Teacher-coaches' perceived influence on the global development of student-athletes

Abstract

In Canada, high school sports are often justified based on the competencies (e.g., physical skills, life skills, prosocial values) that are claimed to be derived from participation (Camiré et al., 2009). Whether student-athletes develop in a positive or negative manner through sports is often determined largely by teachers-coaches who can substantially influence the quality of youth’s experience (Gould & Carson, 2008). Teacher-coaches are identified as teachers, by profession, who volunteer their time to coach sport teams in schools. The Canadian high school sport system is sustained by tens of thousands of teacher-coaches (School Sport Canada, 2012) but seldom has their influence on student-athlete development been empirically examined. The purpose of this study was to explore how teacher-coaches believe they can influence student-athletes’ global (i.e., physical, psychosocial, emotional) development. Twenty-five teacher-coaches (20 males, 5 females) participated in semi-structured interviews and were recruited from three regions: the National Capital Region, the Greater Toronto Area, and Northern Ontario. Participants were recruited from public, catholic, and private high schools in both rural and urban areas. Results demonstrate that teacher-coaches believe their dual role affords them abundant opportunities to develop meaningful relationships with student-athletes and get to know them on a more personal level. Furthermore, teacher-coaches believe that their involvement in athletics helps them gain credibility, trust, and respect among the student population, which puts them in a preferred position to facilitate student-athletes’ development in a positive and lasting manner. These and other results are discussed based on the youth development through sport literature.

Acknowledgments: This research was supported by a grant from the University of Ottawa`s Faculty of Health Sciences