Speaker: Prof. Dieffenbach is primarily concerned with processes of trainer development, the professionalization of the trainer profession and the moral behavior of trainers.

Abstract: Talent identification and development of athletes have long been a focal point both within sport organizations and in sport science research (see Baker et al., 2017).  Research support for using a holistic, ‘right age-right stage’ long term pathway approach to guide the years of training, hard work, and deliberate practice necessary for both athletic peak performance and creating health participation-based sport cultures continues to grow (e.g. Bailey, et al., 2010; Côté & Vierimaa, 2013; Gould, Dieffenbach, & Moffett, 2002).  Despite being noted as essential in the development of athletes (e.g., Greenleaf, Gould, & Dieffenbach, 2010; Lauer & Dieffenbach, 2013), the coach is commonly conceptualized as a role or a title being reduced to a list of dos and don’ts, rather than as being addressed as a professional.  Further, limited work exists examining the experience of coaching and being a coach from the perspective of supporting the wellbeing of the individuals within the profession (e.g., Olusoga, Bentzen, & Kenttä, 2019; Sheehy, Zizzi, & Dieffenbach, 2019).  

Focusing on the applied nature of the job, Sport coach as educator (Jones, 2006), examined the demands of sport coaching, the uniqueness of the context, and the similarities to other professions to underscore the need for the professional preparation of those who coach to include the knowledge and skills associated with teaching and facilitating learning.  The multi organizational position paper Sport coaching as a profession: Challenges and future directions (Duffy et al., 2011) called for recognizing individuals who coach as professionals and highlighted the need to approach sport coaching as a profession.  The importance of facilitating shifts in cultural expectation regarding the profession of sport coaching, the creation of systems of development, and the need for evidence supported professional development pathways that align with athlete development research, strategies, and models, have also been emphasized (e.g., Dieffenbach, 2019; ICCE, 2013; North, 2019).  Critical conversations about occupational socialization into and within the profession of sport coaching, the education preparation needed to support athlete development, the education and experience needed to develop teaching skills to support athlete learning, and the need for on-going professional development that are informed by evidence based best practices and a range of disciplines have begun grow in recent years.   This keynote will explore the emerging field of coach development, the interdisciplinary and contextual complexities within the discipline, and highlight essential areas of consideration by practitioners and researchers. 

Der Vortrag wird auf Deutsch gehalten.

Speaker: Prof. Kelava develops statistical methods for separating inter-individual differences as well as intra-individual changes and applies them in psychological contexts.

Abstract: The separation of effects of (i) inter-individual differences and (ii) intra-individual changes are important for many research questions in the social and behavioral sciences. For example, in education science, inter-individual differences (e.g., math achievements in secondary school) and intra-individual changes (e.g., trajectories of affective changes during the first semester) might be predictors of critical (unobserved) events (e.g., intention to drop out from study in math). In this talk, we present a methodological longitudinal framework for the modeling of so-called intensive longitudinal data which is capable of inter-individual differences, intra-individual changes, time-dependent unobserved heterogeneity (e.g., intention to quit based on time-sensitive events), and flexible nonlinear relationships (e.g., interactions) between the variables. Furthermore, we present (empirical) results from a technical forecasting procedure of critical events that can handle these different types of effect and data levels. Implications for both methodological and substantive research (e.g., in sport science) are discussed.

Speaker: Prof. Harwood conducts research in the area of psycho-social talent factors, such as the influence of parents and coaches on the motivation and athletic development of young athletes.

Abstract: There has been a burgeoning literature over the past 20 years focused on talent development environments, as well as research within athlete career development and psychosocial development that speak to essentially the same points, objectives, and implications: i. e.., what should organisations, clubs, systems, and by definition their stakeholders - coaches, parents, peers - be doing and creating that facilitates a young person's athletic development and well-being? Scholarly knowledge and insight into the components here are not lacking in my view, but the translation of knowledge and its implementation in mainstream sport is arguably slow, ineffective, or inefficient. In this presentation, I will share my experience of translating and tailoring the knowledge that we have gained about psychosocial factors in a young athlete's development and applying it to influence systems of practice ‘at the coalface’ of programmes. Notwithstanding some challenges to share, I will draw on recent work with coaches, parents, and athletes that aim to bridge the knowledge to practice gap, such that our research work achieves better impact.