Sport Coaching Research and Practice: Ontology, Interdisciplinarity and Critical Realism

Research is essential for sports coaching, as it helps coaches understand their practices better and improve their performance. This book explores the philosophical foundations of sport coaching research, arguing that traditional single-disciplinary accounts risk over-simplifying our understanding of coaching. It presents an alternative framework for sports coaching research based on critical realism, which provides a more realistic and accountable knowledge to coaching stakeholders. The book demonstrates how a critical realist-informed approach can provide a more realistic and accountable knowledge to coaching, and has important implications for coaching, coach education, and development practices.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 308 pages
\n Publication date: 31 January 2019
\n Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
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Research plays a crucial role in shaping our understanding of sports coaching, just as it does in any other discipline. In this innovative study, the philosophical foundations of sport coaching research are explored, examining the often implicit connections between research processes, practice descriptions, and prescriptions. The book argues that traditional single-disciplinary accounts, such as those based in psychology or sociology, risk oversimplifying our understanding of coaching. Therefore, an alternative framework for sports coaching research is presented, based on critical realism.

This framework offers a more nuanced and complex view of coaching practice, emphasizing the embeddedness of coaches and athletes in their respective contexts. It recognizes the relational nature of coaching and the emergent properties of coaching knowledge. By drawing on new empirical case study research, the book demonstrates vividly how a critical realist-informed approach can provide a more realistic and accountable knowledge to coaching stakeholders. This knowledge holds significant implications for coaching, coach education, and development practices.

Sport Coaching Research and Practice: Ontology, Interdisciplinarity, and Critical Realism is a must-read for students and researchers engaged in sports coaching, sport pedagogy, physical education, the philosophy of sport, or research methodology in sport and exercise. It offers valuable insights into the complex nature of coaching and provides a framework for future research that can contribute to the growth and development of the field.

\n Weight: 500g\n
Dimension: 158 x 234 x 21 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9780367233112\n \n