TY - JOUR
T1 - Exploring formalized elite coach mentoring programmes in the UK: ‘We’ve had to play the game’
AU - Sawiuk, Rebecca
AU - Groom, Dr Ryan
AU - Taylor, Dr William
N1 - This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Sport, Education and Society on October 2016, available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13573322.2016.1248386.
PY - 2018/7/4
Y1 - 2018/7/4
N2 - Formalized mentoring programmes have been implemented increasingly by UK sporting institutions as a central coach development tool, yet claims supporting formal mentoring as an effective learning strategy are often speculative, scarce, ill-defined and accepted without verification. The aim of this study, therefore, was to explore some of the realities of formalized elite sports coaching mentoring programmes. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews with 15 mentors of elite coaches on formal programmes, across a range of sports. The findings were read through a Bourdieusian lens and revealed the importance of understanding the complexities of elite sports coaching environments, that elite sports coach development is highly specific and, therefore, should not be over-formalized, and how current elite sport coach mentoring programmes may be better conceptualized as a form of social control rather than being driven by pedagogical concerns. Following this empirically based analysis of practice, a number of implications for Governing Bodies, mentors and mentees were considered.
AB - Formalized mentoring programmes have been implemented increasingly by UK sporting institutions as a central coach development tool, yet claims supporting formal mentoring as an effective learning strategy are often speculative, scarce, ill-defined and accepted without verification. The aim of this study, therefore, was to explore some of the realities of formalized elite sports coaching mentoring programmes. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews with 15 mentors of elite coaches on formal programmes, across a range of sports. The findings were read through a Bourdieusian lens and revealed the importance of understanding the complexities of elite sports coaching environments, that elite sports coach development is highly specific and, therefore, should not be over-formalized, and how current elite sport coach mentoring programmes may be better conceptualized as a form of social control rather than being driven by pedagogical concerns. Following this empirically based analysis of practice, a number of implications for Governing Bodies, mentors and mentees were considered.
KW - coach education
KW - elite coach development
KW - formal coach learning
KW - mentoring
KW - micro-politics
KW - Sports coaching
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84992323103&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/13573322.2016.1248386
DO - 10.1080/13573322.2016.1248386
M3 - Article
SN - 1357-3322
VL - 23
SP - 619
EP - 631
JO - Sport Education & Society
JF - Sport Education & Society
IS - 6
ER -