Original report written by: Shaikh, M., dos Santos, Y.Y.S., Rodrigue, F., Ciampolini, V., Culver, D.M, Larissa, R., Galatti, L.R., Seguin, C., Brasil, V.Z., Nash, C., Milistetd, M., He, C. & Fournier, K. (2020).
Summary written by: Shaikh, M. & Culver. D.M. (2020). School of Human Kinetics, University of Ottawa.
To request the full report, please send an email to research@coach.ca.
Current research on sport coach education programs (CEPs) has offered insights as to what ways coach educators can enhance the implementation and delivery of these programs.
One way is by incorporating ongoing learning components, which enhance coach participants’ engagement in learning experiences (e.g., sharing of experiences and colearning). These components include developing communities of practice, group discussions, mix of face-to-face and online meetings, and follow-up sessions. Implementation is also effective when coach educators have access to development opportunities like coach development officer programs, in offering ongoing support. Offering initial communication to enhance CEP participants’ expectations and preparation for workshops; generating stakeholder support, the use of unique learning strategies like case-method teaching, and flash cards were found useful for enhancing training quality.
The implementation of CEPs can be challenged by time limitations. Time constraints in terms of the duration of the workshop, or the time afforded to participants to practice strategies, can hinder the transfer of values and integration of theory into practice. As well, implementation can be limited by physical resources like small-sized learning environments. Instead, practices that enhance facilitation in lieu of these time and resource limitations include adopting shorter sessions over multiple modules, condensing theory and focussing more on practice, and offering follow-up sessions beyond CEPs to make-up for content missed. These practices help to ensure that coaches are not flooded with too much information given the high density of content, and they offer more time for peer discussion and interaction.
Learning in sport coach education programs (CEPs) is best facilitated when using practical and relevant learning components to make content more applicable to coaches’ practices. These components include the use of demonstrations, stories, reflective journaling, multi-media content, and case scenarios. Facilitating social learning interactions, such as idea-sharing, group work, and drama/role-playing, can expose coaches to multiple perspectives and engage in co-learning experiences. Incorporating feedback and reflection can reinforce learning; these opportunities can be offered by instructors or peers, and in structured sessions on an ongoing basis. Finally, learning is best facilitated through a progressive structure (e.g., moving from theory → content → strategies → practice → reflection → follow-up).
Learning can be challenged when content is not catered or adapted to coaches’ practice or professional needs. However, high context-specificity may also make content difficult to generalize. Time limitations can also constrain what learning opportunities are available (e.g., limited practice opportunities). As well, lack of ongoing support, mentoring, and feedback can lead to coaches’ demotivation, and lower likelihood of enhanced applied practice. Finally, learning can be constrained by the lack of freedom with content and use of scientific jargon.
The benefits of CEPs can differ across mediums. In-person CEPs (e.g., workshops, seminars) offer engagement in active learning opportunities. Online CEPs (e.g., webinars, online courses) offer freedom of communication at the convenience of participants, leading to high reflection and engagement. Finally, university-based CEPs (e.g., bachelor’s in sport coaching) often offer internship components, which allow exposure to real-world contexts of sport coaching.
Participation in sport coach education programs (CEPs) can influence changes to coaches’ philosophies, applied practices, and impact on athletes. Coaching philosophy is the combination of coaches’ knowledge, skills, attitudes, and intentions towards coaching in their contexts. These philosophies can be either reinforced (e.g., coaches recognized the strengths underlying their existing practices), or refined and evolved (e.g., learning how to balance coaches’ own coaching values with the needs of their athletes and the context). Coaches can increase their knowledge, confidence, and self-efficacy related to domains such as interpersonal strategies (e.g., developing coach/athlete relationships and teaching life skills), sport-specific strategies, and other topics like risk prevention and healthy active living. The applied value of these philosophy changes can be seen through changes in coaches’ applied practices (e.g., integration of CEP-specific curriculum models and strategies).
Changes in applied practices are more likely when CEP-content is curated and adapted to coaches’ contexts, or integration of strategies to coaches’ already-existing practices is allowed. In addition, when programs do not include post-CEP support (e.g., mentoring, feedback), coaches may be less likely to change behaviours or adopt effective program implementation. Common challenges to changing applied practices include infrastructure-related barriers (e.g., limited environmental resources to implement programs) and time limitations (e.g., busy program schedules, overburdened coaches).
Finally, these changes in applied practices can lead to coaches’ impacts on athletes. Depending on the content of CEPs and how well this content is applied by coaches, athletes can show improvements in life skills use, pro-social behaviours, and satisfaction of basic psychological needs.
Coach development system
There is no national or Olympic coach education system. Different accreditation programs exist for Angolan coaches.
Requirements to coach
Article 33 from the "Law of Sport" (1998) defines that the exercise of teaching technical activities in the field of sport (coaching) is conditional on the possession of adequate qualifications, and a certain frequency in attending certification programs. However, there is no indication of any type of certification program or what kind of qualifications are necessary for sports coaching.
Coach development system
Coach education in Argentina occurs through programs offered by National Sport Federations and National Schools of Coaches. There is no national accreditation program or Olympic Academy.
These coach education programs are divided from one to four levels of expertise in a traditional perspective (from 1- grassroots to 4- high performance). Pre-requisites for participating in the certification programs are reaching 18 years old and completing secondary school. The programs are offered via online strategies and face to face, including practical sessions and internships. The workload varies according to the level and sport.
Requirements to coach
According to the Sports Law (27202/2015), “coaches should have qualifications recognized by the Ministry of Education or the civil associations of second degree or superior entities of sport." The superior entities of sports are Sports Federations and National Schools of Coaches.
Coach development system
There are no national CEPs or accreditation programs in Botswana; the country relies on CEPs offered by international organizations. However, the Botswana National Olympic Committee developed a basic training program for coaches, known as the Botswana Long-Term Coach Development Framework. Coaches can focus on any of these three contexts:
Within each of these contexts, the program involves:
Requirements to coach:
No academic requirements for any of the coaching specialties.
Existing professional status:
Only the Botswana Football Association and Botswana Athletics Association employ professional or paid coaches, while other sports are primarily volunteer-based.
Coach development system
1. Bachelor’s degree in physical education:
2. Certification programs:
3. Brazilian Coaches’ Academy (BCA):
Requirements to coach
Bachelor’s degree in physical education required to be eligible for any professional license to work in any sport context (exceptions are soccer and martial arts).
Coach development system
Pathways are offered through various networks that include Sport Federations, District Organizations, Sport Institutes, Universities, Coaches’ Associations, Sport Academies, the Research Institute for Olympic Sports, Expert Networks, and the Finnish Sport Federation.
Streams
A. Sport federation education programs (competency-based). Follow a national framework (VOK), flexible for sport-specific needs.
B. Vocational coach education program.
C. Higher education programs.
Coach development system
Two systems. The United Kingdom Coaching Certificate (UKCC) is accredited by the Qualifications and Credit Framework. The Coach Development Program for Ireland (CDPI) is in the process of achieving recognized qualification status in the National Framework for Qualifications.
UKCC
CDPI
Requirements to coach
None. Primarily volunteers. Paid positions are limited to governing bodies of sport and local authorities.
Coach development system
Coach programs are offered by educational institutes and federations.
The TopCoach5 program is the highest coach program in the Netherlands and it is a unique partnership between two universities of applied sciences and Netherlands Olympic Committee and National Sports Federations. It is a competency-based program (sets of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and personal characteristics) across multiple sports. The program consists of 2100 hours.
Coach development system
Coach education qualifications are part of a qualification framework based on learning outcomes. All sports federations must provide a framework that links athlete development to coach grades (levels). There are four coach education grades, where higher grades correspond to coaching higher performing athletes. This development is noticeable in the form of increased complexity of the coaching content as well as in the number of hours required to complete each grade. Although the coach education system varies depending on the practitioner context (sport, developmental stage of athletes), the coach education framework reflects a linear and hierarchal organization of coaching levels assuming a sequence from entry stages to high performance. This association between coach education and athlete’s competition level places inexperienced coaches in the early stages of athlete development (Resende & Sequeira & Sarmento, 2016).
There are four pathways to professional certification:
In a cycle of years certified coaches should engage in several formal programs to keep their licenses. These include educational institutes, sports federations, and sports associations regularly promoting conferences, workshops, and clinics for coaches.
Requirements to coach
Since 2008, access to and provision of sports coaching activity was limited to coaches who earned a coach certificate. The national government now regulates access to education and training, curriculum, the level of teachers, monitoring, funding and licensing. The government also delivers financial support to education providers, clubs, and participants based on direct costs of coach education and the number of participants.
Coach development system
4 Level License system D, C, B, A.
Licenses are valid for four years; upon which time the coach must reapply to the coaching school to renew the same license to be considered for promotion to the next level.
Requirements to coach
Bachelor’s degree in Sports Science from an accredited college or university with an emphasis in the sport they intend to coach.
Coach development system
Coach training courses, which are governed by current laws, are organized in three separate levels. The training structure in each level is divided into two stages, initially intended to acquire knowledge and skills common to all sports and, later, the specific knowledge of each sport.
Sport federation courses
Sports federations are responsible for offering their own courses for sport-specific training. These courses are offered periodically and are divided into theoretical and practical modules, having a minimum common load for each of them. The body of common knowledge, which precedes entrance into the federation courses, is offered by national vocational training centres and comprises a set of technical and scientific knowledge that serves as a basis for furthering in sports specialties. Physical Education professionals can request the use of their subjects studied in their initial formation, beyond the common block of knowledge. High-performance athletes may meet certain requirements and specific knowledge throughout their training.