First Advisor
Douglas, Scott
Document Type
Dissertation
Date Created
8-2019
Department
College of Natural and Health Sciences, Kinesiology Nutrition and Dietetics, KiND Student Work
Abstract
Several knowledge typologies exist as part of the coaching process including scientific, sport-specific, and pedagogical knowledges. Prior literature has examined these typologies through investigation of decision-making schematics and through direct inquiry of sport coaches. However, while past investigations have included heterogeneous coaching populations, the understanding of mediating knowledges in sport-specific contexts is less clear. Additionally, the investigation of coaching knowledges and their contributions to coach decision-making has been limited solely to the explicit and implicit viewpoints of coaches through interview studies and has yet to be investigated through observation of the coaching process itself. The present study investigated the decision-making process of a competitively successful endurance running coach through a single-case, instrumental, qualitative case study. Observations of the coach were conducted over a four-day field visit. Interviews with the participant coach, assistant coaches, and select athletes, as well as collected artifacts were used to provided additional trustworthiness and depth to the findings. Findings indicated that scientific, sport-specific, and pedagogical knowledges all contributed to the participant’s coaching process. Additionally, findings revealed that scientific, sport-specific, and pedagogical knowledges all contributed to the participant’s coaching process through mediation of sport-focused and person-focused coaching actions. Evidence suggested that coaching knowledges shared an intertwined relationship with coaching actions and knowledge types with evidence indicating that multiple coaching knowledges influence coaching actions. Implications of the present study indicate that endurance running coaches should consider purposefully integrating scientific, sport-specific, and pedagogical knowledge into their coaching. Coaches are additionally advised to consider pedagogical knowledge that is applied to the sport irrespective of the members of their team, while also considering pedagogical knowledge that helps them serve individual needs of athletes.
Extent
214 pages
Local Identifiers
Milbrath_unco_0161D_10759.pdf
Rights Statement
Copyright is held by the author.
Recommended Citation
Milbrath, Marshall James, "Science of the Art of Coaching: Examining the Decision-Making Process of a Competitively Successful Endurance Running Coach" (2019). Dissertations. 598.
https://digscholarship.unco.edu/dissertations/598