Development of a Questionnaire Focused on Sports Coaches Learning

Abstract

Coaching is one of the most demanding social, helping and pedagogical professions. Therefore, research attention is rightly paid mainly to formal coach education aiming at adequate preparation for the practice of this profession. In recent years, however, many empirical studies have demonstrated that non-formal coach education is playing an increasingly important role in coach development in addition to formal coach education. At the same time, research findings show that it is not only the completed “official” coach education that is crucial for the professional development of each coach, but above all, it is the complex results of their lifelong learning. Therefore, it is essential for various sports institutions, for sports educational facilities, especially for coach educators, to have information about the course, features, and potential problems related to lifelong learning of specific sports coaches. Therefore, our paper aims to create a research tool – a questionnaire that identifies the essential circumstances of lifelong coach learning. The design of the questionnaire builds on our previous research on formal, non-formal and informal coach education and, in particular, on the results of many analogous international empirical studies on coach learning. These starting points show that the following areas play an essential role in the lifelong learning process of coaches: (1) personal sports and coaching experience, (2) reflection (self-reflection) of this experience, (3) professional sharing of coach experience, (4) mentoring and (5) accessible and understandable coach learning information resources. We prepared a working version of the questionnaire based on the above principles. This research tool aims to identify sports coaches' learning and education processes. We designed the questionnaire containing 66 items (closed, open, semi-closed, and scales) to suit various respondents – coaches (multiple types of sports, competitive and recreational sports, different age groups, beginners and experienced coaches, etc.). The first stage of verifying the draft version of the questionnaire consisted of an expert assessment. A total of 6 active coaches (three male coaches and three female coaches from the environment of top, competitive and hobby sports), who were acquainted with the theoretical basis of the questionnaire, recommended minor corrections to the questionnaire. The second stage of the questionnaire verification took place in interviews with six coaches (again working in competitive and leisure sports) who were not acquainted with the theoretical basis of the questionnaire. This stage focused on the clarity and unambiguity of individual items. The revised questionnaire was subsequently converted into an electronic form. The functionality of the final electronic version of the questionnaire was verified within a pilot study (n = 18).