Research on Positive Youth Development-focused Coach Education Programs: Future Pathways and Applications

Coaches’ role in positive youth development (PYD) has been extensively studied around the globe. Coach education has been considered crucial in helping foster PYD outcomes, such as emotional regulation, goal setting, and leadership. Thus, several researchers have attempted to provide a comprehensive understanding about how experiential learning could be utilized within PYD-focused coach education programs. The purpose of this article was to provide insight on the implications for research and practice associated with the integration of experiential learning opportunities within PYD-focused coach education. The authors shed light on how the existent literature on experiential learning may help bridge the gap between the delivery of PYD-focused coach education programs and actual coaching practices. Implications for research and practice are discussed in order to provide insight on how PYD-focused coach education programs could be configured to effectively train coaches and enhance their ability to promote PYD outcomes, such as life skill development, among youth athletes across a range of contexts.

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Positive youth development related athlete experiences and coach behaviors following a targeted coach education course

International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching ◽

10.1177/1747954120942017 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (5-6) ◽

pp. 621-630

Author(s):

Dany J MacDonald ◽

Martin Camiré ◽

Karl Erickson ◽

Fernando Santos

Keyword(s):

Youth Development ◽

Positive Youth Development ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Control Group ◽

Coach Education ◽

Developmental Experiences ◽

Time Points ◽

Coach Behaviors ◽

Experimental Group

The purpose of this study was to examine if a positive youth development (PYD) coach education course would (i) result in more positive developmental experiences perceived by athletes of participant coaches and (ii) increase the frequency of PYD-oriented behaviors exhibited by participant coaches. A total of 14 coaches and 270 athletes participated in the study. Eight coaches ( Mage = 38.0 years) overseeing 154 athletes ( Mage = 13.8 years) were in the control group, while six coaches ( Mage = 36.7 years) overseeing 116 athletes ( Mage = 13.9 years) were in the experimental group. The 10-week intervention combined a group-based PYD coach education course with individualized coach meetings. Seven practices per coach were observed and recorded at baseline ( n = 2), intervention ( n = 3), and follow-up ( n = 2). Athletes completed measures of coach-athlete relationships and sport experiences at the three time points. Results of the 2 × 3 (group × time) mixed ANOVAs demonstrated that coaches in the intervention group increased the frequency of their PYD-oriented behaviors during the intervention but returned to levels slightly above baseline at follow-up. Coaches in the control group did not change their behaviors over the same period. Athlete reports of their developmental experiences were high at all time points and did not change over time. Findings suggest PYD coach education has the potential to influence coach behavior, but further research is required to determine how to create sustained changes for coaches and increases in athletes’ perceived positive developmental experiences.

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Advancing positive youth development-focused coach education: contextual factors of youth sport and youth sport leader perceptions

Managing Sport and Leisure ◽

10.1080/23750472.2020.1766760 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-15 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Tarkington J. Newman ◽

Leeann M. Lower-Hoppe ◽

Mark Burch ◽

Lauren M. Paluta

Keyword(s):

Youth Development ◽

Positive Youth Development ◽

Contextual Factors ◽

Youth Sport ◽

Coach Education ◽

Leader Perceptions

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Youth Sport Coaches’ Perspective on Positive Youth Development and its Worth in Mainstream Coach Education Courses

International Sport Coaching Journal ◽

10.1123/iscj.2016-0092 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 38-46 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Fernando Santos ◽

Martin Camiré ◽

Dany J. MacDonald ◽

Henrique Campos ◽

Manuel Conceição ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Youth Development ◽

Positive Youth Development ◽

Youth Sport ◽

Past Research ◽

Coach Education ◽

Related Material ◽

Developmental Context ◽

Sport Coaches ◽

Education Courses ◽

Practical Implications

Positive youth development (PYD) is a framework that has been widely used within sport research to outline sport’s potential as a developmental context. Past research has indicated how coaches play important roles in facilitating PYD through sport and yet, PYD-related material remains largely absent from mainstream coach education courses (CEC). The purpose of the current study was to examine youth sport coaches’ perspective on PYD and its worth in mainstream coach education courses. The participants were twelve Portuguese youth field hockey coaches (one female and eleven males) who coached athletes between four and eighteen years of age. Findings indicated that coaches valued PYD within their coaching philosophy, but were also highly motivated by performance and improving their players’ motor skills. The participants deemed that CEC generally lack PYD-related material, adding that practical strategies informed by the PYD approach should be inherently part of CEC delivery. The findings have practical implications for coach educators, indicating a need and a desire on the part of coaches to have PYD-related content in mainstream CEC.

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High School Sport Stakeholders’ Perspectives on Coaches’ Ability to Facilitate Positive Youth Development

Journal of Coaching Education ◽

10.1123/jce.5.1.64 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 64-82 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Martin Camiré ◽

Tanya Forneris ◽

Pierre Trudel

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

Youth Development ◽

Positive Youth Development ◽

Coach Education ◽

High School Coaches ◽

School Sport ◽

Complex Process ◽

High School Sport

Coaching for positive youth development (PYD) in the context of high school sport is a complex process given that many factors influence this environment. The purpose of this study was to explore the ability of high school coaches to facilitate PYD from the perspective of administrators, coaches, and athletes. Although stakeholders in general perceive coaches as having the ability to facilitate PYD, scores for coaches were higher than athletes and administrators and scores for athletes were higher than administrators. Furthermore, coaches who participated in coach education perceived themselves as having a greater ability to facilitate PYD compared to coaches with no coach education.

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Positive Youth Development: A Bridge to Connect Civic Education and Sustainable Development

Journal of Youth Development ◽

10.5195/jyd.2021.1027 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (2-3) ◽

pp. 363-378

Author(s):

Ashley Law ◽

Virginia Atkinson

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Young People ◽

Youth Development ◽

Positive Youth Development ◽

Civic Education ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Political Life ◽

Education Programs ◽

School Closures ◽

The Sustainable Development

Young people are not consistently or adequately valued by other global and community actors as contributing members and leaders. Given the current political context of democratic backsliding, school closures, and social distancing caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, young people are facing increased barriers to developing their democratic identities, learning how to be active citizens, and exercising their rights to participate in civic and political life. Now more than ever, development practitioners and the international community need to shift their approach to engaging young people in democracy and governance programs from one that views them as recipients to one that treats young people as partners and considers the unique environments in which they live. This paper argues that civic education programs that apply a positive youth development (PYD) approach can inform and shape how young people develop democratic identities and habits and directly link these identities and behaviors to building and sustaining democracies. The paper illuminates good practices and lessons learned through an exploration of global civic education programs demonstrating the utility of a PYD approach. The final section identifies areas to consider for the expansion and future of civic education programs to ensure their effectiveness and better link them to the Sustainable Development Goals.

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Coaching Positive Youth Development in Brazil: Recommendations for Coach Education Programs

International Sport Coaching Journal ◽

10.1123/iscj.2018-0106 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 82-88 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Patricia Gaion ◽

Michel Milistetd ◽

Fernando Santos ◽

Andressa Contreira ◽

Luciane Arantes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Youth Development ◽

Positive Youth Development ◽

High Performance ◽

Sport Organizations ◽

Learning Context ◽

Coach Education ◽

Developmental Experiences ◽

Coach Learning ◽

Preparation Period ◽

Context Specific

Coaching positive youth development (PYD) represents a challenge for many participation and high-performance coaches across the globe, including in Brazil. Coach education has been acknowledged as a formal learning context that may help prepare coaches to effectively foster PYD outcomes and provide high-quality developmental experiences for athletes across different sport contexts. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to describe the key concepts and existing guidelines for coaching and coach education in Brazil, and provide context-specific recommendations for coach education to include PYD materials. Coaching in Brazil includes a long preparation period that includes diversified opportunities for coach learning. However, there are some discrepancies between the objectives and outcomes prioritized by governing bodies and sport organizations and how learning contexts are framed. In other words, although PYD is considered to be a necessary endeavor, it is not explicitly included in any coach education program. Moving forward, we provide several recommendations, through a bottom-up approach, in order to embed PYD within the Brazilian sport system.

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