Thousands of coaches deliver sport to children and young people every day. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the number of tailored development opportunities for this population of coaches has increased in the last decade. Research exploring the impact of coach development interventions in this population has tended to focus on generic, retrospective accounts (Sullivan et al., 2012; Lemyre et al., 2007; Wiersma & Sherman, 2005). Evaluations of the impact of specific coach education programmes purposefully designed to train youth sport coaches, however, is scarce (Campbell & Sullivan, 2005; Malete & Feltz, 2000). It is thus paramount that more research is conducted to understand if and how youth sport coaches benefit from tailored learning opportunities.
Leeds Beckett University and iCoachKids are delighted to offer two fully funded (fees only) Masters by Research (MRes) opportunities to address some of the gaps in the existing literature.
MRes 1 – Understanding the impact of the iCoachKids programme on coaches’ knowledge and self-efficacy.
MRes 1 will evaluate the impact of the iCoachKids e-learning programme on improving coaches’ knowledge (Côté & Gilbert, 2009) and self-efficacy (Feltz et al., 2009). The research will also aim to start building a preliminary understanding of what elements of the programme contribute to its impact and in which way (Pawson, 2013).
To apply for this MRes opportunity please read the ‘How to Apply’ information and fill in the application form here.
MRes 2 – Understanding
the impact of the iCoachKids programme on coaches’ practice and its perceived impact on children’s outcomes.
MRes 2 will evaluate the impact of the iCoachKids e-learning programme on provoking changes to coaches’ practice (Stodter & Cushion, 2017). The research will also explore coaches’ perception of how these changes have affected the children they coach.
To apply for this MRes opportunity please read the ‘How to Apply’ information and fill in the application form here.