student Engagement and Student Athlete Success Survey (SAPCISESASS), an instrument developed by the researcher, was used to measure coaches’ influence and engagement. Results revealed that overall student-athletes perceived an overall positive relationship with their head coach, were satisfied with their relationship, and would choose to return to attend the same institution if the same coach were employed with the institution. Student-athletes reported being heavily engaged in community service and engaged in 16 or more hours per week in athletic-related activities. Student-athletes perceived the overall campus climate to be supportive and relationships with various campus constituencies were positive. Student-athletes reported a strong belief in their head coaches’ influence on their personal and social development. A strong relationship was found between coaches’ influence and personal and social development (adjusted R2 = .62, p

The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) assess cycling coaches' trauma-related competencies, as measured by trauma knowledge (i.e., trauma-specific education, familiarity with post-traumatic stress [PTS]), stigma of persons with PTS (i.e., fear/dangerousness, help/interact, forcing treatment, negative emotions), and interpersonal skills (i.e., self-reported emotional intelligence, perceived quality of coach-athlete relationships); and (b) examine the influence that trauma knowledge and stigma of persons with PTS has on coaching efficacy specific to coaching trauma-impacted athletes (i.e., trauma-informed coaching efficacy), after controlling for general coaching experience. Descriptive statistics indicated the majority of coaches had no trauma-specific education, a high degree of familiarity with PTS, and a low level of stigma via four attribution variables. Moreover, participants highly appraised their own emotional intelligence, the quality of their coach-athlete relationships, and their trauma-informed coaching efficacy. A hierarchical regression analyses indicated that familiarity with PTS helped to explain additional variance in trauma-informed coaching efficacy over and above demographic and general coach experience variables. The study establishes trauma-informed coaching as a distinct area of research and highlights the need for improved continuing education opportunities for coaches related to psychological trauma and PTS.

ABSTRACT In this study the question of how to address corruption in Tanzanian society is considered from the view point of learning positive values to contribute to reducing corruption now and in the future. It is argued that by strengthening the teaching of positive values to provide a foundation in values as alternatives for students to consider, may impact their decisions while still at school and later in life as adults and leaders for them to resist corruption when encountered. The study arises from Transparency International surveys consistently ranking Tanzania early in the new millennium amongst the 10 most corrupt countries internationally. Given the failure of national commissions in Tanzania, legal institutions such as the Prevention of Corruption Bureau, initiatives emanating from the office of the Presidency, amongst others, to stem corruption, here it is argued for the use of education as state institution to strengthen values teaching in 3 programmes in the state curriculum through evaluation to address the problem. Adopting an approach to evaluation which draws teachers into the process for them to drive it in part, developed by Fetterman and Wandersman, capacity can be built within schools to do so, an approach which is somewhat different to the norm where this capacity more frequently may be driven from outside, coercive, and be disempowering of agents of change within schools. Using the stepped procedure as well as the ‘facets’ of this participatory approach to evaluating the 3 positive values curricula, and with coaching by the evaluator, a measure of self-determination seemed experienced by teachers to teach values like honesty and self-respect, self-reliance and personal integrity, amongst others, to assist students resist corrupt practices when encountered. Multiple self-administered instruments developed with teachers helped gauge teachers progress towards goals they set themselves to achieve in one academic year and assisted to build confidence in addressing this issues through schooling, the sample of schools in the study being purposefully selected as they educate between them more than half the professional and political leaders in the nation. The study aimed to find what positive values are taught in 3 curricula [Civics, Islamic Knowledge, Bible Knowledge], and how these are taught, as well as to find out if this teaching was strengthened through using the tools of empowerment evaluation. The data indicates firstly, shared values across these curricula and values specific to each are taught, to provide alternatives for learners to consider prior to action. This foundational guide for students seemed strengthened if secular values are allied to religious values to provide value-informed choices for students, and that this foundation may be further strengthened with self-directed changes to the curriculum being made by teachers. Secondly, traditional pedagogical methods seem to be less effective where values teaching is not linked to exemplarily teacher behaviour, parables and storytelling, and moral actions of role models emulating how to act morally. Thirdly, teaching positive values was found to be strengthened through self-evaluation, as teachers seemed to experience a measure of empowerment or self-determination in the evaluation, and to aim at self-improving effective teaching of values. Finally, data indicates that where teachers are drawn into the evaluation process, trained in these techniques facilitated by an evaluator, that refinements to values teaching may be sustained in the short to medium term, following the withdrawal of the evaluator from the field. Findings were corroborated in part through triangulating the data, here with data from naturalistic observations and questionnaires particularly. Amongst recommendations made in the light of the study, one is the importance of the state employing religious teachers, as opposed to these being functionaries of the mosque and church as at present, a second being that positive values be made part of the compulsory core curriculum in all schools in the system.

This cross-sectional study presented two aims: 1) to examine whether associations could be found between athletes’ use of communication strategies conflict management, openness and support, and athletes’ perceptions of coach-athlete relationship quality, and 2) to examine whether athletes’ attachment style (secure, anxious-ambivalent or avoidant) would act as a moderator for this association. A sample of 396 athletes (males = 183, females = 210) whose age ranged from 15 to 60 years (mean age = 19.17, SD = 4.59 years). The sample was recruited from a variety of both individual and team sports. In order to participate, athletes responded a questionnaire, online or in paper version. Statistical analyses were performed in IBM SPSS 24 and Amos 24, and by using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The results confirmed associations between athletes’ use of the selected communication strategies and their perceptions of the coach-athlete relationship quality. Regarding moderating effects, athletes’ attachment style was shown to have a significant moderation effect on a majority of the found associations. Suggestions for future research is to examine more of the communication strategies presented in the COMPASS model, in order to strengthen the model’s practical use. Also, longitudinal studies would complement these findings, as well as qualitative research for a deepened understanding of the communication strategies. / Denna tvärsnittsstudie hade två syften: 1) att undersöka om det fanns ett samband mellan idrottares användande av kommunikationsstrategierna konflikthantering, öppenhet och stöd och deras skattning av kvaliteten på relationen till tränaren, samt 2) att undersöka om idrottares anknytningsstil (trygg, ambivalent och undvikande) hade påverkan det sambandet. 396 idrottare (män = 183, kvinnor = 210 ) i åldrarna 15-60 år (medelålder = 19.17, SD = 4.59 år). Urvalet rekryterades från både individ- och lagidrott. För att delta fyllde idrottarna i ett formulär, i webb- eller pappersform. Statistiska analyser utfördes i IBM SPSS och Amos 24, samt genom Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Resultaten bekräftade samband mellan idrottares användande av de valda kommunikationsstrategierna och deras skattning av kvaliteten på tränar-idrottare-relationen. Idrottarnas anknytningsstil visade sig ha en statistiskt signifikant modererande effekt på de funna sambanden. Förslag för vidare forskning är att undersöka fler av de kommunikationsstrategier som presenteras i COMPASS-modellen, för att kunna stärka modellens praktiska användning. Dessutom skulle longitudinella studier kunna komplettera dessa resultat, liksom kvalitativ forskning för att få en djupare förståelse för kommunikationsstrategierna.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-04T18:29:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Istvan de Abreu.pdf: 425003 bytes, checksum: fc219a405570e06c29aee4f39c310d58 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-02-08 / Sport Psychology has been studying the group dynamics in sporting teams, by analyzing the inter-personal relationships among athletes, or the leaders' and coaches' influence on the team, while other researches study the influence of indirect participants' of the sporting atmosphere comprising, for instance, relatives, friends and spouses. The researches have been analyzing the process of group communication on a one-way direction, and not considering the athlete as an active and not passive individual, where his/her behavior is a direct result of the incentives presented by the environment. It is believed that to understand the productions of the subjective senses and how the communication processes in a sporting team are organized are relevant to lead us understand the subjective configurations, both of the group subjectivity and of the athletes individually. Those two levels of the subjectivity go through processes of constant transformation aiming at looking for a balance to consider the individual and group needs simultaneously [at the same time]. That study had as objective to analyze the relation and the production processes of subjective sense between coach and athletes of a triatlo team, considering: i) the organization of the team communication processes to understand the athlete-team, athlete-athlete, coachteam, coach-athlete relationship; ii) the understanding of the group climate and how that affects the athletes' subjectivity; iii) and how these processes influence the sporting performance. The present study emphasizes the constructive-interpretative and dialogical character of the knowledge, starting from Gonz?lez Rey's interpretation over qualitative research. The field research comprised a five-month follow-up of 8 athletes and a coach of a triatlo team, in a town of the state of S?o Paulo countryside that participates in regional, national and international competitions. For the accomplishment of this study the tools used were: conversational dynamics, term used to emphasize the procedural and open character of the relationships with the participant; complement of sentences, which allowed acquiring information about the production of sense of the individual; and a field diary. The tools supplied indicators of subjective sense, which, in our analysis, took us to the construction of the following subjective senses nuclei: i) the impact of the coach's subjectivity in the team constitution; ii) the competitive moment and its influence in the team subjective configuration; and iii) the family interference in the athlete s subjective formation. The impact of each one of those subjective sense nuclei on the athlete and the team were the main results of this research, where the coach s production of subjective sense had strong influence in the communication process among him and the athlete, the team, and the athlete s family. The coach's dispute for the attention and recognition of the direct and indirect participants created an atmosphere of intra-personal competition, generating individualism, jealousy and envy. Those indicators when associated to others existent in the competitive atmosphere, as the winner's exaltation, the depreciation of the defeated and the promptness configure a social subjectivity, which represents the contemporary society. / A Psicologia do Esporte, tem estudado as din?micas grupais em equipes esportivas, analisando as rela??es inter-pessoais entre atletas, ou a influ?ncia de l?deres e t?cnicos sobre a equipe, enquanto outras pesquisas estudam a influ?ncia dos participantes indiretos do ambiente esportivo, constitu?do, por exemplo, por familiares, amigos, c?njuges. As pesquisas t?m analisado o processo de comunica??o grupal de modo unidirecional, e desconsiderando o atleta como um sujeito ativo, e n?o passivo, onde seu comportamento ? resultado direto dos est?mulos apresentados pelo meio. Acredita-se que compreender as produ??es dos sentidos subjetivos, e como se organizam os processos de comunica??o em uma equipe esportiva, s?o relevantes para compreendermos as configura??es subjetivas, tanto da subjetividade grupal, como dos atletas individualmente.Tanto a subjetividade individual como a grupal passam por processos de constante transforma??o de forma a buscar um equil?brio que considere as necessidades individuais e grupais ao mesmo tempo. Esse estudo teve como objetivo analisar a rela??o e os processos de produ??o de sentido subjetivo entre t?cnico e atletas de uma equipe de triatlo, considerando: i) a organiza??o dos processos de comunica??o da equipe, a entender a rela??o atleta - equipe, atleta - atleta, t?cnico - equipe, t?cnico atleta; ii) a compreens?o do clima grupal e de que modo ele afeta a subjetividade dos atletas; iii) e de que forma estes processos influenciam no desempenho esportivo. O presente estudo enfatiza o car?ter construtivo interpretativo e dial?gico do conhecimento, a partir da interpreta??o de Gonz?lez Rey sobre pesquisa qualitativa. A pesquisa de campo constituiu-se por um acompanhamento de cinco meses de 8 atletas e um t?cnico de uma equipe de triatlo, em uma cidade do interior de S?o Paulo, e que participa de competi??es regionais, nacionais e internacionais. Para a realiza??o deste estudo os instrumentos utilizados foram: din?mica conversacional, termo utilizado para enfatizar o car?ter processual e aberto das rela??es com o participante; complemento de frases, que permitiu adquirir informa??es sobre a produ??o de sentido do sujeito; e um di?rio de campo. Os instrumentos forneceram indicadores de sentido subjetivo, que em nossa an?lise, nos levou `a constru??o dos seguintes n?cleos de sentidos subjetivos: i) o impacto da subjetividade do t?cnico na constitui??o da equipe; ii) o momento competitivo e sua influ?ncia na configura??o subjetiva da equipe; e iii) a interfer?ncia da fam?lia na forma??o da subjetiva do atleta. O impacto de cada um desses n?cleos de sentido subjetivo sobre o atleta e a equipe foram os principais resultados dessa pesquisa, onde a produ??o de sentido subjetivos do t?cnico teve forte influ?ncia no processo de comunica??o entre ele com o atleta, equipe, e familiares do atleta. A disputa do t?cnico pela aten??o e reconhecimento dos participantes diretos e indiretos, criou um ambiente de competi??o intra-pessoal, gerando individualismo, ci?me e inveja. Esses indicadores quando associados a outros existentes no ambiente competitivo, como a exalta??o do vencedor, desvaloriza??o do derrotado e o imediatismo, configuram uma subjetividade social, que representa a sociedade contempor?nea.