Sport Psychology, Education and Coaching Research Group: Engagement and Impact

Academic Standards in Higher Education: Critical Perspectives and Practical Strategies

Dr Ian Sadler, along with co-editors Dr Nicola Reimann and Prof Jenny Hill have published a book addressing academic standards. Academic standards in higher education are largely misunderstood and yet they underpin the award of university awards. Despite the evidence to the contrary, many academics believe that their judgments about the quality of students’ work are the same as everyone else’s. This book examines the notion of academic standards and identifies the many myths that surround them.

Assuring standards in the context of complex, high-level assessment in higher education is more difficult than it might appear. Based on the lessons learnt from the UK-wide Degree Standards Project, which developed, piloted and evaluated a Professional Development Course on degree standards aimed at external examiners, the book offers practical suggestions for ways in which higher education staff can develop a more sophisticated understanding of standards. It proposes approaches for assuring and maintaining standards, which emphasise the socially constructed nature of standards and highlights the limitations of an exclusive focus on regulations and codification.

Written with a diverse readership in mind, this book is relevant to discipline based academics, quality officers, academic developers, university leaders and policymakers. As a broader approach to assessment literacy, the book aims to develop readers’ standards literacy by challenging routine practices and proposing promising alternatives. It is recommended for all those associated with university student education, especially those who think there is no problem with academic standards.

Care in Sport Coaching: Pedagogical Cases

Edited by Dr Colum Cronin and Prof Kathleen Armour. While it is accepted that sport coaches should safeguard participants, Care in Sport Coaching: Pedagogical Cases argues that coaches have a duty of care that moves beyond protection and involves the development of caring relationships with athletes. Recent high-profile incidents of abuse in sport highlight the need to reposition coaching as a caring activity and to embed care within coach education and coaching policy.

Based around extended case studies, this book provides grounded accounts of how coaches care in their everyday practice. These case studies are analysed using multidisciplinary theoretical perspectives to illustrate and problematise how coaches care. Conclusions are provided, based on these analyses, that will help coach educators, researchers and policymakers establish care as a key facet of everyday sport coaching activities. Additionally, the book offers guidelines that will aid practitioners to enact care in their practice.

This is important reading for coaches, researchers, lecturers and students who are concerned with the role of coaches and the development of coaching practice.

Myths of Sport coaching

Dr Amy Whitehead and co-editor Jenny Coe recently edited the new text Myths of Sport Coaching, which aims to challenge common misconceptions within coaching and offer new perspectives within coaching practice. Amongst the chapter authors are our current group members and LJMU staff, Dr Colum Cronin, Dr Jonathon Foulkes and Dr Liz Mahon.

Amy and Jen are running a monthly seminar series throughout 2022-23 which involves a different chapter author each month presenting their chapter and answer audience questions.

See our May Webinar with Dr Colum Cronin: Myths about Caring in Coaching - YouTube

Myths of Sport Performance

Does winning really matter? Is stretching important? Do skills just become automatic? These are just a few of the many myths that this book aims to challenge. Dr Amy Whitehead and Jenny Coe have edited a second Myths book (following Myths of Sport Coaching) where they have invited world class authors to contribute. Sport and performance are multidisciplinary in nature, made up of a myriad of sciences and philosophies, with the aim (the majority of the time) of improving performance, well-being and health. This book aims to provide readers with the multidisciplinary team (MDT) perspectives of sport and performance, from the physiological, psychological, pedagogical, sociological and even philosophical areas. Think of this book as your pocket ‘MDT’.

• Pitch Sizes in Football (Dr Sigrid Olthof)
• Paralympic Special (Dr Tabo Huntley)
• Think Aloud podcast (Dr Amy Whitehead)

Dr Amy Whitehead discussed the Think Aloud method with Dan Abrahams, specifically how it works in practice; how it can help coaches and athletes analyse their performances; self-reflection and flow.

• Myths of Sort Coaching podcast (Dr Amy Whitehead and Jenny Coe)

Dr Amy Whitehead and Jenny Coe join Dan Abrahams on his Sport Psych Podcast where they discuss some of the key chapters in the Myths of Sport Coaching book. They discuss the idea behind the book, why these myths might exist, and considerations for coaches.

• Care in Sport Coaching (Dr Colum Cronin)

Sensible Soccer with Mike Phelan and Dave Horocks
(Dr Nic Robinson and Dr Amy Whitehead)

Dr Nic Robinson and Dr Amy Whitehead joined former Manchester United coach Mike Phelan and his business partner Dave Horrocks. Mike and Dave now own the company Sensible Soccer and are creating a series of educational resources for grassroots coaches. The group discussed Amy’s Myths of Sport Coaching book and the considerations for grassroots coaches.

CRiC ECR/PGR webinar series
(Dr Alexandra Consterdine)

Cluster for Research into Coaching (CRiC) member Dr Alexandra Consterdine has co-hosted a series of webinars aimed at sports coaching ECR/PGRs. The inter-institution collaboration was curated by Alex and representatives from Loughborough University (Matt Gherardi) and Exeter University (Dr Callum Morgan). These have been a very dynamic and interactive series of webinars, designed to support the needs of ECRs/PGRs.

Topics included an examination of what makes a critical researcher in sports coaching, practical guidance on how to write ‘quality abstracts,’ what makes certain articles great, a section on theorists and theories, and finally a debate about methods and methodology. They were designed to act in concert with the upcoming CRiC 7th International Coaching Conference in Oslo in June later this year.

Delegates reported that they valued the development of new professional networks and the opportunity to ask questions and discuss their work in a supportive atmosphere. All webinars were free to all, recorded and will be uploaded to the re-vamped CRiC website soon.

• Marias Coaching Corner (Dr Tabo Huntley and Amy Hardwick)

As part of the Erasmus funder ParaCoach Project, Paralympic athlete Maria Lyle hosted a webinar series, consisting of conversations with coaches, athletes & academics all about sport, coaching and their individual journeys and experiences.

• Myths of Sport Coaching Webinar Series (Dr Amy Whitehead)
• Teaching Games for Understanding 40th Anniversary – Systematic Review on Sport Coaches’ and Teachers’ perceptions of games-based and constraints-led pedagogy (Sam Richardson)

The following video presentation was presented at the TGfU 40th Anniversary Conference 2023. The presentation provides a summary of a study entitled: Systematic review of sport coaches’ and teachers’ perceptions and application of game-based and constraints-led pedagogy: A qualitative meta-study.

In November 2024, we welcomed delegates to an online CPD session where Dr Katie Fitton Davies shared her innovative integrated curriculum that recently improved physical education in a primary school, providing a great opportunity for practitioners and academics, to hear an example the forefront of good practice.

Aligned with the PESSPA ethos, PESSPA members to shared their own examples of good practices in their PE curriculum from key stage 1 to 4.

Dr Amy Whitehead has teamed up with local bike store ‘Giant Store Liverpool’ who hosted a book launch for her latest edited book Myths of Sport Performance. The launch was open to both LJMU staff and the general public and both Amy and Jen delivered a short presentation about the book, followed by a Q&A. Chapters discussed included, Myths of Motherhood in Elite Sport, The Myth that Winning Matters Most in Elite Sport, Myths of Feedback, and Harnessing the Power of Attention: Exploring ‘Focus of Attention’ Theories, Practice and Myths.

Since the launch of the book and the success of the collaboration with between LJMU and Giant Store Liverpool, Dr Amy Whitehead has developed a seminar series to showcase the great work we are doing in Sport and Exercise Sciences. The seminars are aimed to communicating science to the general public and we have attracted over 100 members of the public over the last two seminars since October.

The event took place on Tuesday 25 June 2024.

Key speakers

• Sue Wilkinson (Previous CEO AfPE)
• Ken Green – Professor of Sociology of Sport

The event provided opportunity for the LJMU PESSPA network members to participate in two practical activities including dance and orienteering. Theoretical workshops supported an insight into the research and good practice of teachers, and HE staff. For example, the co-development of a gamified physical education competence intervention and the launch of a gymnastics club in a school from an early career teacher (ECT) perspective.

Approximately 45 to 50 guests attended.

What participants told us about why they came

• CPD
• Being new to PE subject specialist role
• Networking and collaborations (create and maintain)
• Improve what I offer to my pupils
• Gain knowledge about current challenges and behaviours in PE
• Gain insight into school sports
• Gain insight into professional practice
• Great event last year

What participants told us they enjoyed

• OAA
• Networking
• Moving around and sitting down
• Varied and engaging timetable
• Knowledgeable and insightful presenters
• Ideas and activities to use in own teaching
• Well organised

What participants told us about their take home messages

• Share knowledge with colleagues and discuss implications of missed PE opportunities
• Collaborations
• Apply learnings to the city PA strategy and shape how the council delivers it
• Future teaching and programming
• Include more OAA

This event took place in the summer (2023) with many stakeholders from across Merseyside engaging in what was a jam-packed schedule including:

• dissemination of the research activity and projects within the LJMU PESSPA network
• practical workshop activities that showcased innovative examples of work in PE, School Sport, and Physical Activity
• opportunity for membership discussion and networking

If there are any queries or you are interested in future events, please email PESSPANetwork@ljmu.ac.uk.

Members of the Coaching and Pedagogy Research Group worked with Cluster for Research into Coaching (CRiC), to host a one-day symposium, here at LJMU.

In October 2022, The Coaching and Pedagogy Research Group (CaPRG), met with former LJMU PhD student Dr Niels Feddersen and colleagues, Dr Stig Arve Sæther (Associate Professor and Research Group lead), Dr Nils Petter Aspvik (Associate Professor), Dr Ingar Mehus (Associate Professor), and Dr Rune Høigaard (Professor at University of Agder and visiting Professor) from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology for a research visit.

To start the session, colleagues from both LJMU and NTNU shared their research backgrounds and interests. The group then discussed research currently being conducted by members of the CaPRG. Dr Amy Whitehead, (CaPRG lead), delivered a presentation titled “Case Study: Ultra Tour Monte Rosa, Investigating the interactions of diet and mental coping strategies in an ultra-runner using Think Aloud”. Following this presentation, the group explored research ideas and potential future collaborations between colleagues from Norway and members of the Coaching and Pedagogy Research Group.

As well as potential collaborations with NTNU colleagues, discussions also sparked a number of potential research projects ideas within the research group.

Thank you to Niels, Stig, Nils, Ingar and Rune for visiting and engaging with the Coaching and Pedagogy Research Group.

^{Members of the Coaching and Pedagogy Research Group with colleagues from Norwegian University of Science and Technology}