Books by Christopher Cushion
Papers by Christopher Cushion
Soccer & Society, Feb 15, 2018
Despite research illustrating the socially constructed and subjective nature of talent identifica... more Despite research illustrating the socially constructed and subjective nature of talent identification in football, little research has explored how players make sense of 'being talented' and how this shapes their identity experiences. Five football academy players aged 11 years participated in five focus group interviews. Thematic and interactional qualitative analyses were performed to examine the content and function action orientationof participants' talk. Findings described how players constructed being scouted as authentically choosing, or being chosen by, a club, which worked to protect or enhance participants' 10 talented identities as talented players and self-worth. Talent was regarded as dynamic, but players' perceived expectation to continuously improve implied a potentially problematic view of development as linear. Evidence of early socialisation into the academy culture indicated that while effort was seen as virtuous, it was used to judge performance in 14 comparison to peers, suggesting that effort had become a rhetorical device that reflected 15 conformity, rather than player motivation. Upon joining an academy, players began to develop an identity as footballers with the potential to be successful, however their talented status was fragile, and contingent on demonstrating increasing performance standards. Although effort was seen as necessary for progression and talent viewed as dynamic, players understood that continuous improvement was expected, suggesting a potentially problematic view of development as linear.
My name resides on the cover, but the production of this piece of work would not have been possib... more My name resides on the cover, but the production of this piece of work would not have been possible without help from numerous sources. In particular, the coaches and players at Albion, and all the other coaches who let me observe their work and ask irmumerable questions. A special debt of gratitude is owed to my supervisor Dr. Kathy Armour whose clarity of thought and guidance has ensured a smooth road to the completion of the project. My family, Vic and Bradley, who have given love and support throughout, and without whom this endeavour would have been all the more trying. I need to also thank Dr Robyn Jones, who first mooted the idea of undertaking a PhD, and who has contributed to the completion of the project. Finally, Dr Dave Cook, whose detached analysis and insight has been often and greatly appreciated.
Quest, May 1, 2006
Page 1. 265 The authors are with the School of Sport and Education, Brunel University, Uxbridge, ... more Page 1. 265 The authors are with the School of Sport and Education, Brunel University, Uxbridge, UB8 3PH UK. Email: [email protected]. Quest 2006, 58, 265-282 © 2006 National Association for Kinesiology and Physical Education in Higher Education ...
Routledge eBooks, Apr 27, 2023
Sport Education and Society, Feb 18, 2021
Coach educators’ voices rarely feature in the coaching literature. To address this gap, this rese... more Coach educators’ voices rarely feature in the coaching literature. To address this gap, this research explored the journeys and perceptions and understandings of learning of 16 coach educators (tut...
Physical education and sport pedagogy, Jul 29, 2020
Background: Coach education discourse has largely suppressed learners' involvement in learning. T... more Background: Coach education discourse has largely suppressed learners' involvement in learning. To address this, there have been calls for more humanistic approaches to form the basis of formal learning programmes. However, there remains a paucity of research that has investigated what works and why when it comes to the impact of these programmes. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact a theoretically informed learning programme had on coaches' ownership of, and feelings towards, being engaged in their learning, and how this impacted their subsequent practice. The significance of this work lies in providing evidence that extends current knowledge and understanding of how alternative forms of coach education can be effectively constructed and delivered. Methods: Three coaches, who worked in recreational coaching contexts, agreed to take part in this study. There were two elements to the methods. First, the development and implementation of a coach education programme was reported in a series of stages. To capture data on programme impact, multiple and mixed data collection methods including interviews and observations were employed. Qualitative data were analysed abductively and quantitative data descriptively. Findings: Three themes were identified related to the educational concepts espoused by Freire. These were 1) freedom to learn, 2) feeling cared for, and 3) becoming (or not becoming) more reflexive. Quantitative data highlighted where this led to changes in the observable aspects of coaches' practices. Conclusion: The current study provides some initial evidence suggesting that when coaches are given freedom to learn, feel cared for, and in some cases, think reflexively about their practice, they have a positive learning experience. Further, and while we cannot say for certain, this approach does seem to lead to changes in coaches' behaviour and practice in line with the area of their coaching they had chosen to develop.
Sports coaching review, Oct 6, 2016
The aim of this research was to consider the coaching journeys of eight experienced professional ... more The aim of this research was to consider the coaching journeys of eight experienced professional football coaches. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted over two data points, a decade apart, and analysed thematically. Findings explored the coaches' longitudinal professional playing and coaching experiences, including their learning and development and engagement with formal coach education over four decades. The coaches' narratives highlighted how their biographies had shaped their identities, learning and practice. Each coach emphasised the importance of experiential learning, learning from other coaches, practicing in diverse coaching domains, and the ongoing nature of learning. Data highlighted limitations in formal decontextualised coach education and 'fast-tracking'. Findings also illustrated something of the changing nature and demands of coaching and how the coaches have adjusted their practice in order to meet the contemporary demands and expectations of their athletes. The coaches reported they required greater education and support around this area. Coaches' journeys are an under-utilised resource and have implications for future coaching practice, coach learning and coach education development.
Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, Jan 23, 2017
Research into sport coaches' learning previously relied on descriptive learning histories and ret... more Research into sport coaches' learning previously relied on descriptive learning histories and retrospective coach perceptions that revealed little detail about the processes and outcomes involved. More recent nuanced approaches have started to evidence the idea that coaches actively integrate multiple experiences as interconnected modes of learning, influenced by preexisting biography (Abraham et al. 2006). A learning theory specific to coaching that can explain how practitioners dynamically interact with learning environments is a necessary addition to advance understanding, inform professional development opportunities and move the field forward (Cushion and Nelson 2013). This research aimed to address this gap by investigating the learning of 25 English youth soccer coaches. Longitudinal semi-structured interviews and video stimulated recall interviews were used to elicit knowledge use in practice, associated sources of learning, and moderating factors. Data were organised and analysed using techniques and principles of grounded theory (Strauss and Corbin 1998). A substantive grounded theory is presented to explain the filter process whereby individuals adopted, adapted and rejected elements of their experiences, leading to uneven learning in apparently similar situations. The findings suggest that coaches actively constructed and experimented with knowledge for use in socially situated coaching practice, through double-loop individual and contextual level filters, and 'reflective conversations'. In response to McCullick et al.'s (2009) calls, questions of 'what works', how and for whom in this context of coach learning are addressed for the first time. Elucidation of these processes can enhance professional learning and practice through advancing evidence based 'theory in context' (Kennedy 2014).
Journal of Sports Sciences, May 28, 2019
Evidencing the impact of coaches' learning: Changes in coaching knowledge and practice over time ... more Evidencing the impact of coaches' learning: Changes in coaching knowledge and practice over time It is clear that sport coaches learn from multiple interconnected learning experiences, yet there is limited direct evidence to elucidate what is learned and how these combined experiences shape coaches' knowledge and day-today practice. This research aimed to investigate the impact of the learning of two groups of English youth soccer coaches over a period of a year and a half. Using the Coach Analysis and Intervention System (CAIS) and associated video-stimulated recall interviews, changes in the practice behaviours and knowledge use of coaches completing a formal coach education course, and equivalent coaches not undertaking formal education, were compared. Data indicated that the learning period had a different effect on coaches taking part in formal coach education versus those not in education. Changes in the use of knowledge about individual players and tactics were reflected in increased behaviours directed towards individuals, and an altered proportion of technical to tactically-related questioning, linked to coaches' participation in education. Overall, more change was evident in coaching knowledge than in practice behaviours, suggesting an absence of deep learning that bridged the knowledgepractice gap.
Sports coaching review, May 1, 2013
ABSTRACT Coach behaviour, practice activities and the relationship between the two are seen as es... more ABSTRACT Coach behaviour, practice activities and the relationship between the two are seen as essential components in athlete learning and development. This study examined the coaching intervention behaviours employed by three collegiate coaches as a function of ‘practice state’ over a season long period. Systematic observation of these coaches' behaviour was conducted using the Coach Analysis Intervention System (CAIS). Coaches also participated in semi-structured interviews to explore how and why they used the intervention behaviours in the ways they did within the different practice states. Whilst the data from the systematic observation were analysed descriptively and inferentially, the interview data were analysed deductively. Although multivariate analysis of variance tests revealed significant differences for the practice state of two of the three coaches, follow-up analyses revealed that the main differences in coaching behaviour were between ‘other’ states when compared to ‘training’ and ‘playing’ states. The results demonstrated limited changes to coaching behaviour as a function of ‘practice state’ for the three coaches, intimating that the drivers of the coaches' design and implementation of practice sessions and the delivery of instruction were their existing ‘folk pedagogies’ rather than scientifically-based evidence.
Nova Science Publishers eBooks, 2016
Decades of research and anecdotal evidence in coaching suggests that effective coaches continuous... more Decades of research and anecdotal evidence in coaching suggests that effective coaches continuously learn from a blend of different situations, having mastered the skill of learning from their experiences. However, the processes involved and the impact of different learning experiences on coaches’ knowledge and practice are less well understood. It has been argued that a specific coach learning theory that can explain how coaches dynamically interact with the learning environments they encounter is a necessary addition to move the field forward and enhance professional learning (Cushion and Nelson 2013). The chapter will discuss current research-based perspectives in coach learning, with reference to relevant models of learning and knowledge development from the broader learning literature, to explain how coaches’ existing experiences, knowledge and contextual factors influence their learning and resulting coaching knowledge and practice. In doing so, the chapter will elucidate what works, how and for whom in coach learning (McCullick et al. 2009).
Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 2021
21 22 Background 23 The training of coaches is considered central to sustaining and improving the... more 21 22 Background 23 The training of coaches is considered central to sustaining and improving the quality of sports 24 provision. In Parasport, coaches are recognised at the highest level of international sport policy as performing a central role in achieving important sporting and social outcomes related to disabled people. However, an emerging body of evidence suggests that formal coach education plays only a minor role in Parasport coaches' development. To ensure equitable access and quality experiences and opportunities for disabled people in sport there is an ongoing challenge to theorise and implement the optimal structure for educating coaches.
Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 2020
Background: Coach education discourse has largely suppressed learners' involvement in learning. T... more Background: Coach education discourse has largely suppressed learners' involvement in learning. To address this, there have been calls for more humanistic approaches to form the basis of formal learning programmes. However, there remains a paucity of research that has investigated what works and why when it comes to the impact of these programmes. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact a theoretically informed learning programme had on coaches' ownership of, and feelings towards, being engaged in their learning, and how this impacted their subsequent practice. The significance of this work lies in providing evidence that extends current knowledge and understanding of how alternative forms of coach education can be effectively constructed and delivered. Methods: Three coaches, who worked in recreational coaching contexts, agreed to take part in this study. There were two elements to the methods. First, the development and implementation of a coach education programme was reported in a series of stages. To capture data on programme impact, multiple and mixed data collection methods including interviews and observations were employed. Qualitative data were analysed abductively and quantitative data descriptively. Findings: Three themes were identified related to the educational concepts espoused by Freire. These were 1) freedom to learn, 2) feeling cared for, and 3) becoming (or not becoming) more reflexive. Quantitative data highlighted where this led to changes in the observable aspects of coaches' practices. Conclusion: The current study provides some initial evidence suggesting that when coaches are given freedom to learn, feel cared for, and in some cases, think reflexively about their practice, they have a positive learning experience. Further, and while we cannot say for certain, this approach does seem to lead to changes in coaches' behaviour and practice in line with the area of their coaching they had chosen to develop.
International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 2018
This article draws on the theoretical concepts of Pierre Bourdieu to provide a critical analysis ... more This article draws on the theoretical concepts of Pierre Bourdieu to provide a critical analysis of the social construction of disability in high-performance sport coaching. Data were generated using a qualitative cross-case comparative methodology, comprising 18 months of ethnographic fieldwork in high-performance disability sport, and interviews with coaches and athletes from a cross-section of Paralympic sports. We discuss how in both cases ‘disability’ was assimilated into the ‘performance logic’ of the sporting field as a means of maximising symbolic capital. Furthermore, coaches were socialised into a prevailing legitimate culture in elite disability sport that was reflective of ableist, performance-focused and normative ideologies about disability. In this article we unpack the assumptions that underpin coaching in disability sport, and by extension use sport as a lens to problematise the construction of disability in specific social formations across coaching cultures. In so...
Frontiers in sports and active living, Aug 23, 2022
Systematic observation has been one of the most employed data collection methods in sport coachin... more Systematic observation has been one of the most employed data collection methods in sport coaching literature. Initial work, originally undertaken in the 's, and gaining traction in the 's and 's looked to predominately o er descriptions of coaches' behavior. While this research continues to o er a significant contribution to the fields understanding of what coaches do during practice, systematic observation used only in this way has unfulfilled potential. The premise of this paper is to consider systematic observation as a coach development tool-a precedent which has been set in the literature. The arguments made are based on an alternative way of thinking about systematic observation, as a pedagogical tool that supports coaches in better understanding themselves and their pedagogical practice. Principles of dialogic pedagogy are used as the basis of our argument whereby "researchers" and "coaches" work collaboratively to co-construct knowledge and support coach reflection, and ultimately develop coaches' practice.
International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching, 2010
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Books by Christopher Cushion
Papers by Christopher Cushion