Funded Masters by Research - Understanding the impact of the iCoachKids programme on coaches’ knowledge and self-efficacy

The Carnegie School of Sport at Leeds Beckett University and iCoachKids are offering a funded (fees only) Master’s by Research opportunity starting in February 2021.

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.

We are delighted to offer this fees funded Masters by Research opportunity to address some of the gaps in the existing literature.

Project: Understanding the impact of the iCoachKids programme on coaches’ knowledge and self-efficacy.

The project 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).

The programme of study will be embedded into the overall activities of the iCoachKids Global Movement led by Leeds Beckett University and the International Council for Coaching Excellence alongside another 7 European sporting organisations.

iCoachKids vision is “Child-centred youth sport environments that provide safe developmental experiences”. To achieve this vision, iCoachKids champions good policy and practice. Building a suitable evidence-base through targeted research is paramount.

Applicants are encouraged to discuss their proposals and the project with the Project Lead, Dr Sergio Lara Bercial at [Email Address Removed]

The deadline for applications is midnight on 11th November

Further infomration and an application form can be found at https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/carnegie-school-of-sport/research/research-students/~/link.aspx?_id=CE15C52711034BA29BB59718EBBBBD95&_z=z